I heard Pete speak on the radio at least 3 years ago.   Since then I have read the Emotionally Healthy Spiritually several times and just recently purchased the Daily Office. I’ve taken some time today to do as you suggest…To Be Still! Each time I do, it feeds me. I’m stronger, healthier, and more focused in every way. God is good. I’m going through a time of grieving.  Losing my mom, brother and sister, all while in a family melt down over money. Through it all, your book has been a gift!

Deb Stokka

Ankeny, IA

I have been a Christian for 27 years and had been in leadership through a number of avenues but a year ago I hit ‘the wall’ and suffered spiritual concussion. I had reached a point in my Christian life where I just felt I could not go a step further. Worse – I didn’t know how I had arrived at this destination. Although this followed on from successful major heart surgery to replace a valve and reduce the size of my heart – like Elijah I just wanted to lie down and die as keeping my Christian walk going seemed too hard a task to bear. I felt trapped, discouraged and devalued. I didn’t want to go to church, and stood down from the many ministries I was involved in, I felt a fake and a fraud – and totally not worth anything. I felt I had not grown in years. BUT there was hope – a lifeline was thrown to me through Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, done with an amazing couple, Rowland and Allison, a pastor and his wife, who had attended a conference on this in the UK. Over the weeks it has slowly transformed my understanding of God and myself and the relationship I have with him. God has shown me so much about myself as the weeks have gone by – and I have reached a place where once again I can spend time with Him and it be a joy and not a duty. The Daily Office has been significant in my journey back to spiritual health. Of course, I am not ‘there’ yet but a work in progress – but I truly believe without this lifeline my future was bleak – I would stop attending church and most likely abandon my faith. Instead I now have hope, a new vision, a sense of worth, and a fresh understanding of the joy of seeking his presence. I want to share my story as an encouragement to anyone else who is in the place of being ‘lost’ in their walk with the Lord. You can only hide for so long and bury stuff – but eventually it will surface. All I can say is that I no longer strive – I am happy in who I am and the person God created me to be and become. Thank you Pete for being so honest – your honesty told me that you had been where I was and gave me the confidence to look into those dark places where hurt and blindness to yourself is hidden.

Val Powell

Essex, UK

Dear Peter & Geri: My name is Gideon, and I’m one of the pastors serving at Kelang Baptist Church in Malaysia. I thank God for both of you for sharing your lives with us through the Emotionally Healthy Spiritually (EHS) book. Our church probably is the first church in Malaysia to do the EHS church-wide initiative. The feedback from our church members is very positive. Below is an example: “I have been experiencing early signs of a burn-out since the end of last year. I felt frustrated, exhausted and bitter. I knew that I needed to do something about the situation before it got worse. The EHS series (the self-inventory, Daily Office, study) helps me to consciously and systematically slow down, let go and get fit (emotionally and spiritually). I realize that I need to cultivate the habit of drawing near to God at all times because my doing for God is way out of balance with my being with Him. I learned a very useful new term: “overfunctioning” i.e. doing for others what they can and should do for themselves. I am currently examining and reordering my priorities so as to stop overfunctioning and to start slowing down, letting go and getting fit. Still a long way to go but I’m glad to have started.” Below are two questions for Pete: First, I can say almost everyone in our church has had a very positive response to the Daily Office. The Daily Office really helps our people to practice slowing down our life and centering on God. Thanks again for ministering to all us through your life.

Blessings, Gideon

Gideon, Malaysia

Seven years ago I read the through The Emotionally healthy Church. By the time I finished the introduction I realized I had my hands on a unique book. Little did I know that it would help set into motion a process of transformation and healing that would slowly play out over the coming years. The real catalyst for me was the emotional health assessment at the end of one of the chapters. I have to be honest that I typically skip over assessments in books but I am so glad I didn’t this time around. The assessment revealed that I had the emotional maturity of an infant. Although initially painful, knowing this about myself caused me to reluctantly ask why and what. Why was I so immature emotionally? What caused my emotional development to be stunted?

When I looked at the fragile state of my marriage the assessment’s evaluation of me proved accurate. When I looked at my tendency to avoid emotionally charged interaction with others it was further confirmed. When I examined my inability to process and communicate my own emotions I knew something was really wrong. After fighting against what seemed like an invisible enemy, all the pieces started to come together. Like everyone on the planet I grew up in a dysfunctional home. Up to that point I’d never really faced that fact. Through counseling and endless conversations with my wife, I begin to look at my child through adult eyes. I saw areas of deep pain and wounding in me that were cloaked in what I’d labeled as a ‘normal’ upbringing. This new insight didn’t lead me to blame my parents but rather have a realistic picture of how their shortcomings affected me and my emotional develop. The insights were liberating on many levels. I felt myself growing up on the inside. I felt myself engaging relationships in a new way. I no longer felt the irresistible compulsion to run and hide. I learned to communicate my emotions and contain the emotions of others no matter how strong they were. Pete’s book was the initial catalyst that helped me embark on this painful yet rewarding journey of growing up emotionally. My wife and I are truly grateful to him and Geri for their leadership in this area. Our four children and the generations to come will be different because of their willingness to share their story.

Brad Baker

My story is simple. I’ve come to this book and this realization too late. I quit my marriage and hate myself for it. I didn’t realize that I could quit without really quitting. My counselor gave me this book as a gift. He attended your church and I attended once. Unfortunately, the day I attended the sermon was on tithing and I still ended up crying in the back.

I’ve read a couple of books about fear, shame, anxiety and boundaries and I wish I read them before I made the decision to divorce my husband. Now, I am reading I Quit and I cry at almost every page because I wish I knew this before. It’s been a difficult book for me to read but I know I must read it.

Bernel, New York

I have been a christian for 27 years and had been in leadership through a number of avenues but a year ago I hit ‘the wall’ and suffered spiritual concussion. I had reached a point in my Christian life where I just felt I could not go a step further. Worse – I didn’t know how I had arrived at this destination. Although this followed on from successful major heart surgery to replace a valve and reduce the size of my heart – like Elijah I just wanted to lie down and die as keeping my christian walk going seemed too hard a task to bear. I felt trapped, discouraged and devalued. I didn’t want to go to church, and stood down from the many ministries I was involved in, I felt a fake and a fraud – and totally not worth anything. I felt I had not grown in years. BUT there was hope – a lifeline was thrown to me through Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, done with an amazing couple, Rowland and Allison, a pastor and his wife, who had attended a conference on this in the UK. Over the weeks it has slowly transformed my understanding of God and myself and the relationship I have with him. God has shown me so much about myself as the weeks have gone by – and I have reached a place where once again I can spend time with Him and it be a joy and not a duty. The Daily Office has been significant in my journey back to spiritual health. Of course, I am not ‘there’ yet but a work in progress – but I truly believe without this lifeline my future was bleak – I would stop attending church and most likely abandon my faith. Instead I now have hope, a new vision, a sense of worth, and a fresh understanding of the joy of seeking his presence. I want to share my story as an encouragement to anyone else who is in the place of being ‘lost’ in their walk with the Lord. You can only hide for so long and bury stuff – but eventually it will surface. All I can say is that I no longer strive – I am happy in who I am and the person God created me to be and become. Thank you Pete for being so honest – your honesty told me that you had been where I was and gave me the confidence to look into those dark places where hurt and blindness to yourself is hidden.

Val, Essex, UK