cover image The Wounded Woman: Hope and Healing for Those Who Hurt

The Wounded Woman: Hope and Healing for Those Who Hurt

Steve Stephens, Pam Vredevelt, . . Multnomah, $13.99 (265pp) ISBN 978-1-59052-529-6

The authors, both licensed counselors, team up to offer Christian hope to women in pain. They address seven kinds of wounds—physical, sexual, verbal, social, spiritual, emotional and those wounds that result from our own poor choices—as well as the hope offered by the God of the Bible. That hope comes with work, and Stephens and Vredevelt don't hesitate to tell women that healing their pain requires commitment, patience and trust. "God never promised to keep us from wounds, but He did promise to be with us and to help us heal," they say. "No matter how difficult our struggles or how deep our wounds, they carry with them great lessons." Inspiration and honesty are hallmarks, with issues such as grief, anger, anxiety, guilt and shame discussed openly. The authors are just as candid on faith issues like prayer, forgiveness and God's healing. This hard-hitting book offers no wiggle room for women in the business of healing their wounds; pain, it argues, can "teach us about ourselves, life, and God." Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make the book useful for small-group study. (Jan.)