Escape Routes: For People Who Feel Trapped in Life's Hells by Johann Christoph Arnold | Goodreads
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Escape Routes: For People Who Feel Trapped in Life's Hells
by
Johann Christoph Arnold
3.40 · Rating details · 25 ratings · 8 reviews
You name the hell...there is a way out. After decades of pastoral counseling, Johann Christoph Arnold still marvels at our capacity to make life miserable for ourselves and one another. This book, his tenth, maps out a sure way out of life's hells and toward a happy, meaningful life.
In contrast to the makeovers and quick fixes hawked by popular culture, "Escape Routes" ...more
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Paperback, 187 pages
Published November 1st 2016 by Plough Publishing House (first published 2002)
Original Title
Escape Routes: For People Who Feel Trapped in Life's Hells
ISBN
0874867703 (ISBN13: 9780874867701)
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Apr 13, 2011Yvonne rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: spiritual-enrichment-self-help
It's an easy book to read. Managed to finish it in a day amidst distractions and responsibilities. It touches on the issues that affect the human population today and gave ideas on how to resolve them with illustrations from real-life case studies. However, there was no deep substance to the book and the author sort of just touch-and-go on each issue. Perhaps, he was trying to cover too many issues in one book. 'Jack of all trade but master of none' can perhaps, describe this book.
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Jun 22, 2019Sadie Forsythe marked it as dnf
I started, but didn't finish this book. I was somewhat discouraged when I discovered that it is actually a religious book (I hadn't initially realized that), but I was still willing to read it. However, in chapter two about a women who had been raped and molested several times, starting in childhood, there came point in which she "contacted her father, who had physically and sexually abused her as a child, and wrote him a letter asking his forgiveness for the hatred she had harbored toward him up till then" and I "fuck this." If that's the sort of message this book is trying to send me, I'm not here for it. (less)
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Dec 26, 2016J.S. rated it it was ok
Shelves: religion, first-reads-etc
As a leader in my church, I sometimes counsel people who are dealing with the consequences of a life away from God. I often hear the cry that God isn't helping them because they're still essentially in the same place as when they decided to turn their lives around. The image that comes to mind is that they've been digging a hole for years - perhaps a lifetime - and upon finding themselves unhappy, they now want out. But just because they've stopped digging doesn't mean they're automatically *out of the hole* they spent so much time making. The consequences of past actions remains, and the perseverance to continue to right the errors of the past - and get out of the hole - requires further effort. I guess that's why this book initially appealed to me.
The book is organized into chapters dealing with various issues such as loneliness, despair, money, sex, etc. Overall, each chapter felt a bit shallow. The issues are described but the advice and counsel often felt a bit lacking. Nonetheless, the stories were nice and even kind of uplifting - kind of a feel-good read in many ways. (I rec'd a copy through a GoodReads giveaway.) (less)
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Feb 12, 2019Debra rated it did not like it
While I'm only 3 chapters in, I am going to stop reading. The book offers what can only be compared to a series of drunk logs of alcoholics and then one or two sentence about what recovery looks like. Yes, the examples are all pertinent to the author's description of people who feel trapped in life's hells. . . . but, the so-called escape routes are so short and non-descriptive that I cannot help but wonder how a reader could choose to escape their own hell.
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Jan 23, 2017Leslie rated it it was amazing
This book is more uplifting than the title suggests! Arnold is a intense, profound writer drawing from a broad base of wise sources (Henri Nouwen, C.S. Lewis, etc) and digs deep into the spiritual struggles people face. He uses many personal stories of those he has ministered to during his long career. His own background is fascinating. I'm interested in reading more of his writings.
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Jan 11, 2017Sharon Hardin rated it liked it
Inspirational stories of people who managed to move from horrible situations to happier, more fulfilling lives. There is not much new about the routes they took, with new faith and Christian teachings as the bases, but Arnold's writing is smooth, compassionate without being sugary. Each chapter or story by itself would be interesting and inspiring, but they flow from one to another to create an optimistic cumulative whole.
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Nov 23, 2016Richard rated it really liked it
Full of excellent advice and enables you to improve your outlook. Had a memorable experience as a result of the insight and good timing.
"Life's deepest fulfillment comes from valuing every human encounter, and showing love to everyone we meet especially if they are lonely, despairing, or beaten down."
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Nov 09, 2016Brian rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: personal
This would be good for anyone, not just teachers/parents, although teacher/parents have unique challenges that this book would apply to.
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Escape Routes: For People Who Feel Trapped in Life’s Hells Kindle Edition
by Johann Christoph Arnold (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
You name the hell...there is a way out. After decades of pastoral counseling, Johann Christoph Arnold still marvels at our capacity to make life miserable for ourselves and one another. This book, his tenth, maps out a sure way out of life’s hells and toward a happy, meaningful life.
In contrast to the makeovers and quick fixes hawked by popular culture, Escape Routes offers a tougher prescription. Using real-life stories as travel guides, Arnold exposes the root causes of loneliness, frustration, alienation, and despair and shows how anyone, regardless of their age, income bracket, or social status, can find freedom and new life. The choices he presents are clear: "to be selfish or selfless, to forgive or to hate, to burn with lust or with love."
No matter what your problems, or who you are, this book will help you on your way, provided you’re ready to take its medicine.
,br>Arnold writes: “Call it life, call it hell: there’s not a person I’ve met who hasn’t been lonely, discouraged, depressed, or guilt-ridden at one time or another, if not sick, burned-out, or at sea in a relationship. Sometimes I know this because they have told me about their problems; sometimes I can tell just by looking in their eyes. That’s what got me started on this book—the fact that all of us have known some form of hell in our lives, and that insofar as any of us find freedom, confidence, companionship, and community, we will also know happiness.”
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Length: 187 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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File Size: 513 KB
Print Length: 187 pages
Publisher: Plough Publishing House; 2 edition (November 1, 2016)
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
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Biography
People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over 1.3 million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages.
A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Their Name Is Today, Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter.
Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department.
Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 44 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York.
To learn more visit www.plough.com
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3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
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4 star 15%
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Top Reviews
Norman S. Geske
5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring bookReviewed in the United States on January 2, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
stories about surviving and growing from hard times, good price, fast ship
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Dr. Lit.
4.0 out of 5 stars Reality checkReviewed in the United States on December 3, 2009
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When reading the stories of people who stayed (most of the time, anyway) calm, cool, and collected in the face of huge obstacles, I felt humbled and couldn't help but thinking how much better I was off--for the most part.
Some of the stories came very close to my own story, uncomfortably so.
I realize that Arnold writes drawing on his faith-base, as a Christian. However, I do not share his beliefs and was at times put off by him repeatedly offering Christian faith as the only "out" of hellish situations.
4 people found this helpful
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Joy Casner
5.0 out of 5 stars Not really "diving in" to depression recovery but giving hope and showing a "more excellent way".Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2017
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This book takes every Christian to basic principals of life that are sometimes overlooked. Not really "diving in" to depression recovery but giving hope and showing a "more excellent way".
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Vernon Thomas Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on December 19, 2016
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Very good.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Not my kind of bookReviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
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A horrible, depressing book, absolutely of no value to me.
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Daniel L. Edelen
1.0 out of 5 stars A descent into incoherent, pseudo-Christian, simple-minded, left-wing nonsenseReviewed in the United States on November 5, 2016
Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
R.E.M. once sang that everybody hurts sometime, and this may be one of the greatest realities of the human condition. When you're entombed in that dark place of hurt, lostness, and neverending blues, you need a genuine light at the end of the tunnel.
Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor with the Bruderhof community, an international movement of Christian communes. He offers that he might have some insights for people looking to escape their situations. _Escape Routes for People Who Feel Trapped in Life's Hells_ is his answer, a revision of his earlier 2002 edition of this small, 142-page meditation and essay on overcoming life's troubles.
The chapters of the book:
* Loneliness
* Against Despair
* Rescuing the Past
* Success
* Sex
* Crucibles
* Suffering
* Rebirth
* Travel Guides
* Angels
Anyone familiar with the works of M. Scott Peck (_The Road Less Traveled_) or Robert Fulghum (_All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten_) will be familiar with the style in which Arnold writes. Early chapter titles and opening paragraphs frame the problem, Arnold speaks to why it's a problem, we're introduced to someone experiencing that problem, that person speaks to his or her own experience of the problem, and Arnold jots down some thoughts about how this person approached the problem wisely and how we can too.
The book strives for deep—with its quotes from great minds and spiritual leaders, plus its high-minded, "spiritual" talk—but after a while the author's leanings start to come through, and the book becomes shallower and more nonsensical.
Readers start to see a thread that the plural Routes in the book's title is really only singular, as the answer to everyone's problems always comes down to "stop focusing on your problems and start helping other people fix theirs." While that's generally a fine line item in a total approach to dealing with misery, it can't be the entirety. However, after reading a few opening chapters, it quickly appears that this is all Arnold has in his spiritual doctor's toolkit.
And then it descends into nonsense.
About midway through _Escape Routes_, the book becomes less about other people and more about Arnold's ideology. At one point he criticizes Christians who believe "once saved, always saved." Clearly, he has an ax to grind against people who believe that it is not by works that one finds salvation. He then lumps Christians who claim to be "born again" into the pharisees' camp. His belief in works righteousness and the necessity of doing rather than being further muddies the book, as his roots in liberation theology (that sort of communist/socialist-Catholicism hybrid that once afflicted South America and drove the Vatican crazy in an attempt to stamp it out) start to manifest.
That Arnold is a "pastor" becomes headscratching. Of what or of whom? The book pulls from all the major thought systems and jumbles them into a single stew. The chapter on rebirth talks about personal conversion as a necessary escape route to a better life, but it's rebirth for rebirth's sake, as there is no clarity as to whom or to what anyone is being reborn, except possibly to the self. For a book that promotes that self-centeredness is at the root of problems, it's a contradictory conversion.
Christians will be baffled by the contents, as the general worldview of the book will not feel very Christian at all. Non-Christians will be put off by some of the spiritualized language, especially when it mentions God or leans too close to what they might think they know about Christian theology. In being palatable to everyone, Arnold drives away thinkers on both sides.
By the time he gets to the chapter "Travel Guides," Arnold is in full incoherence. He holds up the revolutionary and misery-bringer Che Guevara as an example for us all. Yes, indeed, what the heck.He also tells the story of his father, which in reading defies any understanding as a positive or negative example. And the chapter on angels...well, if it makes sense to you, please explain it for someone else.
To people who are struggling, "do more and do it for others" cannot be all there is to help them out from their pit. For many today, their pit consists of being stretched to the breaking point with things to do AND having to deal with their problem. Everybody hurts sometime AND they are running around in a frenzy of activity too. We all need better answers.
If Arnold is a Christian pastor, perhaps he should actually share the Christian message that the place to start with escaping one's troubles is to stop doing more and instead lay everything down because Jesus finished the work for us. That grace is really what people need, not another item on a to-do list. Works righteousness is a faux spirituality that ultimately hurts instead of heals.
In short, _Escape Routes_ is a leftover from an age when people thought _Jonathan Livingston Seagull_ was profound literature. If you are looking for a help in finding an escape route from your own pit, this book is absolutely not it and will likely lead instead to more misery. Skip.
13 people found this helpful
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Naomi Manygoats
3.0 out of 5 stars Might be interesting for those Christians with minor speed bumps along life's path.Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016
Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
I was REALLY looking forward to this book. For the past several years, I have felt trapped indeed in not just one, but several of life's hells. Then I started to read the book. It took me ages to read this very short little book. Because I just did not find it to be very interesting, and I do not feel like the author, although he has 40 years experience as a Christian councilor, relayed any information that actually was helpful to me. As he says himself, there is nothing new here.
Near the beginning, is a quote by the author's grandfather. "The sickness of the world lies in this isolation of the accentuated ego. An individual who feels no pain but his own cannot identify with the world's suffering. He cares only for himself, fights only for his own existence, an seeks only his own improvement and happiness. In this way, he increases the suffering of others. He is a parasite that endangers the whole. He has severed himself from the reality and unity of life. He has cut himself off from the whole, and must finallly perish." That is a typical attitude, from people who have suffered little in their lives, toward those who have suffered a great deal. It is solely the fault of the person suffering. They are just selfish, and do nothing for others. Really?
Then there is the chapter on Crucibles. Sure, everyone who has been flat on their back ill from a serious disease or condition knows that you CAN have inner growth through sickness. Honestly, you have little choice when you can barely get out of bed, except to think about why this happened, what you can do to change, etc. But it's interesting to me that so many Christians 'pick and choose' this attitude, and usually then say that sickness and suffering must be God's will. While totally ignoring that Jesus did not let ANYONE suffer one minute more, not to have inner growth, to learn a lesson, or to connect with God. He healed everyone who asked, and taught his followers to heal. He said we could all do it, that we SHOULD all do it. And when it fails, we are again blamed for our lack of faith!
The book covers Success, Sex, etc. We discover that money and success cannot buy happiness. Which makes me laugh really. What a new concept! (Did you ever notice just how much money is made by, and how consistently employed most church officials are who say this?) And if you have ever STRUGGLED with money (unemployment, under-employment, being robbed, in a very poor housing situation, worried about buying food or medicine), most of those people are not terribly happy either!
Finally though we get to solutions. Rebirth! Choose to make Heaven out of Hell. Choose to be selfish or selfless. Burn with lust or with love. And Travel! Great advice, if you have the money to do so, are healthy enough to make it to the front door, and the vacation time to travel.
The stories from real people's lives were short, and yes, these people suffered. But I didn't see tremendous turns around in their level of mental and sometimes physical anguish either. And no 'complex cases'. It reminds me of a professor I had who did corporate consulting, on the economics of a business he had never worked in, that he really did not understand at all. I think you can 'teach' all the things you 'learned' to say in your classes on counciling, but unless you have really 'been there' at the bottom of life's hells, you have little REAL concept of what people are going through.
I am sure there are some people who would read this book, and get a lot more out of it than I did. I think it would be more helpful if you only have the occasional speed bump in life.
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Is the Bruderhof Socialist? by Ian Barth
LIFE IN COMMUNITY
Is the Bruderhof Socialist?
March 14, 2019 by Ian Barth
Is the Bruderhof socialist? Mmphf. Mumble mumble. Inasmuchaswhich. Totally depends who you ask. Fine, since you asked me, no it’s not. Absolutely not. What rubbish. Socialism is horrible. Hard left socialism is making something of a comeback anymore though. The idea that we can get rid of the fat cats, throw out the whole rotten system and replace it with something new, clean, efficient, and shining remains amazingly resilient. One could say it’s a testament to the power of optimism over experience, the salient point being that it is almost impossible to learn from anything other than personal experience. Reading about the devastation caused by communist experiments in the USSR, China, North Korea, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela doesn’t help.
If you take the Sermon on the Mount seriously, if you believe that Jesus actually meant what he said, then the next step is to start doing what he said.
I wonder though, if the resurgence in popularity of this tried and true method of distributing misery has more to do with personal identity than it does with trying to change the world. I suspect that many middle class people see themselves as the type who would have been ripping up cobblestones and bunging them through the windows of the Big House, or mucking about with Che Guevara with an AK-47 dangling from their shoulder. It sort of allows one to feel OK about holidays abroad and private education for one’s kids because one identifies with the downtrodden. It’s the next best thing to being downtrodden, and evidently is pretty much mandatory if one wants to work for the BBC. There’s even a UK expression for this: “champagne socialism” – which sums it up very well indeed.
This is not to say that socialist aims are bad; they are in fact laudable. It’s just an ideology that solves the problems of capitalism by creating worse problems. Kind of like solving your hunger problem by eating your foot. To oversimplify: capitalists don’t like rules, they want less government and the freedom to send little boys up chimneys, while socialists want more government, with rules about everything from how much you are allowed to earn to where your dog can pee. Of course, socialism can be applied in different degrees, and a lot of European countries practice a sort of socialism-lite. I don’t have time to comment on this other than to beg you not to trumpet the success of this model unless you actually live somewhere it’s being applied.
Our primary aim is discipleship of Jesus, not the creation of a better society.
So back to the question we started with, there are many aspects about our community life that would have Bernie Sanders and John McDonnell jumping for joy. We don’t have rich or poor people. People with greater needs get greater care. We work because we want to. We share our assets. We don’t have a gulag though, shame. Still, most of the other stuff matches up, and there are a number of people here who would say yes, absolutely, we are a living, breathing example of Christian socialism.
Ultimately for me it’s a question about aims and intent. Our primary aim is discipleship of Jesus, not the creation of a better society. I’ve heard it argued that the two go together, and I concede the justice of this statement, but from my observation it is impossible to build a just society without Jesus. Why? I think it’s because following Jesus is a bottom-up proposition, rather than top-down. For a Christian, the change in life starts with me and moves outward; for a socialist it starts with (forcefully) educating everybody else. And people don’t like being educated. In fact, the more determined socialists have found people so resistant to education that it became necessary to get rid of quite a lot of them. If one takes the Sermon on the Mount seriously, if one believes that Jesus actually meant what he said, then the next step is to start doing what he said. For the first Christians this led to full community of goods, and it is a way of life that has continued through the millennia in one form or another; the monastics, the radical Anabaptists, the Shakers, and many other movements are all part of this. We like to see ourselves as part of this continuum. Call yourself a socialist? Come and see.
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Ian Barth
Ian lives at the Darvell community in East Sussex, UK with his wife Olivia and their four boys.Read Biography
Why Forgive?: Johann Christoph Arnold, Steven McDonald: 9780874869422: Amazon.com: Books
Why Forgive? Paperback – May 25, 2014
by Johann Christoph Arnold (Author), Steven McDonald (Foreword)
4.2 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
In Why Forgive? Arnold lets the untidy experiences of ordinary people speak for themselves--people who have earned the right to talk about forgiving.
Some of these stories deal with violent crime, betrayal, abuse, hate, gang warfare, and genocide. Others address everyday hurts: the wounds caused by backbiting, gossip, conflicts in the home, and tensions in the workplace. The book also tackles what can be the biggest challenge: forgiving ourselves.
These people, who have overcome the cancer of bitterness and hatred, can help you unleash the healing power of forgiveness in your own life.
Why Forgive? these stories and decide for yourself.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Thought-provoking and soul-challenging…Arnold writes with an eye-opening simplicity that zings the heart. --Houston Chronicle
A most impressive book…so powerful that tears often impede reading. --ALA Booklist, (Starred Review)
Why Forgive? shows humanity at its gut-churning worst and ennobling best through the experience of people who have endured unthinkable losses and struggled to make peace with their perpetrators. --Denver Post
Book Description
Stories of people who have overcome the cancer of bitterness and hatred.
About the Author
People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over a million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages. A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter. Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department. Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 42 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York. To learn more visit www.richinyears.com
Product details
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Plough Publishing House; Revised, Expanded edition (May 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0874869420
ISBN-13: 978-0874869422
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 4.0 out of 5 stars 35 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#99 in Anger Management Self Help
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Biography
People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over 1.3 million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages.
A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Their Name Is Today, Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter.
Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department.
Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 44 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York.
To learn more visit www.plough.com
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jrogers
5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe now I can forgiveReviewed in the United States on August 30, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I have struggled with forgiveness all my life. Grudges were my fuel. I have made progress since I met my wife but now, with help, I can forgive both myself and others. As I write this, I am sitting at my fathers bed as he spends his last few moments on this earth. I forgave him last night and ask for his forgiveness. He will probably never know it took place but I will and I am thankful for that. God’s timing, as always, is perfect.
2 people found this helpful
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Fairfield Resale Shop
5.0 out of 5 stars One needs to to save oneself.Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Easy subject to talk about. But not so easy to put in practice. The hardest part is admitting the need to forgive. What is forgiveness and how to know if one has truly forgiven or sensitive approaches Arnold takes in helping to resolve the conflict within the individual. I like the advice of not letting the one who hurt you to keep on hurting you because you struggle to forgive the horrible offense and wrong done to you. This book is a must read and will help tremendously.
2 people found this helpful
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Perri Z.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This author is my new favorites. He has a worldly and deeply compassionate view on our life as humans, the whole gamut. This book tells the stories of many people he has known personally and the amazing possibilities of forgiveness, some seemingly impossible. Like his other books, I do not want them to end. So helpful! Makes me feel more humble. A great gift.
2 people found this helpful
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Marilyn Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars Why ForgiveReviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
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A great book. I recommend everyone reading it.
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vlpl
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book!Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2012
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. In fact I ordered 3 more and sent them to three people I thought could benefit from reading it. I think everyone on the planet should read it. If everyone did, it would certainly solve a lot of the world's problems. For your own sake, you should try to forgive. For your own peace of mind, for the freedom forgiving gives you, not to mention for the person who needs your forgiveness. Forgiving does not mean forgetting either. I definitely recommend it.
One person found this helpful
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Jeanne Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017
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new book quick delivery
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Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring bookReviewed in the United States on October 19, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Great read. It shows that forgiveness is possible but it's truly a journey. It is a book to make reference to when struggling with forgiving.
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Carol
3.0 out of 5 stars My ReviewReviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Excellent resource for someone who is struggling with bitterness and hurt feelings. This book would also be helpful for emotional healing.
3 people found this helpful
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Mrs. L. C. Weller
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent use of testimonies to illustrate textReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2014
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A powerful, moving and well-written book. Excellent use of testimonies to illustrate text.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Book OrderReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2016
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Book was exactly what I wanted, arrived as specified and in good condition would order again from same supplier.
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Su
5.0 out of 5 stars ... people that trivial grudges are nothing compared to the terrible tragedy of othersReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2014
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I bought the book to show two people that trivial grudges are nothing compared to the terrible tragedy of others.It worked and brought my family back together. I can recommend it.
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Their Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World: Johann Christoph Arnold, Mark Shriver: 9780874866308: Amazon.com: Books
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Their Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World Paperback – September 22, 2014
by Johann Christoph Arnold (Author), Mark Shriver (Foreword)
3.9 out of 5 stars 82 ratings
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Stunning… Who would have thought that there was anything new to say about childhood? Arnold surprises us at every turn. (Diane Komp, MD, Prof. of Pediatrics, Yale University)
In our hard-charging culture, children often get pushed to the edges of our crowded schedules. Arnold understands the pressures, but points to another way. His book is practical and compelling. (Timothy Jones, author, Nurturing Your Child’s Soul)
A deeply inspiring tribute to children…Arnold’s basic message is clear, and well worth heeding: a deep reverence for children will make the world a better place. (Publishers Weekly)
Beautiful…It is Arnold’s reverence for children that I love. (Jonathan Kozol)
Arnold’s respect for the needs of children is evident on every page, and his perspective gives those who work with children a renewed sense of purpose…This is the perfect gift for a favorite teacher or parent. (Foreword Magazine)
Welcome reading for parents, grandparents, teachers and all those who care deeply about nurturing the next generation. (Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children's Defense Fund)
Book Description
Despite the odds stacked against them, parents and teachers can give each child the childhood they deserve.
About the Author
People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over a million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages. A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter. Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department. Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 42 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York. To learn more visit www.richinyears.com
Product details
Paperback: 189 pages
Publisher: Plough Publishing House (September 22, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0874866308
ISBN-13: 978-0874866308
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 79 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#817 in Children & Teens Christian Education
#387 in School-Age Children Parenting
#769 in Disability Parenting
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Biography
People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over 1.3 million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages.
A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Their Name Is Today, Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter.
Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department.
Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 44 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York.
To learn more visit www.plough.com
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name is today johann christoph christoph arnold reclaiming childhood hostile world childhood in a hostile today reclaiming parents and teachers handlebar publishing screen time plough publishing today by johann video games thought provoking exchange for my honest copy of this book standardized testing next generation within the pages publishing house
Top Reviews
Tabaitha J. Dayley
5.0 out of 5 stars College bookReviewed in the United States on December 21, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Daughter used this book in her college class. Interesting book. Easy to read and understand. Not too expensive for college book.
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Jan Stone
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thinker and authorReviewed in the United States on March 30, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Have not yet read but I love Johann Christoph Arnold and his theology and philosophy.
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steve
4.0 out of 5 stars Four StarsReviewed in the United States on January 9, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Good but one needs to read over several times
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sara
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Must read!
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Learning Table
3.0 out of 5 stars Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile ...Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2014
Format: Paperback
Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World by Johann Christoph Arnold is a wake up call to parents, grandparents, and educators to "combat" the threats to childhood and "reclaim" it before it's too late. With anecdotes and personal stories, Johann Christoph Arnold writes in a heartfelt manner that is engrossing and thought-provoking. I came away from reading this book feeling inspired and looking at things from a new perspective in many ways.
Though I do not agree with all of his points, I think Arnold's book is important and offers a much needed voice in the midst of all the clutter that surrounds us:
"Unfortunately, many parents today lack a sense of what this [home] means. They are 'too busy' to spend time with their children. Some are so preoccupied with their jobs or their leisure activities that even when they do see their children at the end of a long day, they have no evergy to be with them. They may sit in the same room -- even on the same couch -- but their minds are elsewhere" (p. 64).
As a former public school teacher, I especially relate to the issues raised in Their Name is Today, and I hope that it will find its way into the hands of other teachers and parents. Many homeschool parents are already aware of of the issues in this book, but with the rapid rate things are changing in our society, Their Name is Today will resonate.
4 people found this helpful
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J4Life5
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and inspiring!Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Every so often a book comes along that challenges readers to make real changes in their day to day lives. This is one of those books. Everyone talks about the assault on childhood and all the problems parents face in raising children in our technology infested culture. This book goes beyond identifying the problems to really challenge anyone who interacts with children to make real changes in their interactions with children.
I found it fascinating that Arnold is related to Froebel, who developed the concept of a kindergarten. He shared his philosophy that play is children's work. It isn't a new concept, but with schools decreasing recess time or in some school cutting it out entirely, it makes one wonder why.
It isn't often that I read a book and think, everyone should read this book. However, this is one of those rare books. Everyone should read this book. Every parent, every educator, every youth pastor, everyone can get something out of this book. Some of the stories are heartbreaking and difficult to read. However, I will never forget the story Arnold shares of the boy who participated in the Roots of Empathy program and asked, "Do you think it is possible for someone to be a good father if no one has ever loved him?" How many young men in our society shy away from fatherhood and abandon responsibility for their families simply because they are afraid they are incapable of being good fathers because no one has ever loved them? It probably isn't true in all cases, but it really makes one wonder.
This book is filled with facts, stories, and information that will make readers think about how they interact with children and what they can do to make childhood better. I know I will share it with fellow teachers at my school in hopes they can see past the disruptive children that "make it harder to get through the lesson plan" into the heart of the child.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. It holds the power to change a life within the pages. I got a lot out of it and hope that others will too.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Handlebar Publishers in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
One person found this helpful
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Ginger L. Holloway
4.0 out of 5 stars Their Name is TodayReviewed in the United States on October 31, 2014
Format: Paperback
Their Name is Today
Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World by Johann Christoph Arnold was a book I received from Handlebar Publishing in return for posting a review of the book. The book points out all of the obstacles that face today's children in our society: the amount of media available, their exposure to unfavorable things such as violence and sexuality, lack of family time, busyness, stress, academics, etc. The book assures us we are not resigned to allowing these things to cause our children a lifetime of resignation. We are able to help children today, to navigate the world and help it to be a better place. We are not resigned to a downtrodden society. One argument in the book is that we need to restore the values that make society a great place. It is not enough to say we need to help children, but we need to be sure our resources and time support that stance. In other words, we need to start from the top and change our priorities so children can be taken care of. This includes national spending, budgeting, prioritizing education, and reclaiming family values. We also need to model for our children balance in our lives. We cannot expect them to learn to balance their time and priorities if we are always busy, rushing from activity to activity and complaining about the stress in our lives. We need to model appropriate budgeting and finances. We need to demonstrate the importance of family by making time for others. We need to model healthiness by exercising, eating right, and living balanced lives. The book goes on to argue parents need to be there for their children, especially fathers. Parents need to take an active role in their children's lives, setting boundaries and helping to educate them on the important things in life. The book makes a good case for helping children so they can grow up and live healthy, balanced, lives. However, I would have liked to have seen more practical suggestions that could be implemented in families, rather than some of the generalized ideas from the author. The book does cause us to pause and truly think about what we are modeling for our kids and whether our actions are teaching them what we want them to learn. Reading it will help people focus on making changes to give kids a better chance at a better future.
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onanonv
4.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend it. But...Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I liked it as it makes you think of the huge responsibility ALL adults have toward the children the come into contact whenever and wherever. Children are like sponges, you can't put a sponge in vinegar and expect it to absorb water. It's the same with children. It makes you ask, 'what do they absorb from me?' BUT I felt that the book overly idealised children. Some children, in my view, are simply self centred, uncooperative (and I could cite other negative traits) and no matter what is done to help and support them, will not change into well balanced adults. I have bought a copy for someone working with children so with the above caution I would still recommend it.
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