Befriending Your Monsters: Facing the Darkness of Your Fears to Experience the Light

by Luke Norsworthy, Annie Downs (Foreword by)

Overview

Monsters aren't real. As reasonable adults, we know this. But we also know that, while fake, the monsters of fairy tales, movies, and Netflix series embody our very real fears. Large, powerful beings that hunt us in the dark make us feel small, weak, vulnerable. When characters in these stories run away, they temporarily feel safe, but it's not until the monster is faced head-on that the story can have a happy ending—and, more importantly, the hero can become all he or she was created to be.

The same is true of the monsters of the spiritual life. The monsters of comparison (I am what others say about me), more (I am what I have), and success (I am what I do) are powerful enemies of a healthy spiritual life. But ignoring them solves nothing. Pastor and speaker Luke Norsworthy wants you to face your monsters, get to know them, and discover how they are inviting you into a deeper understanding of yourself and a more intimate connection with God. You'll never completely eradicate your fears, but if you befriend them, they can lead you into becoming God's intention for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801093333
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/19/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Luke Norsworthy (MDiv, Abilene Christian University), his wife, Lindsay, and their three daughters live in Austin, Texas, where he is the senior minister of the 1,500-member Westover Hills Church of Christ. A frequent speaker at universities, retreats, and conferences, he is the host of the popular Newsworthy with Norsworthy podcast on which he has rubbed shoulders with some of the brightest and most prominent voices in theology and spirituality. Luke is also the author of God over Good.

Table of Contents

Foreword Annie F. Downs 13

Section I Meeting Monsters 17

1 Fake Monsters, Real Fears 19

2 Into the Dark 39

3 Destroy 61

4 Deliver 81

Section II The Three Universal Monsters 95

5 Comparison 99

5.1 The Prop-More Than Me

5.2 The Pull- Identity Crisis

5.3 The Point-A Stable Scale

5.4 The Light-Your Lane

6 More 123

6.1 The Prop-I Need More

6.2 The Pull-Never Enough

6.3 The Point-Never Full

6.4 The Light-Gifted

7 Success 147

7.1 The Prop-I Am What I Do

7.2 The Pull-Losing or Loser

7.3 The Point-Not about You

7.4 The Light-host Yourself, Find God

Section III A Monster-Friendly Life 173

8 How (Not) to Dress for Your Monster 177

9 Where (Not) to Find Your Monster 195

10 What (Not) to Expect about Your Monster 213

Acknowledgments 229

Notes 231