"Men today are angry. Their anger is deep-seated and, like their other emotions, carefully guarded and controlled most of the time. They may not know why they're angry."-pg. 12

Can an angry man come to terms with the truth about his manhood, competence, worth, and limitations? Sociologists are saying that the modern man is angry, unsure of how to carry off the masculine role and are straining to live up to the masculine myth.

Some men are angry and they don't even know why.

These angry men are often unwilling to talk about their emotions and have locked themselves deep inside their own personal thoughts and feelings.

Does this sound familiar?

-A driver cuts in front of him or tailgates and he freaks, calling the driver all things awful.
-He is passed over for an expected promotion. The world ends.
-Spending the holidays with the in-laws is the worst part of his life
-You don't meet his domestic and romantic expectations.

Is there a furnace of anger burning inside the man in your life that is just waiting to explode or boil over into your life? Has it already started boiling over? Is it presently poisoning your relationship?

"The Angry Man" shows what happens when this deep rooted anger starts to ruin relationships, jobs, health and even life.

The authors state that some of the root problems are not having a father while growing up, unrealistic expectations of manhood, low self-worth, failure and role confusion.

Contents:

Part I:
Growing up without a father - shows how angry and hurt men are that they have not had a father in their lives. Men who were the most happy had a father who invested time in their son's lives.

Trying to Live up to a Myth - Does the man in your life think he is what he does, earns, experiences during sex.

Exposing the Roots of Mythical Masculinity - His anger may stem from his failure to live up to the cultural masculine imperatives: strength, success, financial security, sexual prowess, etc.

Anger Out of Bounds - explores anger stemming from selfishness.
When Anger Boils to the Surface - Shows how anger that boils to the surface poisons relationships.

Part II:
Becoming His Greatest Fan
Provides a penetrating look at how women can help men resolve their anger and find peace. Women learn how to:

Be a friend, not a mother.
Appreciate rather than nag
Affirm rather than criticize
Give space instead of crowding
Hold him responsible
Give, don't withhold

Answering the Questions of Manhood -

Am I a man? Am I competent? Do I have worth beyond my paycheck? Can I accept my limitations? Do I have meaning beyond my accomplishments?

Talking It Over Together - How to help your man open up and talk about his feelings.

Learning to Relate - Men and women have the same basic psychological needs, including the need to be significantly involved in the lives of other people. Explains why a man must learn to relate more effectively to others.

Dealing with His Losses - How a man needs to talk to other men about his losses.

Living with a Man at Peace - How a man at peace will change and how to recognize these changes.

When Men Won't Change - What do you do when a man's anger is growing and becoming worse with each new irritation? This discusses drastic measures you can take.

Great insight into how men think and why they are angry and what women can do to help a man find peace.

Of course, if it doesn't work, they recommend "separation."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is married, planning to get married or single again. As a person who has in the last 3 years become interested in MBTI, I found this book to blend the factors of type with a person's family of origin issues wonderfully. Intimacy in a relationship is a long term work assignment for which we need all the tools we can get.

I read this book after my 17 year marriage failed. If only I read this book before the divorce my marriage might have been saved! Dr. Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop give some biblical-based insight on how to avoid and resolve lifes problems and issues. Most relationship problems indicate a deeper spiritual problem. I believe this book has helped me become more in-tune with God's will for my life. You will not regret reading this book.

I have just finished listening to the audio version of this book. There are so many of my friends who could benefit if they were to take the time and have the courage to hear this message. Sexual addiction/temptation are so common in our society and men just accept this behavior for themselves as "natural tendencies". This book addresses key questions: Am I a sex addict and how can I tell? Is there pornography or lustful desires in my secret self? If my wife or mother were to find out about my secrets would they be shocked and shamed? The audio book is a series of tapes of a radio talk show where listeners are calling in and are having to deal with sexual addiction in their families. The stories are heart wrenching and should be a wakeup call for all men who dabble in the secret world of pornography, sexual fantasies, and self gratification.

This marvelous resource is a must-have for parents and teachers. The author, David Stoop, clearly defines the personality temperaments with enough specific examples to enable the newcomer to personality type to understand and use this information productively. For the more experienced and the professional, the material provides further specifics to help determine who the child is, how she thinks, what's important to her, and how to explain this to her parents and teachers. A must-have for any parent and professional who loves children.

If you looking to improve your lackluster, ordinary marriage and transform it into a TRIUMPHANT one then David and Jan Stoop's book "When Couples Pray Together" creating intimacy and spiritual wholeness is just what the doctor ordered! In a step by step chapter by chapter easy read method the Stoops, through personal experience and real life couple examples, share just what prayer can do to make a mediocre marriage stronger and a vibrant one TRIUMPHANT. In plain every day language David and Jan share that prayer is a committment that is sometimes hard to achieve in this fast paced go-go society we live in. But for those who have taken the six week "step off the curb" challenge to pray together they have found resounding success in the 10 areas of intimacy: emotional, intellectual, social, recreational, creative, crisis, work, conflict, physical, and spiritual. This is a must read for all couples who are looking for more out of their marriages and greater closeness to their God given partner. You will not be disappointed!

Shalom, "The Life Recovery Bible" has truly been a God-sent resource of revelation in my recovery. The insight, the answers, and the "ease-of-understanding" provided by this Bible is like a living and refreshing drink of water to a barren soul!

It is THE text book of our "Alcoholics Victorious" group, assisting souls to the Joy and Freedom available to anybody... especially those in recovery... through God's True and Living Word.

I have read many, many books and spiritual publications in my life-long "program" of healing; this is the Word of God- containing the essence of the required healing power- written in a language easy for the recovering person to accept and understand.

I thank the authors for their obedience to His guidance, I thank the publishers for their making this resource avalable to the population, and - most of all- I thank God for His Love, His Mercy, and His Son, Jesus, for taking our disease, and freeing us from our bondage.

If you are in recovery, you will be better off with this Bible. In Christ, Amen.

I started reading bibles in depth 3 years ago, and I have purchased just about every translation and study bible in print. I was looking for God, for healing, for insights into what it really means to be a Christian, how to find release from the bondage of addictions and idolatry of any sort, and how to grow spiritually.

I purchased this bible in August 2002. Since then, I have found answers in it that no amount of personal or group bible study using other bibles, Christian radio, professional counseling by therapists or pastors, church attendance, or prayer have given me.

Almost every page has foot-notes, devotionals, in-depth comments, which teach about addictions and how to gain freedom, details about the road to recovery, all within a Christ-centered framework using the 12 Alcoholics Anonymous steps.

You can look up just about any life-experience topic in the excellently organized index/concordance in the back of the Bible, to focus on passages which help you understand who you are, what you do, why you do it, and ways to gain release from whatever plagues you, and get closer to God in order to gain peace and restoration.

I have abandoned all my other bibles in favor of this one. I would urge anyone who needs help in self-control, discipline, overcoming compulsive/obsessive behaviors, to dig into the Life Recovery Bible. You will be blessed abundantly.

If you simply want to grow spiritually, and you have no addictions, this bible is also for you.

Every day I can look forward to new insights and teachings in this bible, which I can apply immediately to my life.

The text is easy to read for such a large Bible, the NLT translation is easy to understand, and the footnotes and other devotionals do not interfere with my enjoyment of every page.

There is another Life Recovery Bible in the NIV (New International Version), which in my opinion is not nearly as good as this one.

I am a regular listener to Steven Arterburn on the radio--and have read several of his books. He frequently gives this Bible outrecommends it to listeners, so I couldn't resist the urge to check it out for myself.

The primary reason I purchased it was to read the study helps, as I know that he has some tremendous insights into the recovery process from a biblical perspective. I was not disappointed. I received a bonus though when I began reading the text of the Bible. The New Living Translation is without a doubt one of the most readable (without sacrificing accuracy) translations that I have read. It is like reading one of those good novels that you cannot put down. Within a week of purchasing it, I had read the books of Acts, Romans, Ephesians, I and II Timothy, and am halfway through the book of Matthew. It is that good.

One of the problems with older translations (i.e. the KJV) is that you have to mentally translate what is being said into language that you are familiar with. Its like a person who's first language is Spanish, but speaks English fluently as a second language. Unconsciously, they have to filter an English conversation through their natural Spanish proclivity. When they communicate in Spanish, that process is not necessary. That's the way that I found reading the NLT. It freed my mind of a distraction so that I was more free to hear the Holy Spirit. Doing so gave me some insight into one passage in particular that I had never received reading other versions.

I would highly recommend this Bible to new believers. I would also recommend it (especially for devotional reading) to seasoned bible students.

As has been said in several other reviews, the study aids are helpful to ANY Christian. We are all in recovery. Some of our addictions are just more socially acceptable than others. I give this Bible 5 stars!

Great book for recovering people who are lost souls, trying to find the meaning for their lives, both internally, and externally, without the Grace of the Lord. Will help many to find their true purpose, as God through Jesus Christ, intended.

I use this Bible to facilitate two Christian 12-Step recovery meetings in West Texas and highly recommend it to all newcomers. I have found that having a Bible that focuses on the principles of the 12-Step program and tying those principles for living to the Word of God have been very helpful to not only me personally, but also to those who come to the two groups. Thanks such much for such a wonderful tool to learn how to clean up my past, live in the present and look forward to the future as I apply these principles and use the devotionals to my life one day at a time

We use this Bible in our co-dependency support group. It is good for all types of recovery, all types of addictions, alcohol, gambling, food, etc.

I thought this book just tread the same path as John Bradshaw (whom he quotes) with a few biblical examples thrown in. I didn't find anything in this book that I hadn't seen before.

Dr. David Stoop speaks in terms that may resonate with engineering-types.

He describes families in a systems approach using language such as "homeostasis", "action-reaction", and "non-linear systems".

As an example, we cannot react to a family problem/dysfunction in an "action-reaction" or "linear" manner. We must realize that each member plays a distinct role, essential for maintaining the homeostasis (i.e., thermostat) of the family system. Thus, each role must be examined prior to formulating a conclusion about the problem. He and James Masteller contribute many examples that support this hypothesis.

This book is essential if you are dealing with any type of emotional malady--depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, stress, etc. Chances are likely that these maladies have found root through a family dysfunction that may have occurred years ago!

The workbook found in the book's epilogue is practical if one is *serious* about dealing with a dysfunction.

I always thought I was the one in the family who was *not* in denial - the one who called things as they saw them, but this book showed me that I too, had been in denial.

I'd hit parts of this book that were so upsetting or so revealing that I had to set the book aside for a time and think deeply about what I'd read.

And it relieved me of tons of guilt and shame I'd carried for years. Quite frankly, this book was an answer to prayer, but it took some wading through the mire and muck to get to the fresh, pure waters.

After reading one chapter and doing an exercise, I recalled a painful incident when a family friend harmed me and I told my father about it and he didn't even want to hear about it. My father accused me of being a liar.

Subsequently, I made some poor choices in life and I'd always kind of wondered how I'd wandered down that bad path. Stoop's book helped me connect some of the random looking dots and see what happened, why it happened, and why it is okay to forgive myself and forgive the others who let me down.

First and foremost, this is a book about healing. The very last chapter though, is rich. It's a section you'll want to read again and again.

Self-Talk: Key to Personal Growth is an excellent resource for anyone, lay-person or professional. It gives clear advice on how to tackle negative self-talk in an accessible format.

I read this book about 10 years ago and it literally changed my life. I was given valuable tools to help me excel in many areas of life. I am now ordering it for my 51 year old husband who is facing a career change. I highly recommend the book for people ready for a positive change.

This book has absolutely turned my whole life around. It has given me a complete new outlook on my recovery from drugs and alcohol. It has brought to light that drugs and alcohol were not my main problem, but the way I thought about myself. After reading this book, and applying it to my life, I am a new person. I now see myself in a totally different light. There is power in words--especially the words we speak to ourselves. We become what we say we are.