Unlock The Secrets Of Minding The Heart: The Way Of Spiritual Transformation Created By Robert L. Saucy File Format Publication Copy

for theo. Really did impact my view of spiritual transformation amp i look forward to rereading this Spiritual transformation what is it How do we accomplish it Much of what is called “discipleship” is nothing more than coaching to “do better” and “try harder” leaving one feeling spiritually exhausted and discouraged.
This is not the approach taken by Robert Saucy in Minding the Heart The Way of Spiritual Transformation,

Saucys singular focus is in the title to this delightfully refreshing book Minding the Heart, The author takes you on a journey through scripture to uncover the meaning of “Heart” in all of its uses, The ideas shown in the book from scripture may feel a little strange to the modern mind set, but with the helpful explanation of the author the spiritual significance comes to light.
There are thirteen pages of a triple column scripture index at the back of the book that may well be worth the price of the book.
I know I will be referring to it often,

Robert Saucy takes you on a journey of the heart in scripture, You will learn what the heart is, what is its nature, what is a heart that God desires, and what all this means for you.
This journey is not pop psychology but scripture, It is well worth the effort and will have a profound affect on your life, This work is a great gift from the author to the church at large,

The book I believe should be read by the widest possible audience, Church leaders and laypersons alike will find it well worth the time, I would say that the only drawback is that the author is so well organized that I found I needed to slow down my reading pace.
There are aboutpages of actual text but each one is concentrated and deserves some reflection, The author builds on his ideas so I would recommend reading it straight through the first time,

Many thanks to Kregel Academic amp Ministry for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I am passionate about spiritual transformation, However many books on spirituality and spiritual disciplines suggest a variety of practices but do not communicate a sufficient theological basis for them, Robert Saucy addresses this lack by taking a systematic look at what the Bible says about transformation in Minding the Heart: the Way of Spiritual Transformation.
Saucy is a systematic theologian at Talbot School of Theology, He is chiefly known for his writings on ProgressiveDispensationalism, Complementarianism, and Ecclesiology, I am in disagreement with his position in all of those areas however I think that this book makes an important contribution to a robust Evangelical spirituality.
Saucys understanding of spiritual transformation is biblically grounded and holistic,

There are fourteen chapters in this book, In chapter one, Saucy argues that as Christians we attain the abundant life that Christ promises through pursuit of our spiritual growth, But the way to grow in Christ is through spiritual transformation, This happens through a heart change, In chapters two through four, Saucy describes the inner dynamics of the heart, Saucy asserts that in the Bible, the heart represents the control center of the whole person their thoughts, emotions and volition, In fact the heart is the real person chapter, Because of human fallenness the heart is deceitful and does not behave as it should chapter, Real lasting change will take selfexamination and selfunderstanding chapterHowever Saucy warns that self understanding is not enough, unless we appropriate the cure, this effort is not only fruitless, but can easily lead to depression as we focus on the ugly distortions still residing in our heart.


The cure for our deviant hearts is the gospel of Jesus Christ and as we change the content of our hearts to reflect Gods truth about Himself, the universe, the human condition, His atoning sacrifice, etc we experience a total life change chapter.
Does this mean that spiritual transformation is something we do Not entirely, God is the true heart changer but we participate in the process p, By apprehending and appropriating Gods truth, we undergo an emotional change and a behavioral change, God is the initiator and primary actor but we are also a direct agent acting upon our own hearts by cultivating our inner life chapter.


The above six chapters are conceptual, The next four chapters address what we can do personally to aid our transformation and growth: chapter seven exhorts us to renew our minds, chapters eight and nine describe the biblical concept of meditation and some guidelines for practice, chapter nine discusses how behavioral change effects our thoughts and emotions.
Chapter eleven and twelve talk about the way community and our interrelationship with others affects us, Saucy demonstrates our connection to one another in Christ and how giving and receiving in community is both the fruit and a means of heart change.
The final two chapters put all the above together and urge us to a holistic understanding of salvation which involves the whole person especially chapter.
Saucy also underscores the importance of prayer to the entire process chapterand conclusion,

Saucy presents a biblically grounded understanding of the human heart and spiritual growth, He discusses the Biblical passages addressing the heart and draws on biblical scholarship to present an understanding of the human predicament and our hope for change.
This is a Wordcentered spirituality but Saucy is also psychologically astute, His approach to spiritual transformation privileges thoughts, but Saucy does not have in mind mere cognition, Our minds interprets sense data and translates it into a meaningful emotion, Thus both our mental and emotional centers play a part in our transformation and effect our actions, He does acknowledge that sometimes it works the other waybehaviors or acting better than we believe can have a transformative effect on our heart and mind see his discussion in chapter.
However, fundamentally his understanding of transformation follows the familiar Pauline grammar of imperativeindicative The good news first, and

how we should live in light of it.
This means that hearing the gospel, making it a part of you through meditation and praxis i, e wholepersonhearing is what enables real, and lasting spiritual change,

So I am impressed with the substance of this book and how holistic Saucys approach is, I also love how generous he is, Saucy draws on the best of a a widerange of scholars, theologians and saints and churchmen, This is a very Evangelical book, but not in the narrow sense, Any serious Christian will be able to appropriate Saucys insights, Saucy doesnt spill ink describing what is wrong with some spiritual practices i, e. centeringprayer, mysticism, etc. Even when we addresses a thorny topic like meditation, he stays focused on the biblical understanding of it, and draws conclusions from that for our practice.
I recommend it for any one who wishes to deepen their understanding of Christian spirituality, My one proviso is that this book is more academic than practical, which may frustrate some readers, However good thinking is needed in this area and I think Saucy does a great job of getting us to think biblically and theologically about our lives.
I give this book five:

Notice of material connection: I received this book from Kregel Academic in exchange for my honest review.
Understanding spiritual transformation

It is the heart that is the control center of life and through which God works to change us.
But how does this growth take place In Minding the Heart, Robert L Saucy offers insightful instruction on what spiritual transformation is and how to achieve it.
He shows how renewing one's mind through meditation, action, and community can begin the process of change, but ultimately the final changethe change that brings abundant lifecan only come through a vital relationship with God.
"The renewing of the heart is an inescapable human need," writes Saucy, "but the solution lies only within the realm of the divine, "

Drawing from inspiring Bible passages as well as select scientific studies, Saucy demonstrates how to make lasting change so Christians can achieve the joys of becoming more like Christ.


"Individuals and congregations will be challenged, helped, and strengthened though careful reflection on the insights found in this splendid volume, "
David S Dockery, President, Union University

" The great Puritan divine William Ames defined theology as the science of living in the presence of God.
That's what this book is about: a biblical examination of Christian interiority, what it means to know and love Jesus Christ from the inside out, with one's whole heart.
A great introduction to spiritual theology, "
Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University

"Any doctor will tell you the key to physical life is the heart.
If it is not beating, you are dead, The same is true of the spiritual life, At the center of spiritual growth and transformation is the heart, This wonderful study by Robert Saucy shows you just how important the heart is and that eternal life is a life of quality drawing upon a transformation from deep within.
"
Darrell L Bock, Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary,