Fully Alive

Larry Crabb Dr.

Description

What makes a man masculine? A woman feminine? Did God design the two genders so differently? If so, why? The answers to these questions will free women and men to gladly embrace all that it means to be fully alive as gendered bearers of God's image who can profoundly impact others for good by the way they relate.Author and psychologist Dr. Larry Crabb presents a biblically grounded understanding of gender uniqueness. His illustration of a bridge of connection shows how the two genders can relationally come together in God-revealing harmony as they celebrate their God-designed uniqueness. Readers will discover that God created male and female to relate in gender-specific ways to make a difference in others by displaying God's relational character. Crabb clearly shows men and women what it means to live fully alive as feminine women and masculine men.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441242631
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2013 by Larry Crabb
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4263-1
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007.
Scripture quotations labeled Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, some details and names have been changed.
How the message of Fully Alive is helping people all over the world . . .
“Larry’s teaching on gender has impacted my personal life, my marriage, and my leadership of the men’s ministry at my church. Moving forward into messy situations in faith rather than passively letting chaos reign has allowed me to see God work in new ways in my marriage and in ministry.” Charles B., Chicago, IL, husband/father/pastor
“Seeing the potential in giving and receiving, I realize it is a waste of time to compete. Both men and women will benefit greatly by honoring their calling, resulting in freedom and joy. In spite of my age, sixty-five years old, I feel challenged and excited.” Tom N., Stange, Norway, husband/father/retired
“ Feminine and woman used to be words that dripped with connotations of weakness and vulnerability an invitation to be used. Yet the essence of my feminine heart longed to be seen, cherished, honored, protected, and enjoyed. This heart of mine has begun to step out of the shadows and into the warm embrace of the True Light Himself. A deep joy has been released in me as I honor the dignity of my heart as a woman. I am more alive now than ever, and I bless God for that.” Kjersten H., Colorado Springs, CO, single/counselor
“Dr. Crabb’s teaching on gender taught me a new way of relating to my wife. There is a drastic shift in my soul my ‘shrinking back’ fear has been replaced by a ‘standing tall’ movement toward her. This new way has breathed life into our marriage.” John F., Greensboro, NC, husband/father/pastor
“Whether I am counseling a client or journeying through spiritual formation with a brother in Christ, Larry Crabb’s teaching on gender roles continues to enlighten my discussions. I experienced a distinct paradigm shift in my counseling upon learning about how gender relates to being created in God’s image. Now there is an increasing desire to live out His strength in being the man He created me to be.” David W., Burleson, TX, husband/father/counseling pastor
“I had just come out of divorce from an abusive thirty-year marriage when I heard Larry teach on masculinity and femininity. The Lord used that teaching to begin the restoration process of my shattered soul and identity of who God created me to be. I am an image bearer, and as a woman I am called to openly and courageously invite others to be consumed by God’s love.” Kerry F., Scottsdale, AZ, single/counselor
“Both of us have been through Larry’s School of Spiritual Direction, and it was one of the most impactful weeks of our lives. His gender message is biblically based and easy to understand. It has revolutionized the way we relate to each other. We believe this book is vital for those desiring authentic marital intimacy.” Ryan and Heather C., Forest, VA, husband/pastoral counselor and wife/mentor
“Dr. Crabb’s teaching on gender has been the best source for understanding femininity and masculinity that I have found. There is something beautiful and inviting about me as a woman that has nothing to do with my appearance. I love knowing that truth and its biblical foundation. It has impacted the way I view myself as well as how I view men. I hope more people hear it and that we might all be set free to be the men and women God designed us to be.” Mary Beth M., Austin, TX, single/spiritual mentor/film producer
“The shackles of fear, shame, and confusion have been broken down. Larry’s insightful biblical teaching on masculinity and femininity have freed men and women from the bondage placed on them by religion and society. We are now free to ‘move toward’ and ‘open up’ to one another in love to reveal the unconditional love of the Trinity.” Jason D., Fort Hood, TX, husband/father/military chaplain
“This teaching has caused a revolutionary shift in my paradigm of womanhood that is reflected in how I relate to my spouse, my children, my friends, and the world. It forever changes how I am, uniquely as a woman, to reflect the Trinity. Everyone should read this book. It changes everything.” Jeanne M. Frankenmuth, MI, pastor’s wife/mother
“I’ve struggled my whole life with a debilitating fear of criticism and the need to have the approval of others. Larry’s teaching has helped me realize I’ve had a false definition of what it means to be a man. I’m amazed at how much impact this has had on the quality of my relationships now that I’ve stopped hiding.” Jon L., Omaha, NE, husband/father/minister
“I wasn’t able to see myself as a woman the way God created me to be, because I wasn’t married yet. I didn’t understand what biblical femininity was all about. Through Larry’s teaching, I saw for the first time how God created me as a woman who could glorify Him through my femininity, whether married or single. My view about that and myself has changed, and I am now free to be a woman for God’s glory.” Natalia M., Moldova, single/missionary
“Larry’s insight into how God has uniquely created men and women to engage and reflect God to one another has been a challenge and a blessing. Especially in the lives of my clients, the ‘light switch’ turns on that there is more than just the ‘roles’ that society and the church have established. God has ordained and created a beautiful dance between husband and wife that only the music of heaven can lead.” Greg C., Houston, TX, husband/father/counselor
“Hearing Larry explain and express the core terrors of men and women and having accurate biblical definitions of what it is to be male or female has led me to profound longing for the weight of God His kabod in my life and joy when, in passing moments, I am aware of being a truly alive man.” Graham B., Aberdeen, Scotland, husband/father/pastor
To Rachael, A God-revealing woman
A student from twenty years ago reminded me of something I said in class when I was in my forties. I remember saying it: “I wonder what book I’ll write when I care more about what God thinks than what people think.”
This may be that book, perhaps the first of many.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Prologue 11
Acknowledgments 17
Introduction 19
Part I: Searching for Our Gendered Center: Where Divine Life Lives 21
1. Sex and Gender 23
2. Words Have Meaning 30
3. In the Beginning: Gender in the Garden of Eden 36
4. What Makes a Woman Feminine? 41
5. Submission: A Dirty Word? 48
6. What Submission Really Means 55
7. What Makes a Man Masculine? 65
8. Relational Masculinity 72
Part II: Discovering Our Core Terror: The Gender-Related Fear That Immobilizes 79
9. We Have Nothing to Fear Except . . . 81
10. The Core Terror of a Woman: An Invitation with No Response 90
11. What Fear Can Do: Four Personas That Hide Women 96
12. The Core Terror of a Man: Weightlessness 104
13. Recognizing the Terror in a Man 110
14. What Fear Can Do: A Glimpse into Three Weightless Men 116
15. A Fourth Man: Males Who Are Becoming Masculine 124
Part III: Identifying Our Relational Sin: The Opportunity for Life-Releasing Brokenness 129
16. Relational Sin: Our Tongue The Restless Assassin 131
17. There Is a Center: Our Mistake Is Indifference to Its Existence 141
18. Search for Your Center 147
19. Preparing to Live Fully Alive: Catch the Vision and Count the Cost 152
Part IV: Becoming Fully Alive: The Slowly Transforming Process 159
20. The Journey Begins: From Female to Feminine, from Male to Masculine 161
21. Let the Slow Race Begin 167
22. From Conception to Conversion: Shaped Foolishness 173
23. New Life 182
24. Life Emerges: When the Road Narrows 190
25. Your Ears Shall Hear 200
26. Walking the Narrow Road: The Opportunity of Defeat 206
27. Becoming Masculine Men and Feminine Women 212
Epilogue: A Final Word to Women and Men 217
Afterword by Rachael Crabb 221
Notes 223
About the Author 226
Back Ad 227
Back Cover 228
Prologue
I never heard my mother pray. She never told me Bible stories when I was a child or sang Sunday school choruses to me. Mother knew God, and she knew Jesus as her Savior, but steeping me in Christianity was my father’s job. He was a man. She was a woman. Her job, as was true of all godly women, was to fade into the domestic background; to help, never lead; to support, never teach. That was how we thought in our church circles. At the time, I had no idea that such thinking was widespread in culture.
Mother was both a bright and beautiful woman. A university-trained occupational therapist, for years she managed the occupational therapy program at a private psychiatric hospital. I’ve seen pictures of her when