Most times when I read a book, it leads me to another book. Sometimes the new read is a supporting work that is cited in the first. At other times I am intrigued to read more writings on a particular topic. Reading Gwen Adams’ newly published book Crazy Church Ladies: The Priceless Story of an Unlikely Group Winning the War Against Trafficking was no exception. Gwen mentioned that in her years of leading church ministries, she had prioritized her spiritual growth, but not her spiritual health. Is there a difference and why does it matter? My piqued curiosity then led me to read Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero. In short, the book argues that spiritually healthy disciples can only be as mature and deeply rooted as their leaders and disciple-makers are.
As I looked at the chapter titles, I immediately became aware that this book was more than a curious read and was going to be a convicting, challenging study. The book is divided into two parts—the current state of discipleship and the seven marks of a healthy disciple. The book begins with the personal story and experiences of Peter and his wife Geri. It will be familiar if you have read any of their other works. In fact, this book started as a re-write of his previous book “Emotionally Healthy Church”. After realizing 75-80 percent of the content is new, he decided to change the title as well.
