I’m not going to lie; I was moved to tears more than once while listening again to author, therapist, and thought leader Curt Thompson.

It was a real privilege and a great joy to get to sell books at the recent “Compelled by Love” event sponsored by the wonderful Water Street Mission (in Lancaster, PA), a storied, multi-dimensional, anti-poverty ministry that is thinking hard about sustainable service to the poor and marginalized, the unhoused and the addicted (and insofar as they can come alongside them, by starting tutoring programs and creating affordable housing, their children and families.) I admire them even more now that I’ve learned more about their big plans serving others in the name of Jesus.

The event is a way for the Mission to honor the hard work ordinary pastors do and to equip them a bit to serve the hurting in their own neighborhoods and cultural contexts.

This year — a bit different than other “Compelled” events — they brought in Curt Thompson, who is a working psychiatrist with some unusual and profoundly healing clinical practices that I will mention in a moment. I think it was notable that Water Street Mission wanted to help local pastors deepen their capacities to serve those who are suffering in their congregations, those weighed down by grief and sorrow, mental health challenges and loneliness, not just the quintessentially homeless. Curt’s latest book — which I mentioned (again) in last week’s BookNotes, making suggestions for some late Lenten reading — is The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope and it is spectacular. I named it as one of the Best Books of 2024 (it came out in the late fall) and I’m still thinking about it. When Curt started reflecting the other day so very well (preaching?) on Romans 5, as he does in the book, I leaned in to catch his wise words for my own aching heart.

As is often the case, we take more books than we should to author events. (In his discussion of shame it dawned on me that maybe one of the reasons we buy too many author books most times when we do gigs like this — a habit I’ve attributed to my optimism in the book buying audience — may be that I fear being embarrassed. I don’t want to be ashamed of a snafu or be seen as incompetent as a book provider if we run out. Hmm. So we end up with a lot of extras.)

Which is to say that before we pay to return our overstock titles, we’d like to give our faithful BookNotes readers an opportunity to pick up a few on sale. An amazing sale.

For FIVE DAYS ONLY we have four books by Curt Thompson on sale at 40% off.

Wow, this is a deeper discount than we are usually able to do, but it beats us paying shipping to return these extras. It’s a win/win if you order some now. This sale goes through the end of day, Friday April 4th (or while supplies last.) ORDER NOW to get these great discounts.

Curt also recommended four titles for his audience at the Water Street event and we have those four ON SALE for 40% OFF as well.  Again, the hefty discount offer ends Friday at midnight or while supplies last.

REFLECTIONS ON THE DAY WITH AUTHOR CURT THOMPSON AND…

The day unfolded with four major talks by Curt which seemed somewhat to mirror his four volumes. Or at least the bookseller in me noticed that. He moved from asking the question “what story are we telling?” about ourselves (and who or what has shaped that narrative?) to questions of shame and then to re-ordered desires. (We are “wanting” creatures, he wisely noted, drawing on ancient wisdom from Scripture, channeling pre-modern notions from Augustine and post-modern ones from Jamie Smith — we are not “brains on a stick” but we “are what we love.”)

In any case, if we tell a story of our lives through our lives and that story misses the seminal, foundational portions of the Biblical narrative that insist that we are loved and made in God’s image, we are thereby stuck in a less than hopeful story about ourselves and our world. If we miss the Triune God creating us from dirt with dignity and the vocation to extend Eden’s blessings of goodness and beauty into the whole world we will be people of what he calls “the second wound” rather than those who are blessed to be a blessing. You know…

To hear a psychiatrist with an emphasis on neuroscience (and, in fact, neurobiology) talking about brain studies and faith offering moving stories of trauma and community, is nothing short of brilliant. Of the fairly recent movement of Christian thinkers writing about neurology, the brain’s plasticity, how relationships shape human development and such, Curt is nearly a pioneer and certainly a really great popularizer of data emerging for the latest research.

And he asked some tough questions, about our own sense of hurt and shame, and what it might take to find people who can help us in the process of re-ordering our desires, finding new hope and resilience as we want the right stuff — goodness, beauty, truth, community.  He invited us to Christ-like virtues as we speak truth in this complicated cultural moment.

It was remarkable how, after his probing questions, in small groups folks exhibited vulnerability to share with others their past woundedness and what drives their dysfunctions (even in their style of leadership and ministry as well-intended pastors.)

And I was struck when I read the next day about one of the far-right extremists, a Congressman from Tennessee, who had said inaccurate and mean-spirited things about Kamala Harris being a “DEI hire” and therefore mediocre at best. It came out later how many times this MAGA leader (who recently ranted about how NPR hates our country and “hates our Lord”) has been investigated for tax fraud and failure to comply with standard laws about reporting finances (talk about the pot calling the kettle black).) I have been furious with this hypocrite who seems to care little about justice and the common good but, corrupt as he is, despises so many of his fellow citizens and the institutions that have served our culture.

I was, I’ll admit, self-righteously angry when I learned that, in fact, this extremist gentleman supposedly representing Tennessee had parents who supported a black woman running for office in the 1960s, who were endangered as a couple for their brave stands in education for the “underdog” as his father put it. How did a well-loved boy with admirable parents end up so spiteful and closed-minded and dishonest?

And then my friend David Dark, author of We Become What We Normalize: What We Owe Each Other in Worlds That Demand Our Silence (Broadleaf Books; $26.99 // OUR 20% OFF SALE PRICE = $21.59) asked him publicly, “Who harmed you?” Surely, if I can read into David’s question, the dangerous ideologue is hurting. What ruptures in his soul have helped shape his despicable public demeanor?

And I wondered — has David been reading Curt Thompson? What loads are people carrying? What secrets?  How have their deepest longings been deformed? Are not many folks, both decent and despicable, deeply wounded? Have they grown dis-connected (in the language of attachment theory) and do they experience over-riding anxiety about not being adequate or loved? Have they/we turned ugly — haven’t all of us at one point or another? — to mask our shame? What disordered values emerge from our disordered loves? What ruptures need to be repaired in our heart of hearts? David Dark’s morally serious and ultimately generous question spoke volumes.

Which is to say, even though Dr. Thompson did not bring political polarization up in his talks, the story he told — we are made well and loved deeply, even if fallen and shaped by sin and shame, and in Christ can be given new hope as we are transformed to live as harbingers of the coming Kingdom of God — is the most helpful framework for thinking about what is good in the world, what is wrong, and what, in Christ, we are to do as agents of His reconciliation. From our most intimate desires to our public demeanor, from our home life to our political life, we must ask what story are we telling? And what story do we really want to be telling?

((Aside: There is a brand new book just out that invites us to do this sort of work exploring past hurts and traumas with generosity to ourselves and it will be an important resource alongside the Curt Thompson titles I’m highlighting here. We’ll hopefully soon review Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything by Adam Young (Baker Books; $22.99 // our 20% OFF SALE PRICE = $18.39.) It has a forward by Dan Allender and travels similar ground to Thompson, even drawing on the important work of Dr. Daniel Siegel. We have it at 20% off.))

As a speaker and author, Curt Thompson is fun and funny, enthusiastic and passionate, and keenly aware that his work as a healer of the wounded psyches and relationships of so many hurting folks, is to be framed by this bigger Biblical narrative; it is that story that can be the pivot point for those learning to tell a new story in their lives. He knows while moving through anxiety and stress and shame and hurt we can re-develop and nurture a new set of Christ-like yearnings, convictions, and practices, re-shaping even our callings and careers. It is interesting (but not at all surprising) that this psychiatrist routinely cites missionary theologian Lesslie Newbigin. Makes sense, eh?

And, again, part of his teaching is that we do not, we cannot, do this alone. We cannot by ourselves heal from our hurts let alone flourish as creative people sent on mission by the God who is known in Jesus the Christ, who is redeeming this broken world. We need supportive friendships, we need small groups, we need authentic community in our neighborhoods and congregations and we need church. Part of his own clinical work includes inviting clients into what he calls “confessional communities” where they pursue new loves for beauty and goodness together. Wow.

My hat is off to the good work being done by Water Street Mission in Lancaster County to serve the poor and build better social structures and economies. And I’m grateful they introduced the healing work of Curt Thompson to pastoral leaders there. It was a joy to participate and great to be reminded of how very much I like Curt and his helpful books.  As noted, we have them now at a rare discount, 40% off, while supplies last. Sale ends Friday night.

Please jump to the bottom to click on the Hearts & Minds order tab, giving us all the needed info so we can promptly fill your order. Thanks.

FOUR BOOKS BY CURT THOMPSON – 40% OFF (five days only.)

Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships Curt Thompson (Tyndale) $18.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $11.39

On the cover of this, Thompson’s first book, the long subtitle says: “Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships” and that says most of it nicely. This really is an introduction to faith-based thinking about neuroscience and how brain studies can help us understand the ways in which spiritual practices can transform our relationships. Knowing a bit about how we’re wired will go a long way to enhance our lives. This really is a great read, a tad sciencey at times, but with lots of stories and passion. There are great chapters such as “The Prefrontal Cortex and the Mind of Christ” and “Neuroscience: Sin and Redemption.”

I love how he speaks of “the repair of the resurrection” and it is here he first explains how the brain literally works in interaction with us. See the great foundational chapter called “The Mind and Community: The Brain on Love, Mercy, and Justice.” You’ll love it.

For the best overview of Thompson’s work in this field, this is a great place to start. The cover is a little sci-fi, but it is a soulful, thoughtful and very lovely book. Highly recommended.

The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe about Ourselves Curt Thompson (IVP) $27.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $16.79

This is our biggest seller of Curt’s four books and he told me that it is, by far, the one that has gotten the most traction within the book buying world. I have said, often, that it is the best book on the topic, Biblically-rooted, pastorally-wise, informed by good theology and good science. Curt’s obvious love for the Biblical narrative and a storied sense of how God’s Word should be read and lived into is inspiring and his stories of those stuck in cycles of shame and struggle are very helpful. I think this is a really great read but, more importantly, it is a necessary read.

I’ve been waiting for Curt’s book for fifteen years. As a pastor, professor and clinician, I see shame’s devastation firsthand, particularly in the destructive coping mechanisms that accompany it. Curt doesn’t offer quick fixes but instead provides a biblically wise, scientifically sound vision for a life lived in God’s grand story, a story that re-narrates our shame stories and enables us to experience healing and engage in mission. I’ll be recommending this book often.  — Chuck DeGroat, professor of pastoral care and counseling, Western Theological Seminary, cofounder and senior fellow, Newbigin House of Studies

And, for an even more personal testimonial about this powerhouse of a book, listen to Gregory Thompson (a pastor, artist, playwright, anti-racism organizer, author, and founder of New City Commons.) Greg writes:

It took me a month of foraging before my heart finally yielded the courage I needed to open this book on shame. After all, I’ve spent most of my life trying to flee from shame, crouching pathetically as its shadows drew near, surrendering helplessly to its merciless story of who I am. Why in the world would I now–on purpose!–turn and face the central menace of my entire life? Why would any of us? Here’s why: because God loves us. And because God loves us, he follows us in our fleeing, finds us in our shadows and fashions for us a new story–the true story–of ourselves, a story in which we are not finally hated and cast away, but loved and welcomed in. This is what Curt Thompson taught me in this book. Yes, I opened it with fear of the darkness. But with each chapter, I felt like someone had opened a new window in my soul, taming my fears with new shafts of warm light. I read it with hope. I marked it with tears. I finished it with gratitude. And I commend it to anyone burdened by shame with something like pleading: Come out from hiding; it is not shame but Love that you will find!

The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community Curt Thompson (IVP) $28.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $17.39

Well, as I put it at the “Compelled” gathering the other day, standing behind stacks of these handsome hardback books, if The Soul of Shame documents the problems of we glorious wrecks and points us towards hope, then this one, The Soul of Desire, shows how that works, documenting a path towards wholeness.  Again, using neuroscience and profound theology, he playfully reminds us that we are creatures made to want, made to desire, born wanting to give ourselves to something. (There are lovely shades of James K.A. Smith here and you simply must read his You Are What You Love if you have not.) However, the things we most deeply long for must be cultivated — we have substituted other loves and lesser cares that living into the high calling of being a child of God. Can we actually nourish a longing for the right stuff?

Here is how he does it, and you’ve got to read The Soul of Desire for a fuller, more accurate story than my quick paraphrase: in his clinical therapist, the good Doctor invites clients to look at paintings, including abstract work by Japanese-American artist Makoto Fujimura. Yep, he tells patients to ponder profound beauty and see what happens.

Mako wrote an exquisite forward to this book (and some of his breathtaking work is reproduced in nice, full-color plates) and it is marvelous to actually see (and behold) some of the works he actually writes about in the book. Can people do this stuff together? You bet: again, Dr. Curt gets cohorts of clients together to become small groups, communities, if you will, learning to love beauty and goodness and living truthfully. What a story.

Rebekah Lyons writes about the impact this book had on her, citing a mantra from Curt, we were never meant to live alone. She notes, “the more you understand why you long for intimacy, the more empowered you will become to receive it.”

The Soul of Desire is much more than an account of this Christian therapist’s practice, although that part is fascinating. (I want to be in one of those groups, for crying out loud!) But the book is not only for therapist or those interested in the art of soul care. It is for all of us who may need this kind of intervention, calling us to want the right stuff, learn to yearn for beauty and goodness, and, by forming healthy, intimate relationships, becoming more effective agents of God’s work in the world, creating good stuff, beautifully. This may be his most dense work, but it is a true treasure, beautifully done, — a book to own and to discuss and to revisit.

The Soul of Desire is a feast of new creation hope. Weaving together wisdom from Scripture, insights from neurobiology, and stories of broken lives incrementally made whole, Curt Thompson offers much-needed guidance to those beset by grief, trauma, and shame. His daring proposal is that beauty isn’t a luxury but a necessity for our healing, and that this transformative beauty is best encountered and created in the context of vulnerable community. As a pastor, I’m eager to see this profound, even heavenly vision unleashed upon the church. As a person seeking to overcome trauma and shame myself, I’m deeply grateful for Curt’s compassion for hurting people and his unmistakable love for the God of beauty to whom this book ultimately points. — Duke Kwon, pastor of Grace Meridian Hill and coauthor of Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair

The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Curt Thompson (Zondervan) $27.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $16.79

I could write much about this, Curt’s most recent book; in an earlier BookNotes tribute I admitted, at first, that I wondered if we really needed yet another book on suffering and resilience. Good as even he is as a thinker and writer, I wasn’t eager for another book on this perennial theme. And, man, was I wrong. I named The Deepest Place as one of the very best books of 2024.

I think the plain info shared by the publisher is clear and helpful. They write that his book is, “a unique and intimate exploration of how suffering, spiritual formation, and interpersonal neurobiology intersect. The Deepest Place by award-winning author Curt Thompson shows us how it’s not through the absence of grief but in the presence of it that we discover the joy of vulnerable community and a deeper sense of God’s abundant love.”

And yes, “vulnerable community” is vital. If we have experienced trauma we need durable friends that can embody hope and security.

Yep, he brings a hard truth here, drawing from brain studies and Scripture: hard times not only help us in learning the art of character formation and stamina and hope, but, in fact, are the needed kindling for such a transformational fire within. If vulnerable and receptive, we can find more than resilience, but “the formation of hope.”

And he does this with lots of stories and wise insight and also in conversation with some of the most powerful verses from the Epistle to the Romans. Wow.

Curt Thompson has done it again! No other voice today more skillfully weaves together expertise in psychology, neurobiology, and biblical theology and threads it all together with pastoral sensitivity and graceful writing. Curt brings all of this to bear on the most perplexing aspect of human existence: suffering. The book does not explain away pain with platitudes but tenderly examines human suffering in the raw, especially via stories from Curt’s own medical practice. Most importantly, the book takes readers to that deepest place indeed: the path marked out by Jesus and the apostle Paul, where we are invited to go through suffering with the hope of God’s redemption. It is a path we all must travel — and we are blessed to have Curt as a guide. — Curtis Chang, author of The Anxiety Opportunity, host of the Good Faith podcast, consulting professor, Duke Divinity School, and senior fellow, Fuller Theological Seminary

FOUR BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY CURT THOMPSON – EACH 40% OFF (five days only.)

We know these books well and stock them all so it was a delight to have these four on display at the “Compelled by Love” event. We’ve got some extra’s of these so, again, for five days only, we would love to send them out at 40% OFF. Wow.  Don’t miss this deadline for these big savings.

The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks (Moody Press) $15.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $9.59

I wish I would have asked Curt what he commends about this, but my guess is that it is a very easy and somewhat shorter read, inviting readers into some of the same content — we are often lonely, disoriented, even, and, yet, the church is called to be a vibrant community offering authentic relational support in one’s serious discipleship. What gives?

Wilder studied with Dallas Willard (and wrote a book or two about Willard and his model of formation and discipleship) but is considered a neuro-theologian. Hendricks uses his experience as a pastor of spiritual formation to engage with Wilder’s brain science stuff.

In a nutshell there are two halves of our being —the rational half and the relational half. A healthy community will resist “the toxic spread of narcissism” and find vibrant transformational faith more readily if we embrace both “halves” by becoming “full brained” congregations.

Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care Warren Kinghorn (Eerdmans) $29.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $17.99

We have bunches of books at Hearts & Minds on mental health these days — we always have, but more in the last decade as publishers of all kinds of released helpful resources. We’ve got the most basic guides about mental illness to thoughtful evangelical writers thinking graciously to trauma-informed pastoral caregivers to scholarly stuff about integrating faith and the study of psychology. Wayfaring is a great, solid, mature guidebook, perhaps a bit more scholarly than some, but readable and moving.  That Dr. Thompson was to pick one title on this specific topic and this is the one he chose speaks much.

John Swinton (himself quite the scholar in the field) wrote the forward, saying Kinghorn’s reframing mental health care in a theological vein is “a beautiful contribution” and a “gift to the church.”

As a person who cares for people with mental illness, I have been waiting for this book. Wayfaring is a learned account of how mental illness is not a problem for one person to fix but a challenge we can navigate by walking together. Reading this book, I was reminded about how we are all formed for relationship, all fellow creatures gifted with a profound freedom. We can accompany each other on the journey because we are all wayfarers on our way to the feast.  — Abraham M. Nussbaum, chief education officer, Denver Health; professor of psychiatry and assistant dean of graduate medical education, University of Colorado, author of the eloquent The Finest Traditions of My Calling: One Physician’s Search for the Renewal of Medicine

Warren Kinghorn is a wise and gracious wayfaring guide. With expertise in theology and psychiatry, Kinghorn competently and compassionately walks alongside us — clinicians and clients, Christians and the curious — all who are longing to live with greater mental health and flourishing on our journey to God. Kinghorn counsels us to journey with others, keeping the ultimate end in mind, attentive to whom and what we love, asking what is needed now, while remaining open to wonder and surprise. A feast awaits.    — Charlotte V. O. Witvliet, professor of psychology, Hope College

The Connected Life: The Art and Science of Relational Spirituality Todd W. Hall (IVP) $26.99 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $16.19

Those who listen in (or watch on YouTube) our every-other-week “Three Books from Hearts & Minds” podcast might recall that I rambled on about this one just a few weeks ago. I noted that while it is a practical sort of self-help book, it is written out of a big vision of the Kingdom of God, framed by good thinking about all of life being redeemed by God who is faithful to His promises of fulfillment and restoration. So this is not a cheesy or simplistic handbook or quick-fix formula, but it is practical and very useful. And it’s really well-written. Dr. Hall is a professor of psychology at Biola University in L.A. and has spent years and years working on this relational spirituality approach.

Hall’s main point is that, not unlike attachment theory, human growth and maturity isn’t based only on mere information. Head knowledge, as we sometimes call it, is not enough: we need relationships and, as attachment theory shows, there will be trouble if we do not have a solid foundation of healthy attachment to others. These primal ruptures can keep us from the sort of growth we desire and deep Christian transformation can’t happen easily without rebuilding durable relationships. We just can’t do this human thing — let alone develop as serious followers of Jesus — by ourselves.

Look, it is no secret that we live in an increasingly fragmented and isolating world. Hall knows this first hand and he shares vulnerable lessons as he has spent his life working on this deeply integrated vision of Christian philosophy of psychology. He knows his neurobiology and Curt Thompson recommends this highly. He also wrote a truly lovely forward, which itself is well worth reading. Listen to my comments at our podcast if you’d like and I hope it invites you to buy it from us pronto. It’s a really great book for anyone that is interested in this topic or for anyone wondering how knowing spiritual truths comes in the context of relationships. Yes!

Relational Spirituality: A Psychological-Theological Paradigm for Transformation Todd W. Hall with M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall (IVP Academic) $40.00 // OUR 40% OFF SALE PRICE = $24.00

I’m glad Curt suggested this one — he calls it a masterpiece saying it is “prophetic in its conviction” and “beautifully imaginative…” This is a major text in the excellent line of books called the Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books (CAPS) series. It is a more scholarly study of what Hall means by “relational spirituality”, a hefty companion to the one listed above. This is about the relational aspects to our inner formation and how our walk with God is always lived out in community. What does it mean to “know and be known”? How do we live out our individual faith that is always embedded in context which necessarily includes others? If God says “it is not right for man to be alone” in the earliest days of our creation narrative, how do we give an account for the relational aspects of being human?

Here is how the publisher describes this important volume that is over 300 pages:

“Human beings are fundamentally relational — we develop, heal, and grow through relationships. Integrating insights from psychology and theology, Todd W. Hall and M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall present a definitive model of spiritual transformation based on a relational paradigm, showing how transformation works practically in the context of relationships and community.”

Not only do they explore the need for (and the nature of) a relational spiritual paradigm but they have two excellent chapters on “The Process of Spiritual Transformation” that shows the relational dynamics of spiritual transformation and what they mean by spiritual community. This is rich, good stuff, even for those of us (maybe especially for those of us) who are not trained psychologists but sense a call to be agents of growth within our congregations. We are all, after all, “wounded healers” — right?

Others who have been wise voices in the movement of thinking Christianly about psychology have raved about this long-awaited text.  Listen:

In this long-awaited contribution, the Halls offer an irenic corrective to modern individualism and rationalism that continue to influence much Christianity in the twenty-first century, through this accessible and sophisticated integration of Scripture, Christian theology, contemporary psychological theory and research, and even some Christian philosophy. Building on the deep coherence evident in biblical teaching on the love of the Trinity and contemporary research on attachment and social neuroscience, the authors construct a rich and profound Christian model of human love that takes into account the impact of childhood experience yet gives hope of healing transformation. … there is simply no better introduction today to the formative role that interpersonal relationships play in human development, maturation, flourishing, and eternal life.        — Eric L. Johnson, professor of Christian psychology and counseling at Houston Baptist University, editor of Psychology and Christianity: Five Views

Working from the premise that God’s love is the reason, model, and source for the transformation of our natural love into Christian love, Todd and Liz Hall have provided an extended reflection that ably moves from theology to therapy, from psychological literature to implications for pastoral care. I think this volume will be especially generative for those in ministry who are trying to think in fresh ways about how to move ‘relational’ ministry from being a slogan to a reality. — Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theological studies at Covenant College, author of Embodied Hope and You’re Only Human

AND, Curt Thompson gets the last word:

I have been waiting for this book for a long time. With Relational Spirituality, Todd Hall and Elizabeth Hall have, with erudition and mercy, given us a masterpiece that not only tells us who we are but also points us in the direction of who we long to become. Broad in its scope, prophetic in its conviction, beautifully imaginative in its synthesis of multiple domains of human experience, and accessible in its application, this is sure to become a wellspring of hope and transformation — one that could not come at a more timely moment.  — Curt Thompson

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