The Power of Encouragement Paperback

From the very beginning, THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT seizes the reader's curiosity through the sub-title, "How to Give Away Courage." That statement immediately motivates the reader to ask, "How can you give away courage?" and therefore, the reader is hooked, off on an adventure to discover the answer to that and many other queries. Early on, the reader is also alerted that this book is based on Scripture, as demonstrated by a quotation, "How delightful is a timely word." The Prologue prepares the reader for one of the forceful themes of the book: "Few people, if any, have been encouraged by toxic, negative, complaining people, particularly Christians." The first two, short sentences in Chapter 1 summarize the book: "Encouragement builds up. Discouragement tears down." Then the reader will discover the answer about courage: "We give others the courage to do, to try, or to keep on." The author provides personal, down-to-earth examples out of his own life, his wife's life and from counseling experience. These stories bring concepts down to where "the rubber hits the road" of life. With the reassuring style of a seasoned counselor, the author provides guidance to help the reader learn skills in applying four elements of encouragement. They are: Unconditional Love, Understanding, Conveying Authenticity and Expressing Specificity. In the chapter titled Unconditional Love, the author says that the importance of acceptance is key to establishing a basis for encouragement. "It makes no difference to me who you are, where you have come from, or what you have done!" "Understanding promotes encouragement, but misunderstanding stifles it" is central to the chapter on Understanding. The author asserts that the phrase "I understand," spoken in sincerity, is useful to influence change in relationships. The first sentence in the chapter of Conveying Authenticity is "Nobody likes a phony." Authenticity means "Being the same in fact and appearance." The author claims it is infeasible