Living-trust

This book is a real quick read. I do like the author's definition of confidence which basically is "To be true to yourself and take action where/when you feel it needs to be taken, and don't be afraid to look bad."

She then goes into three areas of confidence; behavior, emotional, and spiritual. She states that spiritual confidence is perhaps the most important because you have to have a belief that things are going to work out for you in the long run. I thought this particular idea was basically fluff and can be summed up into one word, optimism.

Self-help books are not miracle pills, they are like private pep talks. The first 2/3 of this book got me invigorated to go out and live life with more confidence!

Swindoll writes from a profoundly deep perspective. Only an author who has been tested himself could write the following:
"God has trusted each of us with our own set of unfair circumstances and unexplained experiences to deal with. Can we still trust in Him even if He never tell us why?"
He goes on to answer the question he posed by saying, "..it's good simply because God Himself has allowed it. Acceptance is resting in God's goodness."

Job of the Old Testament is used to illustrate complete acceptance of God's will. Job trusted God totally, although he did not understand what was occurring in his life.

Read the section on worry. He offers five problems associated with it that enable you to see its deceptive powers. He also helps you to overcome it. I strongly recommend this book. It will deepen your relationship with God if you read it with the proper mindset.

The message is simple in its reminder to always have perfect trust in God. Thank you Pastor Swindoll, for this beautiful gift you have written for us!

This book is a great part of any spiritual journey. Manning is an honest man, and his heart shines through this work. I have never had the privelege of hearing him speak in person, but I know if he speaks anything like he writes, it would be great.

Brennan has a simple yet brilliant concept that has been echoed over and over again throughout the centuries, God loves us, and there is nothing we can do about it. Manning calls us to go past faith into Ruthless Trust, this, I don't think will be easy to do, but we are commanded to try none the less.

Thanks to Brennan for his challenge and continued dealing with the tough issues of Christianity. Issues that many other authors do not, or choose not to deal with.

This is a good read, I guarantee it.

Through autobiographical accounts, stories, quotes, and by drawing from his extensive learning and his tried and tested relationship with God, Manning targets the reader's relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Manning drives the point home that we are loved unconditionally and enormously by God. He emphasizes that we are loved as we are today with all of our weaknesses, imperfections and mistakes. He writes that what gives God pleasure more than anything in creation is a believer trusting that he or she is loved.

Manning's thrust encourages the reader to experience the presence of the Lord in the present. He affirms to us that we do not need to worry about the past or fret the future because our Soul's Sufficiency is with us in the now.

One of the obstacles to trusting God that people face, says Manning, is that we have a distorted perception of God. In this book, he presents a true image of the welcoming, gentle God who died on the cross to be with us.

Manning attacks some of the false images of God that have been presented by the religious over the years. At one point in the book, he summarizes his belief regarding this distortion of God's image:

Thirty-seven years of pastoral experience with Catholics, mainline Protestants, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Seventh Day Adventists, blacks, whites, Asians, and Hispanics tell me unmistakably that many a believer's perception of God is radically wrong. (72)

Manning effectively leads the reader to comprehension of a true image of our God. The God Manning writes about draws us into his presence daily with love and kindness.

Another problem that Manning addresses is the plague of low self-esteem among Christians. He argues that low self-esteem keeps Christians wallowing in guilt and shame and prevents the full acceptance of Christ's redemption. Manning also decries the tone of low self-esteem and insecurity that often underlies religious messages. He shares how such messages condemn listeners and push them from intimacy with the Lord:

From personal experience I can testify that the language of low self-esteem is harsh and demanding; it abuses, accuses, rejects, finds fault, blames, condemns, reproaches, and scolds in a monologue of impatience and chastisement. (16)

Unfortunately, many Christians, like Manning, have been the object of such assaults that lead to self-analysis and doubt in our righteousness in Christ. Manning writes that such messages are in sharp contrast to the words of life continually coming from God.

Manning doesn't imply that Christians should ignore sins; rather, he strives to help us acknowledge our flaws and brokenness, so that we can confess our sins and accept ourselves as Christ does-without condemnation or accusation but with gladness of heart.

He points out that in too many cases in the North American church our obsession with self has led to self-hatred. His words in this book lead us from self-consciousness to God-consciousness. As we turn to God and gain an accurate image of him, we learn that we can trust him through joy and through trials.

I think for all earnest readers, the end result of reading Ruthless Trust will be a stronger willingness and desire to trust God. Through the process of reading the book, readers will find themselves being drawn into the intimacy of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that is an outcome to be celebrated.

The overwhelming strength of TrueFaced is its sense of complete and total understanding of how sin works itself into and out through our lives. Somehow, I got the feeling that absolutely every detail from both a theological and emotional vantage point actually got addressed, as every comeback or scenario I could think of to counter an argument was not only mentioned but usually expounded upon and resolved, often within the next few pages of the same chapter. The authors' points are well-supported biblically (both in an underlying as well as in a direct manner) and they sit quite firmly on a strong foundation of truth.

While the progression of explanation is quite logical and calculated, perhaps the fact that it all (finally?) seems to make sense (as if sin is such a simple concept that we should have caught onto its modus operandi long before reading this book) gives even more legitimacy to the validity of their ideas. In addition, there is plenty of brilliant insight and shrewd perception offered in helping us learn to recognize the subtleties of acts of sin (done to us or that we do), our involuntary responses to them, and the inevitable effects that come from them (see Chapter 2: How Did This Happen? for more on this).

A semi-lengthy discourse on a believer's two paths of choice (performance or trust) leading to two different rooms (The Room of Intentions or The Room of Grace) by two different means (effort or humility) is quite helpful in understanding one's motives and the sin or obedience that comes from them. And, at the end of each chapter, a "Did You Discover?" section summarizes the key points in an effort to ensure that in the midst of all the terms and concepts, you can still cut to the chase as to what's important.

As good as the analysis of TrueFaced is (and it is amazing - easily the best treatise on the taint of sin I've read), my only complaint is that the application of the authors' findings is much more difficult to get at, not so much because of their lack of solutions, but rather because of the nature of them. I understand in light of what they're teaching that a "to-do" list isn't part of the course of action they would prescribe, but I'm not sure I understand where to go from here.

Though there are some personal illustrations of what all this is practically supposed to look like, the details are general at best. Instead, say the authors, learning to trust God and others with myself is the only way to deal with unresolved sin. That's it. That's all. For better or for worse, that's everything. Even though I believe it to be true and most desperately want to figure out how to do it, I'm still not sure I know exactly how.

Then again, that's probably my performance side talking. Nuts.

I have ordered five of these books for family and friends and will be ordering five more. Over time, I hope to give a copy to as many people as I can. This book will be a blessing for anyone who reads it.

Mr. Croke's book is readily available in local libraries if the reduced price is too expensive. I have a copy in my office for reference purposes during client sessions. Mr.Croke has provided great insights to me when I drafted my own will in recent years. The book should be required reading for all estate and certified financial planners. Great job take time to buy, read and use this one.

My attorney also told me that there is no IRS requirement that I must use the "net income" wording to pay my wife. The wording represents the minimum to be paid, but I gave instructions (which I am allowed to do) to pay a higher annual amount. My wife must have this higher amount since she will receive half of my pension and lower social security once I'm gone. This avoids another problem. She will not have to continually make requests for money and justify her needs to her trustee, in this case our son.

Why would a person write a such a bad and incorrect review? Are they trying to stop the sale of a great book? I would recommend that everyone read this book and use the helpful check list for items they want for their family. These are important options to consider and discuss with your attorney. Do yourself a favor, read the book.

The book has many warnings: "If you want to do blah, blah, blah, see a lawyer. Nolo's living trust program does not handle this situation."

I would give it 3 or 4 stars, except Nolo Press's "Plan Your Estate" by the same author is much more thorough. Better to get that.

As usual, this book was what I expect from Nolo: the best. Very informative, detailed, and useful.