I began this book but was unable to get through it. Although the description was intriguing, I found it to be less engaging than I had hoped.

Others may consider this a biased review, as Pastor Chris Hodges is my personal pastor; however, this is a boo I believe to be truly revolutionary. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson/Nelson Books for a chance to read the ARC for an honest review.

Through the story of Elijah, Pastor Chris Hodges shows us how we can acknowledge, heal, and move out of the darkness of depression. One think I love is that he does not negate therapy or medical needs for medication and therapy. He shares personal stories of his battles with depression and useful research, Bible verses, and prayers throughout the book.

Not only have I listened to the audiobook while reading the ARC, I plan to purchase physical copies for my collection to annotate and have in my darkest times. This book is such a needed tool, especially in the Christian community.

Personally, I found this book to be too religious for my own likings. It is hard to get through a book when so much of the context is regarding old scriptures. If you love religious reads and are going through something difficult this book may be for you!

Out of the Cave is an extraordinary book that has had a profound effect on me. Chris Hodges is the founding and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands, a non-denominational, multi-site mega-church headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2018, it was the largest congregation in Alabama and the second largest church in the United States, with an average of 43,030 attendees every week. Over the years, he has counseled scores of people who suffer from anxiety and depression. But that’s not what made Out of the Cave such a powerful book. It’s because he has had significant seasons of emotional pain. He has walked the walk.

Depression is the number one health issue in the world today, yet those who suffer are still sometimes stigmatized—especially followers of Jesus. Many assume God’s peace, power, and protection should prevent us from ever feeling anxious, depressed, and afraid. But the Bible teaches otherwise, particularly in its depiction of the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

In Out of the Cave, Chris Hodges uses Elijah’s life to illustrate that everyone is susceptible to depression. Even when we’re walking closely with God, we can still stumble and get lost in the wilderness of tangled emotions. But we don’t have to stay there, because we serve a God who meets us in the darkness. Hodges provides a comprehensive approach to wellness—mind, body, and soul—with his trademark blend of Bible-based wisdom, practical application, and vulnerability in sharing his personal struggles, Hodges explores the causes of depression we can’t change, the contributors we can conquer, and offers transformative hope and spiritual power to help us win the battle.

Hodges is an excellent writer, smooth and professional. He used an effective mix of personal anecdotes, biblical examples, charts, and questionnaires to convey his important message. One thing I most appreciated about this book is that he didn’t use a one size fits all approach, recognizing that some people suffer from a chemical imbalance and need medication to manage their depression, while others can use other management techniques for more situational depression. I related to so much of what he wrote because he has walked in my shoes. Bravo. 5 stars.

Chris Hodges, the author uses Elijah’s life as an example on how to deal with depression. The author explores the causes of depression we can’t change and the people who contribute to it. He does offer hope and spiritual power to help us fight depression. He offers a comprehensive approach to “wellness” for the mind, body and soul. I found it to be inspiring, motivating and uplifting. It’s the book for anyone looking for help with depression.

This is a much-needed book -- depression is slowly being talked about in Christian circles, but it's hard to find this level of raw testimony. I appreciate the vulnerability and the book as it points back to our loving God!

Timely, helpful, and insightful! Pastor Chris Hodges takes a deep dive into what it means to deal with depression and anxiety as a Christian, something that relates to more of us than you would think. More than just a self-help book, this book delves into how Biblical greats such as Elijah learned to handle his negative emotions and the lessons we can learn as well. But it's more than just that. We look at how to deal with comparison, envy, imbalanced time management, exhaustion, the list goes on. I promise you, you will find something in here that relates to what you are dealing with. Marked with grace and truth, this book points to the One Who helps you leave your misery behind. Highly recommended!

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

a great book written by a senior pastor from The Church of the Highlands, a Christian church with campuses across Alabama.

I learned quite a lot from this book and it showed a good insight into the different ways of managing depression and how comparable these issues are between different eras.
Some really good advisory information of how to manage mental health such as this and quite influential in helping others.

overall good written style and engaging. Not the type of genre I’d generally but enjoyed regardless.

Chris Hodges is a pastor who has struggled with anxiety and depression, so he knows the stigma surrounding mental health issues – especially when the person suffering is a Christian. He provided a strong testimony based on his own battles and carved out a path for others to follow using biblical illustrations, as well as the stories of other faith pioneers who endured great suffering. What makes his approach different is his focus on what we have in our control -- our thoughts and behaviors -- and how to free ourselves of patterns and habits that have kept us in mental bondage. By relying on God's promises in the Bible, Hodges shows how to come out of the cave of depression with new purpose and hope for the future.
The book opened with the reason Hodges decided to write this book: a well-known pastor had taken his life. He knows that pressure. Pastors care for their community and church family. They walk with people through trauma and pain. Burnout and self-sabotage, he said, can open the door to depression. He could no longer stay silent with this recent suicide. He had to do something to help those struggling with depression. His research into the scriptures led him to the prophet Elijah’s journey. He traced the path Elijah took from the highs of seeing God perform an amazing power display to the lows of feeling isolated in his ministry and running for his life. God met Elijah on every point of his journey away from danger and forward into healing. Hodges said God first met Elijah’s physical needs, and then worked on the spiritual aspects of his journey.
While we may not have control over some of the causes for depression – our circumstances, genetic predisposition, or chemical imbalance – Hodges said we do have control over how we think, react, and move. He provided raw emotional data about his own struggles. Depression can cause people to self-isolate, he said, and he used these stories to show we were never meant to do life alone.
I liked that Hodges gave "homework" within the pages, and I thought he should definitely have a separate workbook for the things he shared for how he keeps up soul care to keep depression at bay. (He has one you can purchase.) He wanted to flip the scripts we replay in our minds that set us up for defeat when facing great hardships and spiritual attacks. He wanted us to take an inventory of our daily life (our viewing habits, time management, sleep - or lack of it), and provided examples from his own notes.
But leaving the cave of depression does take time. While his focus was on the spiritual aspects of healing, Hodges repeated throughout the text that he supported the treatment plans provided by physicians. Doctors can work on the physical, he said, but when comes to the spirit, we need spiritual solutions, which he provided in the third part of the book.
When the Spirit is in charge, he said, then body and soul no longer battle for dominance and there’s balance and healing.
I am reading Priscilla Shirer’s “Armor of God” as part of a women’s support group study right now. Hodges echoed some of the same ideas about the enemy and his playbook, our daily need for putting on the full armor of God. He reminded me that we have God's attention and are seated in the heavenly places even now. Jesus came that we might have life and have it in abundance. The Holy Spirit will help us change our habits and confront negative thoughts with truth. Like Elijah, God will show us what we need to do when we pray and ask Him for help, read His word, and become doers and not just hearers.
I loved this book as a fellow veteran of the depression and anxiety wars. I've confronted both several times and often after coming off great heights of feeling and emotion. I read my story with every description Hodges gave about depression at the beginning of the book -- what goes through your mind, how you feel powerless to do anything at times and completely hopeless. My road back was the same: read God's word, pray God's word, take care of my body through diet and exercise, seek treatment through therapy, and join a church support group. I found so many takeaways and answers that I know others walking the path now will find useful. It is very timely and I'm definitely sharing this with the people in my life who are grieving losses from this pandemic.

4.5/5⭐️

This was written by the founder and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands, a Christian non-denominational church with campuses across Alabama.

I gathered much insight from his comparisons and handling of depression in biblical instances (mainly Elijah and Paul) with modern times. I found myself highlighting lots of prudent passages and gaining some very useful information to put into practice in my own life.

Easy to read and well done.

Much thanks to #ThomasNelson and #NetGalley for providing me the early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is a super helpful book Regarding depression with lots of practical tips and experiences shared. I appreciate the biblical perspective presented without neglecting the need for doctors and sometimes meds.

I really enjoyed this book by Chris Hodges. It is full of practical, well researched advice and based on scripture. Overall really easy to recommend to anyone struggling with depression or who knows someone who is.

Check out my full video review here: https://youtu.be/s0UMFGngHPA

This book is about depression and spirituality. As a sufferer of major depressive disorder, I don't enjoy reading about other peoples depression and I have been told before I need to pray more, and that makes me feel worse, as if its my fault. I found this book not at all helpful to me. I am sure some will get inspiration from this book, it just struck me the wrong way.

Thanks to netgalley for this review copy.

Hats off to Chris Hodges! He's hit a grand slam with his newest offering "Out of the Cave".

Pastor Hodges bares the story of the battle he's faced against depression. He holds nothing back in telling the details of the skirmishes and the all-out war he's fought. But Chris does it with a full palette of science, Biblical, and personal stories.

Hodges weaves the story of Elijah throughout this book. Elijah is a famous Biblical prophet who suffered from depression. His tale is used as the framework of how one can recognize the signs of depression as well as how one can deal with the illness.

The personal stories make this a five star book. The clinical data and explanations make this a five star book. The retelling of Elijah's story through a new lens makes this a five star book.

Great job, Pastor Chris.

Chris Hodges, pastor of the well-known Church of the Highlands, has authored "Out of the Cave" for anyone dealing with anxiety and depression. Based on the life of the prophet Elijah and his bout with depression, the author encourages his readers with his transparency and wise counsel. Using biblical principles and practical advice, Hodges walks his readers through their darkest moments. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is fighting depression or anxiety.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.