The authors, well-known author and apologist Josh McDowell, and pastor and speaker Ben Bennett have joined forces to examine why so many Christians struggle through life rather than thrive as children of God. Due to their own experiences and their years of ministry, they believe most believers are suffering due to unmet needs in their lives.

McDowell and Bennett make the case that God has designed all people with seven basic needs:
Acceptance --- to be included and approved of, as you are, no matter what.
Appreciation --- the longing to be thanked and encouraged for something we have done.
Affection --- the longing to be cared for with touch and genuine emotional engagement.
Access --- the longing to have the consistent emotional and physical presence of key persons.
Attention --- the longing to be known and understood by someone who enters into your world.
Affirmation of feelings --- the longing to have our feelings validated and confirmed by others.
Assurance of safety --- we need to feel protected and provided for emotionally, physically, and financially.
The authors contend that hurting Christians with unfulfilled longings suffer because they try to satisfy those longings themselves or with other earthly things or people. But God placed those longings in us so that we might always go to Him with our needs.

McDowell and Bennett are unusually open and honest in sharing their own unmet longings and the adverse effects those had in their personal lives and ministries. Writing as fellow strugglers, they encourage readers to understand that they are not unusual in trying to satisfy their longings without God and give practical steps to begin looking to God for help and comfort. The book concludes with helpful appendices of the Longings Table and websites and books for further ongoing support. I heartily recommend this book.

The premise of the book is that every person has seven God-given longings which are needs that we all want and need to have met if we are to live in wholeness. These include acceptance, appreciation, affection, access, attention, affirmation of feelings, and assurance of safety. When these longings are unmet, they can result in unwanted behaviors on our part. Only by recognizing these unmet longings and how they drive our unwanted behaviors can we move forward. Key to this is seeing yourself as God sees us which is not generally how we see ourselves, and understanding how to correct this incorrect perception. The book includes interesting, personal stories that illustrate the topics in the chapters, and relevant scriptural references. There are questions for reflection as well as tools for self-assessment. It is fairly easy to read but contains profound truth. The book discusses universal issues so helpful to all but I suspect Christians will have an easier time being open to the discussion than non-Christians. I recommend this book to anybody dealing with unwanted behaviors (which is everybody if we are honest) and seeking direction. It may not solve all your problems but it does point the right direction to take to move forward. I read an electronic version of the text as part of the book’s launch team and bought a hardcopy which arrived today. I received no compensation for my comments.

We all have longings in life. A longing to be loved, accepted, valued, safe, and more. These longings can go unmet in our lives causing us pain, leading to frustration and anger, and behaviors such as addictions, self harm or loathing, lashing out at others and more. But God doesn't want us to live a life of being stuck in unending cycles of behaving in a way that pleases Him, then a situation triggers past unmet longings leading to frustration or hurt and  causing us to return back to our addictions or behaviors that are not pleasing to God. God wants us to thrive in life, living an abundant life.  Free to Thrive discusses why we continue in this cycle of unwanted behaviors. This book identifies the seven longings in life that when they are unmet can lead to dissatisfaction, frustration, and later addictions and unwanted behaviors. The authors, Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett are open and honest about their struggles and past experiences. They use personal stories along with other examples to show how we can examine our lives and identify the longing (s) that are unmet in our lives and then work at changing how we react to situations triggering these unmet longings leading us to return to our unwanted behaviors. They discuss how these longings are fulfilled  by God and how we can take steps to renewing our mind and changing our thought patterns. This book includes self examination questions, diagrams, tables, and further resources for help in identifying, renewing our minds, and changing our behaviors. I found this book extremely helpful and useful to me in learning the seven longings people have, identifying what longing (s) are unmet in my life causing hurt, frustration, anger, depression, anxiety and more in my life and a life that is stuck in a cycle of self destruction. At the end of each chapter there are self reflection questions. I haven't gone through all of them but plan on rereading this book, doing self examination, journaling, working on renewing my mind, and working towards changing my thought patterns and responses to situations leading to the thriving life which God has promised and wants us to live. I did have to go back and reread parts of the book to understand them.  Free to Thrive is not a quick read, it is a book to be read slower, thought about, worked through and reread again to fully grasp the contents and change your thinking. This book will be added to my tool box of resources for dealing with and overcoming my struggles with depression, anxiety, self esteem and insecurities. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling in life with addictions, mental health struggles, feeling stuck in life or wondering why things seem to never get better. Free to Thrive is a useful tool to evaluating your thoughts, reactions or responses to situations and relationships in your lives. Pick up a copy today and take a step toward living a life that thrives. I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Free to Thrive is the latest book by prolific author Josh McDowell and newcomer Ben Bennett. In it, they both invite the reader into their past pain and present triumph through Christ. If this book ministers to you half as much as it did to me, you’ll find it to be life changing. They show their deep and profound wisdom of the things that ensnare our spirit, and demonstrate equal wisdom regarding how to break free to into a flourishing life. Instead of focusing on how to change behavior, McDowell and Bennett focus on the advantages of a changed heart. They give practical tips to the reader to figure out our unmet longings, and how those get in the way of a thriving life. Each chapter includes reflection questions that help the reader digest the information presented. They would make great questions for a small group reading the book together as well. I urge you: read this book and prepare for changes in your life that you can’t even imagine.