THE LAST STRAW
By Dr. Ruth Fowke
Eagle. 149 pages. £6.99
ISBN 0 86347 363 6
Many in Christian ministry have benefited from the wise counsel of Dr. Ruth Fowke - including the writer of this review. Ruth Fowke is a psychiatrist and an evangelical Christian. In this book she shares something of her knowledge and experience in psychiatry within the framework of the Bible. The sub-heading 'resolving the build-up of stress' reveals the theme and very practical content of this timely book.
The book is divided into three sections. Stress Management - discerning, evaluating and handling your stress load. Personality and Stress - assessing your personality traits and identifying problem areas. Food for Thought - looking at the person of God and biblical teaching on living a fulfilled life.
The writer uses the term stress 'to mean a situation that is unpleasant and uncomfortable, and that places an undue strain upon the person. It denotes something that leads to distress'.
Chapter headings introduce us to issues most of us need to consider, including 'Take a break', 'Baggage from the Past', 'Saying Yes instead of No', 'People pressures' and 'Not another change'! The chapters conclude with helpful summaries and challenging questions.
There are so many quotes that, if built into our lifestyles and practice, would make many of us much easier to live with. Here are some of them. 'A number of sensitive people are afraid to assert themselves and say 'No'. 'Leisure is a creation ordinance and not an optional extra'. 'Self-sufficiency in time leads to loneliness'. 'We can mistake our role at work for identity as a person'. 'Do you work to live or live to work?'
I wish I could have read this when I launched out into Christian ministry. More and more people seem to be saying 'I'm just stressed out'. This book is for you, but many of us could be spared the pain of distress before work mastered us, change threatened us, people puzzled us and relationships become strained.
David Abernethie
