By Jonathan Daugherty
New Growth Press, 2017
Summary
Everyone has a secret or two, a part of their life they would rather not share with the rest of the world.
But for Jonathan Daugherty, his secret was so life-altering and relationship-ending that he fought to keep it hidden at all costs. And it did cost him. His secret kept him from contentment, peace, and the possibility of being known and loved for who he truly is. That's what any secret addiction can do-but in particular a sex addiction.
After his wife finally discovered his secret, their marriage appeared to be over. In Secrets, Jonathan honestly and courageously shares his story of addiction to pornography and how he lost everything to it.
But that's not how the story ends. While Jonathan struggled, someone else was at work-his heavenly Father. At the lowest possible moment of his life, God stepped in and brought him hope and healing. This is a story of both loss and redemption that gives hope to anyone who has ever experienced the power and struggle of addiction and its life-destroying effects.
Addiction doesn't have the final say over Jonathan's life or in his marriage. The God who finds the lost, heals the sick, and brings life from death has the last, victorious word.
- A courageous, honest and open account of life as a sex addict and how sex addiction destroys marriages.
- A life-affirming and personal story of recovery and redemption that will inspire readers.
- Offers hope to all who struggle with pornography and sex addiction.
- Each chapter includes a "Living in the Light" section designed to equip and help readers find freedom from addiction.
- Suitable as a study for support groups of addicts and those who care about them.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
My thoughts
In Secrets, Jonathan Daugherty recounts a story of his sexual addiction, beginning with his first exposure to pornography as a young teen, in a story this really speaks to all of us. This can’t have been an easy story to share. Daugherty writes on his blog: “God called me into full time ministry to sexually broken people with only three words: Tell your story.” And in Secrets, he does just that.
_________________________
I have come to realize that grace is available to
anyone,
even the stray child of God who spent years seeking
to serve himself at
the expense of everyone he loves ...
It was just that grace that changed me, and it is that
same grace that keeps changing me.
- Jonathan Daugherty
_________________________
The narrative is well written in an honest, open, and straightforward way. There’s nothing explicit or graphic; rather, a sharing of feelings and coping mechanisms in relationships through the years, cultivating in the moment when he confessed his brokenness. Secrets is ultimately redemptive and I was glad to read about the Be Broken Ministries that he founded. This men’s ministry is having a huge impact and I have already told my pastor about it.
Daugherty talks about keeping secrets, compartmentalizing, hiding his real self from others – and contrasts all this with the truth that sets us free. It’s the reflective and devotional section at the end of each chapter that I think will speak to everyone, because who among us doesn’t have something in our lives that we’ve buried, not sharing in close relationships and maybe even with God?
Secrets has left me with much to think about. For one thing, although addiction comes in all shapes and sizes, certain things are held in common. Daugherty writes: “A trip to the bottom is often a slow one, marked by winding trails of clever temptations that bear no obvious, or immediate, threat to a person’s life.” How true that is! And Daugherty’s insight about confession, learned through personal experience, spoke to me in a special way: “Confession alone changes nothing, unless it is combined with brokenness and repentance.”
I’m so thankful that God uses broken vessels and that Jonathan Daugherty is willing to share his story.
Recommended for personal reading and especially men’s ministries.
I was provided a free copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
http://litfusegroup.com/author/JDaugherty
_________________________
He has appeared on multiple radio and television media, both local and national. He has authored "Grace-Based Recovery," "The 4 Pillars of Purity," and other works. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children in San Antonio, Texas.
Find out more about Jonathan at http://www.jonathandaugherty.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment