Feelings 101
Pain to Peace: A Heart Designed to Hear the Voice of God
The father and son team of William J. Clark and William J. Clark, Jr., return with the second book in their Keys to Understanding Life series. Feelings 101 promises to inform readers about the various ways in which both God and Satan are at work in our daily lives and the means by which to recognize the signs and react accordingly.
Each of the book’s eight chapters is tasked with a clear and specific goal that relates to the overall objective of providing readers with more awareness of their “new and old selves” in an effort to steer readers toward the light of God. This may seem like a rather tough task, but the Clarks are up to the challenge, providing strong and straightforward arguments that will prove compelling to even the most hesitant of readers. Though the lessons are all based on religious text and the teachings of modern Christianity, they can easily be applied to everyday life.
The best example of this is chapter seven, “Listening to the Spirit within Your Heart.” Here the authors provide three steps that allow readers to grow their relationship with Christ. After providing a quotation from the Gospel of Peter, the Clarks write, “The only thing you can learn to consistently control is your willingness to pay attention to what you feel with your heart.” As the chapter unfolds, it becomes clear that the Clarks’ intention is to get readers to listen to “God’s call.” They provide solid religious teachings based on Biblical text to accomplish that goal, while still offering tips to help readers of all belief systems alter the course of their lives. Those who regret the state of their lives will surely come away with new ways of viewing the world and teachings to help them change. These aspects make the Clarks’ book a refreshing change from the multitudes of other religious self-help texts that crowd bookshelves.
By presenting key quotes from Biblical texts and offering their own take on the message being preached, the Clarks do what most other religious writers shy away from—they voice their opinion about the underlying reasoning behind the quote instead of relaying the familiar answer which puts all faith in God and opts not to question His Word.
There is room for debate in this text, but the Clarks can certainly handle the challenge. Take, for example, chapter five, which is dedicated to helping readers recognize “the power of choice” as well as the notion that, “Choice is the fabric of time and space.” The authors don’t tell readers what to believe and how to act, rather they want readers to recognize where there is room for debate in their own lives and to realize that no matter what they choose, it’s up to each person to carve his or her own path.
Reviewed by
Liam Brennan
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
