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Pages and Tunes

Love Focused: Living Life to the Fullest

by Bob and Judy Hughes
©2007 by Bob and Judy Hughes

Many Christians, despite their best efforts, seem stuck in a frustrating holding cycle. They have tried Christian self-help books, prayed, and sought counseling, but still seem overwhelmed and unable to experience the abundant life God promises in His Word.

Bob and Judy Hughes believe the master key for living a fulfilled Christian life is love. It may sound trite and oversimplified—until you remember Jesus made it clear that our highest calling is to love God and our neighbor. Yet while Christians know they should love, they can be flummoxed as to why they so often fail to love. Understanding what motivates our behavior is essential.

The Hughes believe many of us live outcome-focused rather than love-focused lives, and therein lies the problem. Outcome-focused goals are self-focused—designed to help us get our emotional needs met and to avoid pain. Constant pressure to achieve a certain outcome diverts our attention from loving God and others. The root of this problem is spiritual: the outcome-focused person does not truly believe God can meet all their needs.

Christians regularly fall prey to performance-based love and acceptance (legalism), believing that Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross wasn’t enough. They may doubt God’s goodness and believe the world can somehow satisfy their need. Consequently, many become control freaks, not simply desiring but actually needing other people to behave in a certain way.

The Hughes do a splendid job of explaining the problem as well as the solution—which I won’t divulge here. It is solid biblical advice from someone who has spent 30 years as a Christian counselor. A practical love-focused model for growth is offered, as well as suggestions to help the reader fight this “good fight of faith” on a daily basis.

A study guide is available and is sold separately. For more information about Bob and Judy Hughes, visit their Web site at www.lovefocused.com.

PATTY KENNEDY is assistant web content editor for the national Women’s Ministries Department. She also writes book and music reviews for Pages and Tunes, a free e-newsletter provided by the national Women’s Ministries Department.

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