The Encourager

The back cover of this book starts with….If your life is out of control and you feel hopeless, you haven’t read this book yet. Founder and president of Mercy Ministries, Nancy Alcorn  has been in the work of helping girls and young women with difficult problems like self harm for a long time having started Mercy Ministries in 1983. It is from this experience she has written a book to help mostly the girls themselves to find the answers in practical ways using scripture a lot in this book with young girls who cut themselves and other self harm. She has included also personal testimonys of girls whose lives HAVE been changed. Over 2000 young women the book says have been through the programs of Mercy Ministries. Chapter 5 is devoted to parents and those who care with tips on how to help and a prayer for parents. In the appendix are negative beliefs that would be common with more positive beliefs to replace them with bible verses backing them up. Finally there is information on the author and how to contact Mercy Ministries in various countries through their websites. Nancy says you can find hope and freedom if you apply the pinciples in this book. It goes into all the whys and how it happens at the root causes and helps young women know how to stop this behaviour permanently. This book was bought at Koorong. www.koorong.com  or the publishers www.winepressgroup.com  It’s from a series called The mercy for series. www.mercyministies.com.au  Mercy Ministries also in U.S.A. , Canada, U.K. and New Zealand. 

Subtitle; Findind a path back to mental and spiritual well being. Bought at Koorong Christian Bookstore. 192 pages. See links: Koorong

This book is recommended reading for anyone who is a Christian and is just “fed up” with their mental health professional,psychiatrist, case manager etc. The author is a Christian psychiatrist of many years experience, yes as far back as the bad old days of the 1960’s at least. He has seen many changes and has some interesting stories to tell as well as a very basic overview of most diseases currently understood. There is a whole chapter on depression. Some of the chapters include the role of the church in recovery, therapist and pastor, healing and wholeness and very importantly; church or clinic. At the back of the book are a few pages of useful addresses and websites, most being in the U.K. I personally recomend this book to  Christians involved in ministry to the mentally ill and those who are themselves. I was left with more hope in a profession we all find difficult at times. I’m sure they find it difficult too.