Inside Out, by Dr. Larry Crabb

Inside Out by Larry Crabb : A Book Review

Crabb , L (1998 . Inside Out . New York : NavPress Publishing Group . 245 pages

Introduction

For a lot of people , life seems to be simply a string of frustrations broken promises , and disappointments . Somehow , people are looking for something better outside of themselves . This results to dangerous behaviors such as alcoholism , substance abuse and depression . The root behind this is the fear of looking inside oneself . This fear may be born out of frustrations strengthened by negative experiences in childhood and even in adulthood

p In spite of these fears and these frustrations , most people desire change for themselves . They want to feel that they are truly alive and that they are empowered to do the things that they are passionate about They want to get over the helplessness and the feeling that they are trapped in something they do not want to be in . The problem is most people do not know where to start . They start to plan to change and implement . However , after a few days , they go back to where they started from

For people who truly desire to change , what is needed is a change of perspective and a good understanding of their struggles , their personalities and their character . After all , self-analysis will only work if a set of criteria has been determined at the outset . The first step to change is to know exactly where one is located

Looking Inside

Dr . Larry Crabb 's Inside Out is an attempt to guide people to look at themselves and help them evaluate their situation , their background , and how they can change for the better . Dr . Crabb 's outlook is hopeful and he seeks to help individuals find the courage to change and improve their lives and their overall person . Although the book is addressed to anyone who wants to change , Dr . Crabb specifically directed his book to those who want to follow the commands of God written in the Bible , but for one reason or another , they fail to do so . As such , Dr . Crabb 's main goal is to promote obedience to the Word of God

Inside Out is divided into four parts . The first part deals with the importance of looking beneath the surface . In the busyness and crazy schedule of today 's world , Dr . Crabb invites individuals to take a moment and take a look inside oneself . His initial salvo is the call to look beyond the surface and the importance of looking inside in to effect change . However , looking inside oneself , especially if one is honest about it , is frustrating

We discover that what we think about ourselves is not the complete picture and that we are still miles away from what we want to become Looking inside , however , will not be successful without knowledge of what to look for . In this regard , Dr . Crabb provides a criteria and a set of factors that one should look for

The second part deals with the needs of...