Rescue Bundle
Reju, Deepak; Holmes, Jonathan D
Rescue Skills
Do you know someone who is struggling with sexual addiction? Unfortunately, given our hypersexualized culture and the accessibility of pornography, it’s likely that you do. Recovery is a difficult journey—one that none should take alone. How can you help? In this practical handbook, counselors Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes provide a treasure trove of straightforward, biblical strategies for guiding a fellow believer—male or female, old or young—toward recovery. You’ll learn how to listen well, develop a plan, encourage good accountability, provide support during relapses, and, by God’s grace, keep your friend focused on Christ throughout. The conversations may be uncomfortable, but this is a matter of eternal importance!
Rescue Plan
Pornography addiction is a pervasive problem—even in Christian circles—and many destructive misunderstandings surround it. If you want to help someone who has become a prisoner of this sin, you’ll need to know your enemy and the terrain on which you’ll be fighting. What makes a woman’s encounter with pornography different from a man’s, and how do you counsel her? What guidance do you give a struggler who is currently dating—or married? How can you help a parent who has discovered that their young child has been exposed to porn? Rescue Plan draws on the research and experience of two biblical counselors, giving concrete information and helping you to shape an effective plan of attack for strugglers in these diverse circumstances
Although it can stand alone, Rescue Plan pairs with Rescue Skills, also by Reju and Holmes, for maximum effectiveness. Together these two books show how to develop and execute a comprehensive plan for fighting pornography addiction in a wide range of situations.
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Cover TypePaperback
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ISBN
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Page Count528
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PublisherP& R Publishing
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Publication DateNovember 2021
Endorsements (27)
“Rescue Skills is the fruit of years of combined ministry. Reju and Holmes, who are skilled at their craft, offer robust, practical wisdom that flows from biblical truths and pastoral hearts. Rescue Skills serves as an invaluable guide, not only for helping those struggling with porn in particular, but also for bearing one another’s burdens in general. I highly recommend this book for any disciple and disciple-maker. ”
See AllRobert K. Cheong
Pastor of Care and Counseling, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky
“Brothers and sisters! This book has the potential to not only change the way you offer ministry to women and men who battle sexual sin but to transform churches. Imagine what would happen if the body of Christ actively engaged in personal study of the gospel with a view toward application in discipleship to those bound up in sexual sin? Envision with me what would happen if the church embraced practical, on-the-ground ministry rather than merely talking about sexuality. Rescue Skills can powerfully encourage and equip you through the guidance of two experienced pastors who have written this book from years in the trenches of loving people.”
See AllEllen Mary Dykas
Women’s Ministry Director, Harvest USA; Author, Toxic Relationships: Taking Refuge in Christ
“This is a hard book to endorse—there are just too many good things to say! Holmes and Reju know the questions the helper must ask, the excuses the struggler will offer, the inner struggles that define the porn user’s world, the way to help that will actually make a difference. Rescue Skills somehow manages to teach compassion for those who dive into porn without being soft on their sin. It also brings refreshingly novel topics to the battle, including reviving the conscience, taking your body’s struggle seriously, and appreciating rather than avoiding true beauty. Rescue Skills is the most realistic yet hope-filled book I’ve read on helping people with pornography”
See AllAlasdair Groves
Executive Director, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
“Compassionate, fresh, practical, convicting, and reproducible, Rescue Skills and the loved ones who are seeking to help them. Within these pages lies the aggregate wisdom of two pastor-practitioners—counseling leaders who have dedicated their lives to the skill and beauty of helping people to experience gospel liberation. Whether you are personally fighting for freedom or counseling those under attack, this book forms a new weapon in the arsenal to help win the war is the right book at the right time for those who are facing sexual brokenness ”
See AllDave Harvey
President, Great Commission Collective; Author, I Still Do: Growing Closer and Stronger through Life’s Defining Moments
“Reju and Holmes give us page after page of wisdom—God’s truth applied in practical ways to a widespread problem that all counselors and disciplers face. It is gospel-infused, biblically driven, and church-based, yet filled with concrete steps and sprinkled with case examples from their counseling ministries. A rich, readable resource for every Christian who wants to help friends who are tempted by or enslaved to pornography.”
See AllRobert D. Jones
Associate Pastor of Biblical Counseling, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Author, Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help for a Common Problem
“In Rescue Skills, Deepak and Jonathan set out to help counselors to become better helpers and disciplers of men or women struggling with addiction, and this book certainly accomplishes that task. Each chapter is filled with solid, practical guidance that can be put into practice immediately— guidance that is consistently rooted in God’s Word. This book is the perfect companion to Rescue Plan! ”
See AllKristin L. Kellen
Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“The sin of pornography is a growing issue in the church. Knowing how to help someone in this situation can be daunting. Rescue Skills is a gift to the church. Biblical counselors Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes have meticulously written a biblical roadmap for those who are coming alongside someone who struggles with pornography. Rescue Skills translates biblical theology into practice through the process of biblical discipleship. It teaches the reader how to grow in essential skills, such as listening, asking heart-probing questions, and executing a biblical plan of action to give help and hope to the sexually broken. The easy-to-read chapters illustrate real-life narratives and provide immediate guidance in how to navigate difficult conversations. The reader is encouraged to practice the skills right away by using the application questions and reflections at the end of each chapter. This book is for church leaders and anyone who knows someone who is struggling with pornography. The reader will gain insight, wisdom, and encouragement to grow in their personal skills to be a better minister and friend to the sexually broken. I highly recommend this book!”
See AllShannon McCoy
Biblical Counseling Director, Valley Center Community Church, Valley Center, California
“Read this book and you will be better equipped to help those who are struggling with pornography. In short and practically applied chapters full of true-to-life examples, Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes have provided a highly useable resource for anyone who wants to help someone to escape from an addiction to porn. Refreshingly honest, biblically faithful, deeply realistic, and filled with the hope that only grace can bring, this is a book that pastors, counsellors, and friends will turn to again and again.”
See AllSteve Midgley
Executive Director, Biblical Counselling UK; Senior Minister, Christ Church, Cambridge
“Rescue Skills offers the most comprehensive approach of any resource I have seen to equip counselors to offer wise, practical, biblical advice to people who indulge in pornography and other sexual sins. The authors are very specific and real about these struggles without being salacious. They strike an appropriate balance between addressing the heart and taking action to restrain the flesh. While the book specifically addresses sexual issues, most of its wisdom would apply to helping counselees with other besetting sins. My students and counselees will benefit from this resource.”
See AllJim Newheiser
Director of the Christian Counseling Program and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte; Executive Director, The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship
“The scope of the church’s porn problem is staggering. It’s no wonder that the world mocks us as the porn industry seeks relentlessly to prove that Christ is a cuckold. We need many more disciplers equipped to lead strugglers away from sexual sin and into the gracious arms of Jesus. This book is a stockpile of necessary wisdom. As you read it, your arsenal will be filled with multidimensional tactics specific to the battle against porn. You will come away prepared to be a better friend, spouse, counselor, or pastor to the many men and women who desperately need wise care.”
See AllJenny and Curtis Solomon
Cofounders, Solomon SoulCare; Authors, Reclaim Your Marriage: Grace for Wives Who Have Been Hurt by Pornography and Redeem Your Marriage: Hope for Husbands Who Have Hurt through Pornography
“No other book I’ve read more clearly teaches churches the practical skills necessary to help those who are struggling with sexual sin. Rescue Skills is rich with stories that clarify how to wisely help both men and women. But it’s not just a catalogue of biblical precision tools. Most of all, it is the merciful heart of our ultimate Rescuer, Jesus Christ, that is on display. Each page displays his gentle heart toward sinners, providing hope and motivation to the reader. This will be an indispensable resource for our church’s counseling team going forward.”
See AllTim St. John
Associate Pastor, Lighthouse Community Church, Torrance, California
“What happens when two seasoned shepherds team up to write a guide to help us to disciple those who struggle to overcome sexual sin? We receive the hope-infused, grace-fueled, Christ-centered, and biblically faithful tool you hold in your hands. Rescue Skills is a gift to all who are motivated by love to come alongside others to carefully discern how to help them to get to the roots of their struggle, so that they may experience lasting transformation. This wisely crafted instrument, in the hands of gracious disciplers, is sure to help many to learn to walk in the victory of gospel-rooted obedience.”
See AllPaul Tautges
, Author, Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace; Senior Pastor, Cornerstone Community Church, Mayfield Heights, Ohio; Founder, Counseling One Another
“Walking alongside people who are sexually broken can feel like a daunting task—their actions can confuse us; their underlying heart struggles can be hard to address. Within these pages, however, there is hope and help. Whether you are a formal counselor or an individual who wants to spur on a friend, Rescue Skills is packed full of biblical nourishment, methodological wisdom, and a wealth of encouragement to keep nurturing our own hearts as we help those around us. Accessible, practical, and dripping with grace— it’s a book I’ll undoubtedly be coming back to time and again.”
See AllHelen Thorne
Director of Training and Resources, Biblical Counselling UK
“Rescue Skills is a delightful combination of sound theology and practical instruction on how to improve our actual counseling methodology. Jonathan and Deepak are a special blessing to Christ’s church because they are immersed in biblical truth and experienced in helping people with real-life struggles. This book will help you to grow in your understanding of the process of counseling. The gospel is the greatest rescue project ever. May our Redeemer help us to become more skilled in this life-giving and life-changing endeavor.”
See AllSteve Viars
Pastor, Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana; Author, Overcoming Bitterness: Moving from Life’s Greatest Hurts to a Life Filled with Joy
“Rescue Skills is an essential go-to for every pastor, church leader, small group leader, caring friend, mentor, or counselor who desires to grow in their people-helping skills. And that’s all of us. You will find this book incredibly helpful as you minister to people with a variety of struggles, not just the sexually broken. Developing and honing the art of wise caring takes time, patience, and practice. You will probably read this book with one specific person or situation in mind, but I think you will come back to it again and again to grow in proficiency as other needs arise. I recommend keeping Rescue Skills, and its companion volume, Rescue Plan, close at hand.”
See AllGreg Wilson
Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor, Soul Care Associates; Coauthor, When Home Hurts: A Guide for Responding Wisely to Domestic Abuse in Your Church
“Standing on a Reformed foundation, Pastors Reju and Holmes construct practical scaffolding to help struggling men and women and their supporters to build lives of ongoing healing and sanctification. They recognize that porn addiction isn’t simply a lust problem or a stronghold that is corrected quickly; rather, they take their readers on a patient journey toward lasting wholeness.”
See AllSam Black
Vice President of Business Development, Covenant Eyes
“Rescue Plan is an extremely practical resource, rooted in the gospel, for porn strugglers and those who want to help them to find freedom. But more than that, it unmasks the truth that these struggles can be common problems for all God’s people, at some time or another, in whatever stage of life one finds oneself. It offers real, concrete strategies for the power of the gospel to break into strongholds of the heart in ways that lead to inner transformation and change.”
See AllJohn Freeman
Founder, Harvest USA; Author, Hide or Seek: When Men Get Real with God about Sex
“Ensnarement to the addiction of sexual sin can feel impossible to escape. But no sin is too strong for Jesus to help you to overcome. Whether you are fighting your own sin or helping someone else, Rescue Plan is packed with practical, thoughtful truth, rooted in scriptural wisdom to help you to lean on Jesus for help. ”
See AllGarrett Kell
Pastor, Del Ray Baptist Church, Alexandria, Virginia; Author, Pure in Heart: Sexual Sin and the Promises of God
“Pornography has morphed into a ubiquitous assault on human dignity and the holiness of God. Jonathan and Deepak offer gospel wisdom to engage this sin in a gracious yet pointed way. They provide specific, practical insights that will bring freedom from the clutches of pornography through solutions that are drawn from God’s Word. I recommend this book to disciplers who are helping people in various stages of life overcome struggles with pornography.”
See AllEvan Marbury
Licensed Therapist, Hope Counseling Services, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Pastor, Christ Central Church, Durham, North Carolina
“I love three things about Rescue Plan. First, it’s soaked in the gospel, which means it provides burden-lightening truth for its readers. Second, it delves into areas of pornography that the church has often shied away from. Third and finally, it offers not only practical wisdom but opportunity for deep reflection. Jonathan and Deepak have written a book for our age, and for the ages. I love three things about Rescue Plan. First, it’s soaked in the gospel, which means it provides burden-lightening truth for its readers. Second, it delves into areas of pornography that the church has often shied away from. Third and finally, it offers not only practical wisdom but opportunity for deep reflection. Jonathan and Deepak have written a book for our age, and for the ages.”
See AllRonnie Martin
Lead Pastor, Substance Church, Ashland, Ohio; Cohost, The Art of Pastoring podcast
“The apostle Paul commanded us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” That is the heart of this book. Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes have provided a practical, biblical, and gospel-saturated guidebook to help Christians and the Christian church to bear the burdens of brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle with sexual sin. The book is remarkably candid, and the authors bring both years of pastoral experience and deep biblical conviction to this timely and urgent subject. We live in a world awash with pornography and its devastating consequences. Reju and Holmes offer sound and trustworthy care, saturated in gospel hope.”
See AllR. Albert Mohler Jr.
President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“There has long been a gap in biblical counseling resources for women who are struggling with sexual sin. Typically, the church has assumed either that women don’t struggle in this way or that women struggle in exactly the same way as men. Many thanks to Reju and Holmes for filling the gap with a comprehensive, hope-filled, and practical guide for sexual sinners regardless of gender, age, or life stage. This will be a much-used resource in my library.”
See AllBrenda Pauken
Biblical Counselor, Sterling Park Baptist Church, Sterling, Virginia
“Porn grabs hold of a person, body and soul. Its grip is so cruel—so comprehensive—that folks tend to give up hope that freedom is even possible. Holmes and Reju take that experience seriously, even while offering confident guidance toward Jesus Christ, whose grip is much stronger than anything that threatens us.”
See AllJeremy Pierre
Professor of Biblical Counseling and Department Chair, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Author, The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life: Connecting Christ to Human Experience
“With a heart for both men and women who are ensnared by pornography, Deepak and Jonathan offer readers a compassionate understanding of how to break its addictive roots. Passing on what they have learned from helping strugglers in all life stages, they offer priceless practical tips, honest words of hope, and an invitation for strugglers to love Jesus more than their sin. I will be recommending this excellent resource often.”
See AllDarby A. Strickland
Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation; Author, Is It Abuse?
“An indispensable resource! Deepak and Jonathan provide vital wisdom gained from the study of Scripture and through years of counseling to help us all to make war on the calamity of sexual sin. In this book you will find practical and critical steps to take in implementing a rescue plan. I am thrilled to see a new resource that equips us in biblical truth as we seek to strengthen our counsel. A practical, helpful, and applicable book, and an excellent resource! Read it. Apply it. Share it.”
See AllShauna Van Dyke
Executive Director, Association of Biblical Counselors; Founder and Executive Director, Truth Renewed Ministries
“Rescue Plan is a timely resource for the person who wants to take seriously the Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples and then teach them to observe everything Christ has commanded us. Sexual sin in the church might be one of the most dominant issues you’ll face as you seek the Lord and as you seek to help others pursue sanctification in Christ. This book is an important resource to what’s already been written. It adds significantly to the conversation rather than just repackaging and repeating what is already out there. It is gospel saturated with Christ at the center, but also helps disciplers understand how the gospel is intensely practical. Pastors, counselors, and anyone who is serious about the Great Commission, you need to read this book, and you need to have it in your library to reference in the future.”
See AllGreg Wetterlin
Director, Restoration Ministries; Pastor of Men’s Ministries, Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana
“In Rescue Plan, Reju and Holmes show the beauty, power, and sufficiency of Jesus to equip the body of Christ to care well for women and men who are dealing with sexual addiction. What a thoughtful work, filled with rich theology and practical wisdom. I can’t recommend this book enough.”
See AllJamaal Williams
Lead Pastor, Sojourn Church Midtown, Louisville, Kentucky
About the Author
Jonathan Holmes is the counseling pastor at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, the executive director of Fieldstone Counseling, and a member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition.
Deepak Reju is pastor of the biblical counseling and family ministries at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and serves on the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s board of directors.