Lord, I Want to Be Whole: The Power of Prayer and Scripture in Emotional Healing

This memoir-cum-self-help guide by bestselling author Omartian (The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Parent) opens with an arresting scene: young Stormie's mother locks her in a small closet, telling her she'll ""never amount to anything."" Omartian reveals that after her troubled childhood, she experimented with drugs and Eastern philosophy and entered a disastrous marriage. Then she discovered God and began a journey toward emotional health. This book aims to tell readers how they too can find healing and wholeness in seven easy steps: release the past, obey God, obtain deliverance from whatever separates them from God, find restoration and forgiveness, receive the gifts God wants to give them, ""avoid or get free of... negative traps,"" and ""stand strong."" Omartian encourages depressed Christians to seek counseling and urges patients to choose their counselors carefully. She cautions against blaming God for personal unhappiness. Interspersed are vignettes from Omartian's life, relevant Scripture verses and clear-cut, if overly simplistic, checklists to help readers know if they ""need deliverance."" (If they've hit a spouse, had premarital sex or dabbled in the occult, they do.) Little is original here except for Omartian's own story; more memorable approaches to healing can be found, for example, in books by Rita Bennett (You Can Be... Emotionally Free) and Leanne Payne (The Broken Image). (Jan.) Forecast: Omartian's self-revelatory books have been steady fixtures on evangelical bestseller lists as well as PW's monthly religion list. While the crowded nature of the recovery book market makes it unlikely that this title will achieve the same following, it will still be welcomed by her fans.