Healing Waters

by Nancy N. Rue and Stephen Arterburn

Book Overview

When life seems to conspire against you, how do you find the courage to dive into healing waters?

When Lucia Coffey looks at her reflection, she sees fat and failure. When she looks at her sister Sonia, she sees svelte and success. When she looks at God, she sees that divine love can't possibly be doled out equally. All her life, Lucia has coped by throwing herself into taking care of those who seem more worthy of God's goodness,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595544313
• ISBN13: 9781595544315
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Awesome author and story line

I am hooked on this author and her story of Sully. I have all 3 books and only wish there were more. She absolutely captures your attention in the first chapters.

You will have trouble putting this one down.

I picked this book at random, not knowing anything about it, but I thought it sounded interesting enough. I had never read any other books in the Women of Faith or Sullivan Crisp series. I can honestly say that it is one of the best books that I have read in a long time, and I had a hard time putting it down. A night when there wasn't much on television, I picked it up to see if it was any good. About 6 hours later, I made myself put it down although I could have read it all night. The story is not what you think from the first few pages. You think it is going to be about the main character, Lucia Coffey, and her struggle with self-image in the shadow of her beautiful, charismatic sister who runs Abundant Life Ministries, but it is much more than that. When a tragic accident forces Lucia to move in with her sister, Sonia Cabot, to care for her and her young daughter, Lucia begins to discover her true self and the need for a relationship with the family that always made her feel inferior. Sullivan Crisp, her therapist, will help her discover herself while she helps him heal from his own tragic past. Although this story is intertwined with Lucia's struggle with relationships and her self-image, they are only a few of the things that make her real. This is a story for anybody who has ever felt a little less than perfect. You won't regret reading Healing Waters. I can honestly say that I agree with the choice to make it the "Women of Faith Fiction 2009 Novel of the Year."

If you struggle with weight and control issues, read this. Pentecostals be cautioned.

Healing Waters is gripping. The characters are well developed. The story line grabs you in the first few pages and never lets go. It would be hard to put this in a category. While is is a "novel" it contains a strong element of mystery, deep self-conflict/resolution, a strong dose of psychology and a deeply Christian element. I am not much for reading novels, in general, but couldn't wait to get back to this one each time I put it down. Here's my only caution: There are many references to "Christians who've gone too far" with their faith. While I agree that the characters in this book have done so, I have also personally and intimately known people who were like them. The characters in question are a group commonly referred to as "power Christians" or "name it and claim it" Theology. They believe in money, power and radical healing for the people of God and see anyone who doesn't live that as "falling short". If you consider yourself a strong Pentecostal and can associate with that description, you may find this offensive. If you choose to read it and stumble on the characters, please finish the book. The author does not condemn this thinking as a whole, but addresses the abuse of this kind of teaching. I would have liked to see the book end a little differently with more redemption for more of the characters, but it ends well. The author(s) don't give us a full conclusion, but give you a picture of each character set on a new path to deep inner healing. We get to see each of the main characters in the story confront their fears, false teaching and pain only to come out on the other side of it and see truth. The end of the book leaves you feeling refreshed, as though you had just been through therapy yourself. If you have struggled with weight and/or control issues you may find healing and truth just as the main character, Lucia does here. I found so many aspects of this story so very close to my own that I cried through parts of it and found myself praying to God at each new revelation of myself, and I am not one to cry easily. Read the book, pass it on. I think you'll be glad that you did.

A great read!

This was my first book in the Series and I will be trying to get my hands on the first I enjoyed this one so much. The fact that I had not read the first I do not believe reduced my enjoyment of this book. I found it a book I struggled to put down at bedtime and was grabbing it in the morning to finish it off. I loved the story as it described the relationships between a family of two sisters and how events in the past and the present have affected them. I loved the way the characters unfolded throughout the story and you could gather more information about the past from each of them. I also loved how it presented the Christian faith and also how it can so easily be distorted but in the end the truth does make its way through. I was left with a feeling of a great end to the book but also a yearning to know what else happens. I will be getting my hands on the #3 if that arrives. I would say this is a great read and a plot that draws you in. Just make sure you go to bed very early as otherwise you will not be able to get any sleep as you will struggle to put it back down!

Definitely worth your time

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I plan to read the other Sullivan Crisp novel as well as the books on healing by one of the authors. Lucia Coffey is a woman with loads of problems, including being extremely overweight and having no self-esteem. Because she was written so well, it was easy for me to stay engaged in the story and after 100 pages or so, I practically had to drag the book out of my own hands. Much of the book is written in first person, so the picture slowly unfolds for us as Lucia is figuring out what's going on. Her sister and associates may seem way over the top, but I have been unfortunate enough to know people like them. As this is Christian fiction, the authors did a great job of distinguishing between real, less-than-perfect faith in God and prideful, I've-got-it-all-together faith in our belief system. Lucia works with Dr. Crisp and is able to break through rather quickly. I don't know if things work that fast in real life, but I think it would be nice to have a Dr. Crisp to listen to you. Would non-Christians like this book? Maybe. It doesn't preach at you, and the central characters focus on talking directly to God while getting help from their peeps. But I'd highly recommend this for Christians. I'll be lending out my own copy and rereading it eventually.

Do you really practice what you preach?

Lucia Coffey does not like herself. She's overweight, has a husband who's overcome a drug addiction and she's the sister of a famous televangelist who believes that belief in the healing power of God will solve everything. She's on task though to change her life to better herself. However that plan comes to a halt when a fiery accident badly injures her sister Sophia, and Lucia steps in to take care of her full time. Now is the time when Sophia is put to the test of her faith and the results are not what she had expected. Lucia is torn between being true to herself and helping out her sister. Enter psychologist Sullivan Crisp who arrives to help Lucia find out who she truly is and how she needs to reshape and heal her life. Like the first book in the Sullivan Crisp series, reading this book was not like reading your normal Christian fiction book. If you're expecting safe, happy endings, everyone gets along in your fiction, keep moving. From the get go, this book has unhappy people who are frustrated with life and question their faith in God. Lucia is a character that you instantly feel sympathetic towards. As the story progresses and she tells her past to Sullivan, the reader will react the same way he does. It was heartbreaking to read about what type of a life she had to live due to her sister. Thus, there were times throughout the book when I felt like Sophia got what she deserved. I did not like her character at all. The way that she treated people was just uncalled for. Her faith did seem very fair-weathered and it was interesting to see her finally being tested to practice what she preached. That whole storyline is something you don't normally see in Christian fiction. It's edgy because you wouldn't think to see Christians question the faith of those who believe in the power of healing. We also learn more about Sullivan's family throughout the story, as to what really happened to his wife. I will admit that sometimes these parts were a little show and interrupted the flow of the main story. However I am interested to know if he will ever confront the psychiatrist who gave his wife the faulty advice. That should make for a very interesting meeting. His insight throughout the whole story was a great way to see the plot from a different point of view. Like the first book, there is also a mystery storyline that runs throughout the book. It is very well played out and adds to the complexity of the story. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not everyday that a Christian book questions the faith of a Christian in such a frank matter. I totally loved it and I am eagerly waiting the release of the next book in the series.