What do you think?
Rate this book
How People Change by Timothy S Lane (7-Feb-2009) Paperback
What does it take for lasting change to take root in your life? If you've ever tried, failed, and wondered why, you need How People Change. This book explains the biblical pattern for spiritual change in a clear, practical way you can apply to the challenges of daily life as a Christian. But change involves more than a biblical formula: you will see how God is at work to make you the person you were created to be. That powerful, loving, redemptive relationship is at the heart of all positive change you experience as a Christian on your path in life.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2006
1002 people are currently reading
4714 people want to read
About the author
Timothy S. Lane
33 books44 followersTimothy S. Lane, M. Div., D. Min.
Born in Sylvania, Georgia, Tim enjoyed a good relationship with his parents in his formative years, but he did not become involved in church until his later teens. Just before his senior year in high school, Tim became aware of his sin and his need for Jesus. God used simple salvation sermons at a local church, as well as a group of friends, to bring him to Christ at the age of seventeen.
In 1984, Tim graduated with a degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Georgia. Before going to seminary in 1987, Tim served 3 years as a staff person at an evangelical ministry where he met Barbara, whom he later married in 1989. In 1991, Tim graduated from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
In 1991, Tim and Barbara also moved to South Carolina where Tim served as assistant pastor and then pastor at Clemson Presbyterian Church until 2001. It was during these 10 years that Tim truly began to understand and apply the gospel to his life and ministry. He learned that the blessings and difficulties of marriage, family and ministry were just the things God used to draw him into a deeper relationship with Him. He also learned how to apply God’s truth to everyday life and ministry, pointing others to Christ and his gospel of grace.
Tim, Barbara and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 2001 where they both serve at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Tim is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF and a lecturer in practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is also a speaker, the author of CONFLICT and the co-author of HOW PEOPLE CHANGE and RELATIONSHIPS: A Mess Worth Making.
- http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/t...
Born in Sylvania, Georgia, Tim enjoyed a good relationship with his parents in his formative years, but he did not become involved in church until his later teens. Just before his senior year in high school, Tim became aware of his sin and his need for Jesus. God used simple salvation sermons at a local church, as well as a group of friends, to bring him to Christ at the age of seventeen.
In 1984, Tim graduated with a degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Georgia. Before going to seminary in 1987, Tim served 3 years as a staff person at an evangelical ministry where he met Barbara, whom he later married in 1989. In 1991, Tim graduated from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
In 1991, Tim and Barbara also moved to South Carolina where Tim served as assistant pastor and then pastor at Clemson Presbyterian Church until 2001. It was during these 10 years that Tim truly began to understand and apply the gospel to his life and ministry. He learned that the blessings and difficulties of marriage, family and ministry were just the things God used to draw him into a deeper relationship with Him. He also learned how to apply God’s truth to everyday life and ministry, pointing others to Christ and his gospel of grace.
Tim, Barbara and their four children moved to Philadelphia in 2001 where they both serve at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Tim is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF and a lecturer in practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is also a speaker, the author of CONFLICT and the co-author of HOW PEOPLE CHANGE and RELATIONSHIPS: A Mess Worth Making.
- http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/t...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews
February 6, 2011
It's the unspoken elephant in the room: why aren't professing Christians, by and large, any different than non-Christians? We often struggle and fail at the same sins, have the same divorce rates, and generally don't stand out as being more kind or loving than devoted moral adherants of other religions--- despite our theology that we have been "born again." Ask many, including pastors, the question, and the reply often comes down to some variant of "they aren't trying hard enough" or "they aren't really saved after all."
But the question behind the question is "So, how do people really change--- how does a person who has become a child of God actually become radically more loving, more peaceful, more self-controlled, in a way that isn't mere psychology and that can't be explained or experienced by a non-Christian?"
Few people can give a robust, Biblical, detailed explanation to this fundamental question. Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp can, and do, in this wonderful book. They give us a truly Biblical & congruent theology of how people change, and show us a path to meaningful personal change in our own lives.
The first five chapters lay a foundation for what real Biblical life change is and isn't-- they talk about how easy it is to substitute external change like formalism and activism for true change of the heart. They lay out the crucial understanding of our marriage to Christ, and how God designed real change to take place in the context of community. There is a lot of rich thought provoking truth on every page of these foundation chapters.
Next, they move onto their central Biblical picture of how God has designed change: that of the tree. They explain chapter by chapter that the "heat" of living in a fallen world brings out fallen human responses of sin and evil "thorns." But as we turn to the cross of Christ and His presence we gain the ability to bear beautiful fruit, new supernatural responses to the same "heat" that before would only produce thorns.
True "fruit" only comes from the nourishment that God provides, and we need to be able to recognize the thorns and the fallen nature behind them to be able to choose Christ instead. This book is a wonderful Biblical mirror to hold in front of your soul, to be able to see yourself, the good and the bad, and see the work of God within. Highly recommended.
But the question behind the question is "So, how do people really change--- how does a person who has become a child of God actually become radically more loving, more peaceful, more self-controlled, in a way that isn't mere psychology and that can't be explained or experienced by a non-Christian?"
Few people can give a robust, Biblical, detailed explanation to this fundamental question. Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp can, and do, in this wonderful book. They give us a truly Biblical & congruent theology of how people change, and show us a path to meaningful personal change in our own lives.
The first five chapters lay a foundation for what real Biblical life change is and isn't-- they talk about how easy it is to substitute external change like formalism and activism for true change of the heart. They lay out the crucial understanding of our marriage to Christ, and how God designed real change to take place in the context of community. There is a lot of rich thought provoking truth on every page of these foundation chapters.
Next, they move onto their central Biblical picture of how God has designed change: that of the tree. They explain chapter by chapter that the "heat" of living in a fallen world brings out fallen human responses of sin and evil "thorns." But as we turn to the cross of Christ and His presence we gain the ability to bear beautiful fruit, new supernatural responses to the same "heat" that before would only produce thorns.
True "fruit" only comes from the nourishment that God provides, and we need to be able to recognize the thorns and the fallen nature behind them to be able to choose Christ instead. This book is a wonderful Biblical mirror to hold in front of your soul, to be able to see yourself, the good and the bad, and see the work of God within. Highly recommended.
July 26, 2017
3.5 stars
Reading this book felt like eating expensive ravioli. The pasta was al dente, the sauce was delicious, and the garlic bread side dish was amazing.
The general design of the dish however, was not my favourite. The chef had somehow seen fit to make the pasta dough too thick so that the ravioli tasted rather 'Deja vu-ey' each week before breaking into the content of the little pasta pockets.
Unfortunately there was also too much sauce and to few vegetables. The entire dish seemed to be roughly aimed towards a single tomato-esque tang and I would have liked to have seen a bit more contrast and culinary exploration whilst maintaining a unifying flavour.
The practicality of the garlic bread was the highlight for me. Very easy to eat and digest and it tasted great.
Eating this meal with other people certainly helped me appreciate it more and the discussion of it helped show bits I hadn't previously tasted.
Overall, the meal tasted good to me, but I don't think the manner in which it was served made me like it as much as it could have. At least it wasn't mushroom ravioli.
[Synopsis for those who (understandably) don't appreciate poorly constructed metaphorical reviews: I found this book quite hard to digest due to its repetitive nature, it didn't seem to flow particularly well, and I get distracted quite often. The content itself was quite solid and the practical application was very good.]
Reading this book felt like eating expensive ravioli. The pasta was al dente, the sauce was delicious, and the garlic bread side dish was amazing.
The general design of the dish however, was not my favourite. The chef had somehow seen fit to make the pasta dough too thick so that the ravioli tasted rather 'Deja vu-ey' each week before breaking into the content of the little pasta pockets.
Unfortunately there was also too much sauce and to few vegetables. The entire dish seemed to be roughly aimed towards a single tomato-esque tang and I would have liked to have seen a bit more contrast and culinary exploration whilst maintaining a unifying flavour.
The practicality of the garlic bread was the highlight for me. Very easy to eat and digest and it tasted great.
Eating this meal with other people certainly helped me appreciate it more and the discussion of it helped show bits I hadn't previously tasted.
Overall, the meal tasted good to me, but I don't think the manner in which it was served made me like it as much as it could have. At least it wasn't mushroom ravioli.
[Synopsis for those who (understandably) don't appreciate poorly constructed metaphorical reviews: I found this book quite hard to digest due to its repetitive nature, it didn't seem to flow particularly well, and I get distracted quite often. The content itself was quite solid and the practical application was very good.]
March 15, 2023
This is one of the most spiritually significant books that I have read, and I know that I will return to it in the days ahead. Each section had great questions that helped me get to the heart behind why I do what I do. It was such a refreshing reminder that, as Christians, our hope for change is not in systems or in techniques but that our hope is Christ in us. With Christ’s help, change is always possible, and God’s grace is sufficient for all circumstances.
June 13, 2024
This was a great, popular level introduction on how sanctification actually works contrasted against many wrong models functionally believed by Christians today. Very good!
On to the next one: Instruments in the Redeemers Hands!
On to the next one: Instruments in the Redeemers Hands!
September 9, 2017
I honestly have so many different thoughts about this book, it's hard to organize them, or even decide how many starts to rate it. I fluctuate between 3 and 5 and everywhere in the middle.
I think it is a very good foundational book, one that deals with a lot of core doctrine and provides some basic starting points for making...changes. Sorry, I wanted another word but I couldn't find one. For daily life problems, the grind all of us go through and the sins we all commit, it hits the "reset" button on the way we think by default and helps focus us on the Cross.
My issue with the book is that there are points where I believe that it is too basic, too simplistic. Yes, everyone needs to go back to square one sometimes, because we get too full of ourselves and too ready to follow any instructions but the right ones. But this is a book for a regular problems of every day life. That's great, as far as it goes, and that is what it was intended for. But I feel like the book is much too "light" on more serious issues, such a mental health, serious abuse, etc. Those situations are touched on, but I feel like they're treated in the same way as "someone cut me off in traffic and I swore at them."
In many ways and for many problems, the understanding of our core issues and the Biblical way forward is essential, no argument. But the fact of the matter is, understanding our sin and God's grace doesn't cure bi-polar. It doesn't treat schizophrenia. You can't "pray away" mental illness, and an understanding that the Cross heals all wounds sounds nice but doesn't go far enough when you're counseling sexual assault survivors.
I don't think the book intends to say those things, by any stretch, nor do I think the authors believe that. They aren't specifically addressing more those deeper issues, so they touch on them briefly and then move on. I'm sure they attend for someone counseling someone with those deeper issues to go for something more specific to that area. The problem I had when reading is that I felt like they dismissed, say, clinical depression, as the same thing as not trusting God. They have a case study where one of those involved was sexually abused as a child, and they mention "it wasn't dealt with," but then move on. My fear is that someone well-meaning is going to give this to a person with serious issues, something more than the "Heat and Thorns" of normal life, and they are going to apply these otherwise very sound principles to a situation where they won't fix things, and then that person will get even more depressed because they still don't change. If this was the only book that my pastor used in counseling me, for example, or the only thing I was given by my church, I would feel even more marginalized by my church.
Again, I will stress that I do not believe that this is the intention or the actual belief of the authors. I just wish they had put in some kind of caveat or recommendation on where to go for further reading if you had a more difficult situation. (I would say nothing is a better work than Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection).
I think it is a very good foundational book, one that deals with a lot of core doctrine and provides some basic starting points for making...changes. Sorry, I wanted another word but I couldn't find one. For daily life problems, the grind all of us go through and the sins we all commit, it hits the "reset" button on the way we think by default and helps focus us on the Cross.
My issue with the book is that there are points where I believe that it is too basic, too simplistic. Yes, everyone needs to go back to square one sometimes, because we get too full of ourselves and too ready to follow any instructions but the right ones. But this is a book for a regular problems of every day life. That's great, as far as it goes, and that is what it was intended for. But I feel like the book is much too "light" on more serious issues, such a mental health, serious abuse, etc. Those situations are touched on, but I feel like they're treated in the same way as "someone cut me off in traffic and I swore at them."
In many ways and for many problems, the understanding of our core issues and the Biblical way forward is essential, no argument. But the fact of the matter is, understanding our sin and God's grace doesn't cure bi-polar. It doesn't treat schizophrenia. You can't "pray away" mental illness, and an understanding that the Cross heals all wounds sounds nice but doesn't go far enough when you're counseling sexual assault survivors.
I don't think the book intends to say those things, by any stretch, nor do I think the authors believe that. They aren't specifically addressing more those deeper issues, so they touch on them briefly and then move on. I'm sure they attend for someone counseling someone with those deeper issues to go for something more specific to that area. The problem I had when reading is that I felt like they dismissed, say, clinical depression, as the same thing as not trusting God. They have a case study where one of those involved was sexually abused as a child, and they mention "it wasn't dealt with," but then move on. My fear is that someone well-meaning is going to give this to a person with serious issues, something more than the "Heat and Thorns" of normal life, and they are going to apply these otherwise very sound principles to a situation where they won't fix things, and then that person will get even more depressed because they still don't change. If this was the only book that my pastor used in counseling me, for example, or the only thing I was given by my church, I would feel even more marginalized by my church.
Again, I will stress that I do not believe that this is the intention or the actual belief of the authors. I just wish they had put in some kind of caveat or recommendation on where to go for further reading if you had a more difficult situation. (I would say nothing is a better work than Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection).
May 15, 2013
One of the best books I have ever read that explains the gospel in context of the believer's life. Beautiful and simple biblical model of the believer as either a thorny shrub or fruitful tree and how the circumstances we go through will reveal which kind of plant we are. This book ties the gospel message to God's purpose for us, our identity and new nature in Him, God's ability to do what He promises, and the benefit of healthy church life. I have not only read this book, but have also taken the study class with DVDs and workbook that goes with this book. The book is enough, but the workbook did force me to really think through my circumstances and what was motivating my responses to them. Ouch, but at the same time...glorious! The Savior became so much more while I worked through this book examining MY heart as I did. Highly recommend to anyone who counsels and anyone who wants to challenge themselves to see God more gloriously and powerfully at work in their life. Would be a great book to work together in a discipleship situation too...but it should be worked through together, not teacher student.
October 2, 2012
How People Change is one of those books that you need to keep reading and re-reading to understand and...more importantly, to apply!
What I mean by this is not that Lane presents anything that is controversial or new or frankly unconventional. Rather, the material is so basic that we instinctively want to make it more complicated in order that we don't have to follow it.
Coming from a strong Reformed Christian perspective, Lane writes with passion and conviction. In his understanding (and mine) God is taking us somewhere...and that place is wonderful. But getting there...and the life we live in this world is so full with problems...of our own making.
Lane presents chapters so we can begin to understand our motivation and that of others. Not only this, but he pushes us towards actual change. Change does not happen on the surface, but at the deep level of the heart. We must work towards an examination of what happens down in the heart level.
I have high regard for this book.
What I mean by this is not that Lane presents anything that is controversial or new or frankly unconventional. Rather, the material is so basic that we instinctively want to make it more complicated in order that we don't have to follow it.
Coming from a strong Reformed Christian perspective, Lane writes with passion and conviction. In his understanding (and mine) God is taking us somewhere...and that place is wonderful. But getting there...and the life we live in this world is so full with problems...of our own making.
Lane presents chapters so we can begin to understand our motivation and that of others. Not only this, but he pushes us towards actual change. Change does not happen on the surface, but at the deep level of the heart. We must work towards an examination of what happens down in the heart level.
I have high regard for this book.
January 29, 2015
I'm amazed by how much I need to change...
This was a wonderful introduction to the topic of change, particularly on how we need to uncover the thoughts and motives of our hearts and be changed by the Cross of Christ. The Gospel really should be central in all we do.
Update 2015: Still very helpful. And I still need to change.
This was a wonderful introduction to the topic of change, particularly on how we need to uncover the thoughts and motives of our hearts and be changed by the Cross of Christ. The Gospel really should be central in all we do.
Update 2015: Still very helpful. And I still need to change.
November 12, 2022
A book I heavily recommended for anyone involved in ministry or who simply wants to see their lives further transformed by the gospel. The purpose of this book is to get individuals and churches to think deeply, consistently and biblically about the gospel's significance for the everyday maters of life. The Christian life isn't just a past reality of being saved or a future hope of heaven, but a practical blessing for life now. A cross-centred lense which permeates the life of a church will not just bring about outward change, but genuine gospel renewal in the hearts of its members. This strategy for change ultimately begins with us, and then we can share it with others. That is how the gospel changes people.
September 21, 2011
Well developed approach to ministry/discipleship/counseling
There is a Gospel gap: many of us as Christians think that there are some things (many things?) that we can't trust Jesus to deliver us from (we need a professional). Actually, we have been given everything for life and godliness in the gospel. Therein is the GAP.
Our purpose is to glorify God
We will serve something/someone. Even as Christians, we are prone to idolatry --- willing to sin to get what we want that is more important to us than pleasing God.
HEAT: a person's situation in daily life, with difficulties, blessings, and temptations
THORNS: a person's ungodly response to his/her situation(s); it includes behavior, the heart motivation driving the behavior, and the consequences
CROSS: this focuses on the presence of God in His redemptive glory and love; through Christ, He brings comfort, cleansing, and the power to change.
FRUIT: this is the person's new godly response to the situation resulting from God's power at work in the heart; it includes behavior, the heart renewed by grace, and the harvest of consequences that follow.
There is a Gospel gap: many of us as Christians think that there are some things (many things?) that we can't trust Jesus to deliver us from (we need a professional). Actually, we have been given everything for life and godliness in the gospel. Therein is the GAP.
Our purpose is to glorify God
We will serve something/someone. Even as Christians, we are prone to idolatry --- willing to sin to get what we want that is more important to us than pleasing God.
HEAT: a person's situation in daily life, with difficulties, blessings, and temptations
THORNS: a person's ungodly response to his/her situation(s); it includes behavior, the heart motivation driving the behavior, and the consequences
CROSS: this focuses on the presence of God in His redemptive glory and love; through Christ, He brings comfort, cleansing, and the power to change.
FRUIT: this is the person's new godly response to the situation resulting from God's power at work in the heart; it includes behavior, the heart renewed by grace, and the harvest of consequences that follow.
October 3, 2024
This book is probably a 2.5, it might have been a 3 if I was in a different mood.
The constant stories feel really good at first, but then you realize he’s just illustrating word for word what he’s already said and is going to say so much that the book becomes a never ending cycle of statement, story, restatement, bible story, statement, story, restatement.
I would not give this book to too many people.
The constant stories feel really good at first, but then you realize he’s just illustrating word for word what he’s already said and is going to say so much that the book becomes a never ending cycle of statement, story, restatement, bible story, statement, story, restatement.
I would not give this book to too many people.
April 22, 2025
At last! This took forever for me to finish because it was repetitive and Paul David Tripp's writing notoriously bothers me. *However* - even this book's annoying writing style doesn't change the fact that its content is important.
I started reading this because I am desperate to learn more about HOW we can absorb the truths of the gospel in our daily lives, not just accepting them and coasting through life but USING what we know to be true about God and ourselves to change the way we live. I'm especially interested in how the gospel can affect the way we think about our circumstances - not as meaningless, hopeless, or crushing, but as meaningful events filled with significance and hope because the God who showed his love for us on the cross is for us and with us.
Is this book long winded? Yes, but it's also long winded about Jesus. Some of the best passages shine because they go on at length about Jesus' personal love and the freedom he has bought believers to ACTUALLY change.
Are most chapters at least three pages too long? Yes, but the good chapters are REALLY good. Chapter 4, "married to Christ", remains my favorite chapter after finishing the whole book.
Are there too many repetitions of the words "Heat", "Thorns", and "Fruit"? Yes, but I appreciate the authors' efforts to make the concepts in this book practical for our lives. They really, really hammer it in.
Although I was skimming a lot by the end to just power through, God did use this book in my life personally. I have a chronic problem with feeling like a failure whenever I am confronted with my own sin, and God is really helping me to see lately that I don't have to be afraid of facing my own sins and weaknesses and failures, OR of admitting them to him. "The Christian life is built upon the foundation of facing who you really are and trusting who Christ truly is" (p 61), and because Christ is someone who doesn't simply tolerate me but gives himself freely to me to be close to me, I can have very real hope that my failures will never cause him to abandon, despise, or reject me.
This book is incisive in the ways it helps you to examine your heart motives. It is also very good at offering hope; it insists that there are no completely hopeless situations because of how real and active the love of Jesus is.
Side note: I read a version published in 2019 and am appalled at the typos and formatting inconsistencies (especially surrounding quoted Scripture passages. First of all, put some verse numbers in! It's hard to follow "what Paul said in verse 3" if you don't know which verse was verse 3! Secondly, indent those giant blocks of verses or put quotes around them so we can tell this is not just part of the chapter). The content is high quality, but the formatting was not. Please fix this in a future printing, I beg someone 😂
TLDR: While this book would probably be more effective if it were about half as long, it is all about the gospel and its very real power to change us, and that is affecting stuff, even if communicated imperfectly. It's worth reading for every Christian. And if you can't get through the whole thing, read chapter 4.
I started reading this because I am desperate to learn more about HOW we can absorb the truths of the gospel in our daily lives, not just accepting them and coasting through life but USING what we know to be true about God and ourselves to change the way we live. I'm especially interested in how the gospel can affect the way we think about our circumstances - not as meaningless, hopeless, or crushing, but as meaningful events filled with significance and hope because the God who showed his love for us on the cross is for us and with us.
Is this book long winded? Yes, but it's also long winded about Jesus. Some of the best passages shine because they go on at length about Jesus' personal love and the freedom he has bought believers to ACTUALLY change.
Are most chapters at least three pages too long? Yes, but the good chapters are REALLY good. Chapter 4, "married to Christ", remains my favorite chapter after finishing the whole book.
Are there too many repetitions of the words "Heat", "Thorns", and "Fruit"? Yes, but I appreciate the authors' efforts to make the concepts in this book practical for our lives. They really, really hammer it in.
Although I was skimming a lot by the end to just power through, God did use this book in my life personally. I have a chronic problem with feeling like a failure whenever I am confronted with my own sin, and God is really helping me to see lately that I don't have to be afraid of facing my own sins and weaknesses and failures, OR of admitting them to him. "The Christian life is built upon the foundation of facing who you really are and trusting who Christ truly is" (p 61), and because Christ is someone who doesn't simply tolerate me but gives himself freely to me to be close to me, I can have very real hope that my failures will never cause him to abandon, despise, or reject me.
This book is incisive in the ways it helps you to examine your heart motives. It is also very good at offering hope; it insists that there are no completely hopeless situations because of how real and active the love of Jesus is.
Side note: I read a version published in 2019 and am appalled at the typos and formatting inconsistencies (especially surrounding quoted Scripture passages. First of all, put some verse numbers in! It's hard to follow "what Paul said in verse 3" if you don't know which verse was verse 3! Secondly, indent those giant blocks of verses or put quotes around them so we can tell this is not just part of the chapter). The content is high quality, but the formatting was not. Please fix this in a future printing, I beg someone 😂
TLDR: While this book would probably be more effective if it were about half as long, it is all about the gospel and its very real power to change us, and that is affecting stuff, even if communicated imperfectly. It's worth reading for every Christian. And if you can't get through the whole thing, read chapter 4.
August 7, 2023
Hands down, best book I have read on growing in Christian faith. Read this 10 years ago and revisited it for a class I’m auditing, and this just confirms that I have found no other extrabiblical book that can rival the Christ-centered, gospel-oriented perspective of this book. Everyone should read and re-read this. I could easily revisit this every couple of years! I feel convicted, encouraged, and pushed to grow in the relationships around me and ultimately my walk with the Lord. Would love to do the study portion of this too at some point.
“…God does more than deliver us from the Heat. He delivers us from ourselves so that we don’t simply survive the Heat, but bear good Fruit. Under the pressure of family difficulty, love can grow. Under the Heat of unappreciated sacrifice, perseverance can grow. In physical suffering, peace and sturdy faith can blossom. In the midst of want, giving can grow where Thorns of greed and selfishness once flourished. Peace can live in the middle of financial disappointment. Humility can thrive in times of personal success. Joy can live under the burning sun of rejection. Hope can even blossom in times of grief.”
“…God does more than deliver us from the Heat. He delivers us from ourselves so that we don’t simply survive the Heat, but bear good Fruit. Under the pressure of family difficulty, love can grow. Under the Heat of unappreciated sacrifice, perseverance can grow. In physical suffering, peace and sturdy faith can blossom. In the midst of want, giving can grow where Thorns of greed and selfishness once flourished. Peace can live in the middle of financial disappointment. Humility can thrive in times of personal success. Joy can live under the burning sun of rejection. Hope can even blossom in times of grief.”
February 3, 2021
This is a phenomenal book! I read it through with a young deacon in our church, chapter by chapter, meeting weekly. There are hundreds of practical, down to earth questions in this book that make you work to comprehend and apply. He is so biblical that there are large chunks of scripture throughout the book, and plenty of real life stories of ministry and counseling to give you an idea that this is not just theory. Read it slowly, with others and plan to come back to it often!
July 17, 2023
This book really surprised me- in a good way. Super helpful insights into sanctification and a simple framework of how to evaluate spiritual growth. Will really convict you but is also very hopeful. Loses one star for all the typos though.
January 27, 2023
Like taking a Tripp down gospel Lane.
July 12, 2023
This book is as complex and non-complex as the gospel (…how people change) itself. The non-complexity is in the beautiful simplicity of God’s strength and choice in changing us in the heat of life, the complexity is in the different stories of people and biblical illustrations used. Those were my favorite.
March 3, 2024
Excellent book. Lane and Tripp do a thorough and precise job establishing a foundation for a then developing out the process for change in the life of the Christian. There’s some heady, theological stuff at times to help build out the support system, followed by practical application with real life examples and experiences. Overall it’s very well written and put together and, most importantly, supremely helpful.
I would recommend this book not only to pastors and those in pastoral care and counseling, but also just anyone in need of encouragement that, with the grace and love of Jesus, you too can change.
I would recommend this book not only to pastors and those in pastoral care and counseling, but also just anyone in need of encouragement that, with the grace and love of Jesus, you too can change.
February 22, 2025
It’s like the gospel message specifically applied to counseling in today’s world. A clinic and very applicable to every day life.
May 23, 2025
A very helpful, biblical paradigm for counseling.
May 31, 2023
The book is good, but I would have liked to see more practicality. It is good to see the why/what behind the actions, but I don't think that is enough, so this book won't be a favourite.
March 31, 2023
I went into this book expecting a list of things to do and not do in order to change to the glory of God… instead we got a biblical and thoughtful philosophy of how a by-faith-through-grace and abiding relationship with Christ changes us. Change isn’t found in what we do differently — it comes from our intimate union with Jesus which affects all corners of our lives!
November 9, 2014
Lane and Tripp do a wonderful job of laying out what it looks like to apply the gospel to all areas of your life and experience the lasting change that comes with doing it well.
December 18, 2023
Excellent. I need to buy a paperback copy so that I can highlight all the important truths I need to remember.
May 11, 2020
I’m really thankful to have gone through this book in a group because talking through the “heat, thorns, cross, fruit” way of thinking was very helpful. The emphasis on how everything in our walk with Christ is meant to point us back to who Christ is and increase our love for Him really helped me in thinking about what true repentance looks like and the fruit that comes from what Jesus has done for us.
Overall, this book just really helped in being reminded that Jesus really is better than our sin and when we fight our sin, the best weapon is to look at the fullness of Jesus and all that He gives us in Himself. I hope to remember the things from this book and continue applying them in my walk with Christ and in the way I view others. Tripp and Lane testified to the fact that God is faithful, patient, and kind to His children and so we can come to Him with full confidence of forgiveness and hope in sanctification. Towards the end it got a little bit long winded and I was ready to finish it up, but overall very good!
Overall, this book just really helped in being reminded that Jesus really is better than our sin and when we fight our sin, the best weapon is to look at the fullness of Jesus and all that He gives us in Himself. I hope to remember the things from this book and continue applying them in my walk with Christ and in the way I view others. Tripp and Lane testified to the fact that God is faithful, patient, and kind to His children and so we can come to Him with full confidence of forgiveness and hope in sanctification. Towards the end it got a little bit long winded and I was ready to finish it up, but overall very good!
December 27, 2025
Really hard book to rate.
The first 100 pages should be like 10 pages - they were such a slog of “just trust Jesus” language with no practical follow up.
Trouble with marriage? Trust Jesus. Conflict? Trust Jesus. Sin struggle? You gotta trust Jesus.
For 100 pages of a 250 page book, the book proceeded this way.
Not that it’s WRONG it’s just not that helpful, how exactly DOES one trust Jesus?
Well, the next 150 pages addresses that and they’re very good.
Really outlining that we blame our circumstances for our sinful responses, and being a Christian isn’t about changing external behavior or lifestyle, it’s about being changed internally by the truth of the Gospel, and a relationship with a living God. (Which will lead to a holy change in our lives)
So 100 pages is like a 2 star book, 150 pages is a 5 star book, so I’ll just leave it at 4.
The first 100 pages should be like 10 pages - they were such a slog of “just trust Jesus” language with no practical follow up.
Trouble with marriage? Trust Jesus. Conflict? Trust Jesus. Sin struggle? You gotta trust Jesus.
For 100 pages of a 250 page book, the book proceeded this way.
Not that it’s WRONG it’s just not that helpful, how exactly DOES one trust Jesus?
Well, the next 150 pages addresses that and they’re very good.
Really outlining that we blame our circumstances for our sinful responses, and being a Christian isn’t about changing external behavior or lifestyle, it’s about being changed internally by the truth of the Gospel, and a relationship with a living God. (Which will lead to a holy change in our lives)
So 100 pages is like a 2 star book, 150 pages is a 5 star book, so I’ll just leave it at 4.
March 17, 2022
This was a really good read, both convicting and encouraging with many practical tools to apply first to my own life and then to others I might counsel. With so much focus on our sinful hearts and motives and how external circumstances do not cause us to respond sinfully, but bring out the sin that was already there, it is kind of hard to understand how Tripp has recently adopted some of the dangerous and erroneous views of the false social justice gospel. I really hope that he comes to see this clearly and turns away from such wrong theology and back to the solid foundation of biblical truth. I do feel I should mention that social justice was not brought up in this book. Rather, this is a vew Tripp has adopted somewhat recently and included in other things he has written.
March 23, 2022
How People Change was a solid book. Some chapters are phenomenal and make me want to make this a 5-star rating. Other chapters felt repetitive or not as "sticky."
The premise of this book is a simple, but complex one. How do people change? What is the real problem with people and what is the real solution? I thought his answers to those questions were simplified, but It's refreshing to read something that doesn't try to complicate everything. So overall I enjoyed reading this and found it a helpful resource for the body of Christ to build one another up to look more like our Lord Jesus Christ.
The premise of this book is a simple, but complex one. How do people change? What is the real problem with people and what is the real solution? I thought his answers to those questions were simplified, but It's refreshing to read something that doesn't try to complicate everything. So overall I enjoyed reading this and found it a helpful resource for the body of Christ to build one another up to look more like our Lord Jesus Christ.
July 24, 2022
This took a while to work through, but worth the effort. Not your typically 5-star “This book was amazing and so good and enjoyable!” However, I am hopeful this book will help me to grow in the grace of Christ daily and equip me to guide others in their own transformation and continued growth in Christ.
I imagine I will come back to it over the years as a resource to come back to and as a reminder of the hope we have in the transforming power of the grace of Jesus. May this grace and truth be central to all our days.
Also the paradigm of “heat, thorns, cross, fruit” is a helpful model in which to look at and analyze life.
I imagine I will come back to it over the years as a resource to come back to and as a reminder of the hope we have in the transforming power of the grace of Jesus. May this grace and truth be central to all our days.
Also the paradigm of “heat, thorns, cross, fruit” is a helpful model in which to look at and analyze life.
July 18, 2020
Profound and practical! How People Change employs a proper balance of theology and application. Much of the book details how we tend to respond to circumstances from our default setting of the sinful nature. Any circumstance, whether good or bad, can bring about a sinful response. Then Lane and Tripp show definitively how Christ redeems us from that, how we ought to respond (in repentance from sin and faith in Christ), and the evidence that we truly have been changed by faith in Christ. This book ought to be read and reread in order to understand and apply what it contains.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 361 reviews