Do you want to better live out the teachings of Jesus to help people in need? Do you feel you should care more for the poor but are not sure where to start?
In this book, author John Christopher Frame, PhD, will help you on your journey of putting your faith into action. With Frame’s thoughtful, down-to-earth, deep dive into Christian living, you’ll feel closer to God and more encouraged to care for others.
7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart: How to Live Out Your Faith and Care for the Poor is a captivating, easy-to-read book designed to show you how to keep your faith central in all you do. Through compelling stories and practical teaching, you’ll learn how to better love and support those in need.
In 7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart, you’ll discover: - How to cultivate the seven attitudes that will transform your view of underprivileged people, so you can be a more effective instrument of God - A powerful framework for serving God that will motivate you even when you don’t feel inspired to care about those who are poor - The key to overcoming selfish tendencies, so you can live a more generous life - How you can care more for others and, as a result, experience God’s greater presence in your life - Unforgettable narratives that provide a window into the lives of people who are poor, and much, much more!
7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart: How to Live Out Your Faith and Care for the Poor is an eye-opening journey that will help you move into the joy of loving others more. If you like on-the-ground wisdom, empowering approaches to serving God, and practical advice, then you’ll love John Christopher Frame’s inspirational book.
Buy 7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart to better live out your faith today!
John Christopher Frame is an author and a faculty member at an online university. He has lived internationally and holds a PhD from the University of Oxford. Publishers Weekly stated his first book, Homeless at Harvard: Finding Faith and Friendship on the Streets of Harvard Square, was “touching, and well worth the read…” John’s passion is combining his interests in theology and social concerns to help Christians become more aware of global issues so they can better live out their faith. He loves traveling on the cheap, visiting outdoor markets, balcony gardening, and working in quirky cafés in his neighborhood. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, whom he met while buying a carpet at a souvenir shop in Istanbul, Turkey. Connect with him at https://www.johnchristopherframe.com.
7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart explores the emotions and attitudes most needed by Christians when helping the poor. The author takes a closer look at hope, compassion, empathy, gratitude, humility, generosity, and holiness and provides real-life anecdotes from people in situations of need.
This book is well written and will help anyone interested in improving not just charitable giving, but their everyday relationships with others .
I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens. My review is voluntary.
Many people who live in developed countries take our relative wealth for granted. We have access to clean water, food, and the great majority have adequate housing and access to education and healthcare. Author John Christopher Frame’s 7 Attitudes of a Helping Heart is a guide for those who believe we should help others, but find reasons and excuses not to do it.
The compelling introduction by Jim Lyon makes the case for the book. Many people face internal challenges to offering a helping heart. Can helping make a difference? How much money should I give? What will they spend the money on? These are all too real questions we might ask ourselves when it comes to helping the poor.
Mr. Frame transports readers through the poorest nations, introducing them to Sak, Theary, and Pun; three “poor” people from different walks of life. Their poignant stories prove that the wants, needs, and desires of all humans are very similar, no matter our financial status in life.
The attitudes cover universal “goodness”, such as Compassion, Generosity & Holiness, and Hope. Each includes examples as food for thought and a free companion study guide is available for more emphasis on the topics. (I didn’t review the companion guide.) While the 7 Attitudes of a Helping Heart is a Christian concept, it’s also just what “good” people strive to do, whether they’re Christian or not. Perhaps this is why there are no Biblical references included in the book, but I felt the message could have been more compelling if it were supported by scripture.
HOW THIS BOOK AFFECTED ME: The concept of 7 Attitudes of a Helping Heart spoke directly to my heart. The conversations between husband and wife as described in the book mirror those in my home. How much to give and to whom? It really requires some soul-searching. It reminds me of the verse, To whom much is given, much will be required, Luke 12:48. There is a high expectation for those who have been blessed with “much” material wealth to give accordingly. This book challenged me to rethink my role in helping the needy.
WHO WOULD ENJOY THIS BOOK: Anyone looking to put Christian philanthropic principles into action would enjoy this book. Anyone struggling to figure out how to help people or make the world a better place would enjoy this call to action to “do something” by developing the seven attitudes of a helping heart. Looking to curb selfish tendencies? 7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart is for you!
OUR CHRISTIAN BOOK REVIEWS: The book reviews at Finding God Among Us focus on Christian books – adult and children, fiction and nonfiction. Our specialty is books on faith and new Christian book releases. We’re proud to be included in the Top 20 Christian Book Review Bloggers. I chose to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
7 Attitudes Of The Helping Heart by John Christopher Frame is a powerful little book that will aid your Christian walk as our eyes are opened to those around us. This book is infused with the heart of God. We want to go through life with eyes that see, hands that help and a heart that cares. Within the world there is much poverty. It may be spiritual. It may be physical. We need to help where we can. We are all very similar in our desires for a family, having hopes and dreams even though our circumstances may be very different. Poverty is not something that defines us. It is something we are going through. If we can offer a helping hand, we should do so – no matter how small it seems to you, it could make a huge difference to someone else. Everyone has problems. “It doesn’t matter how small my problems are. They’re still real problems. Everyone’s problems are big to them.” We need to develop empathy and walk beside others. We are called to offer compassion and to be carriers of hope. Compassion calls for action now. Hope is for future events. “Hope includes believing, with God, that our actions can make a difference.” As Christians we are vessels of God’s love. We need hearts and minds aligned with His. We must live open-handed lives, willing to help others. “My giving should be a reflection of what I have, where my heart is, and the value I see in others.” At the end of each chapter there is a section called ‘Taking It To The Next Level’ for personal reflection. Within the chapters we hear from three people, living in poverty, as they share snippets of their lives. This gives the book a personal touch as they are all very relatable. 7 Attitudes Of The Helping Heart is a powerful read. It is perfect for personal study or to work through in small groups. This book has the power to change lives as we spread the hope and love of Jesus. I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.
Helpful book in understanding the kind of attitude we need in order to be, not just better people, but more like Christ. I ordered one for my grandchild.
While it’s not a manual with your own personal action plan lined out, it shares the principles that must grow in your heart before they become actions of any kind. John Frame uses first person responses from his interanation encounters of people who cope with poverty not by their own making to help us see how impossible it is to treat any form of poverty by generalization. A companion study guide gives thoughtful questions and suggests practical ways to act on the 7 habits. This book is for anyone looking for a balanced but convicting look at this subject.
For someone who has never traveled outside the US, I found John's stories from across the globe to be eye-opening and heart-wrenching. My heart was moved and challenged to see the world through a bigger lens. His "in the words of..." section at the end of each chapter gave me a beautiful insight into the hearts of the people whose stories John shares. And what I discovered is that though we are worlds apart, our hearts beat with similar desires. We want to care for our children, have goals for our lives, and carry scars that remind us where we have come from but where we want to go. If you want your heart to beat with compassion, empathy, and tenderness for the poor, then John's book is the book for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Personally speaking, this was more than a book. To me, this was a much needed wake up call. Looks like Our Heavenly Father is about to bless me with another assignment as I put in to action the game plan which developed from this read. I highly recommend using the complimentary study guide. Details on how to obtain are included within the book. Suggesting this to be used for an upcoming small group. All who read this book are sure to be blessed and changed.
Dr Frame offers sincerity, humility and a range of universal spiritual tools and skills to help guide the exercise and practice for our spiritual selves. This is so badly needed to counteract the materialistic forces that paradoxically dominate in much of this pandemic afflicted country.
Does 7 Attitudes of the Helping Heart Live Up to the Expectations?
Sadly – NO. While I appreciated that Frame has included personal stories from men and women he’s met around the world, I found the book to be a bunch of fluff. Most of the stories Frame shared from his own experiences are those you could read on a blog and offered nothing new for someone who’s been on a missions trip, helped out at the local rescue mission, listened to a missionary speak, or etc.
Although for the price, this might make a good gift for new believers or for missionaries being sent off by a church.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes but all opinions are my own.
Fantastic subject! Incredibly practical! This short book helps you wrestle with what you have and what to do with it. It would be an excellent tool for a reading group or Church Bible Study to go through and have discussions about.
This was a great little book full of practical ways to better develop a helping heart. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more of this author's work.