Whole: The Life-Changing Power of Relating to God with All of Yourself

by Kathryn Maack, Aaron Williams

Do you ever feel like your spiritual life is incomplete?  That makes sense, because we can tend to separate things God always meant to go together. We say we are a thinker  or   a feeler. A “be” person or a “do” person. A “truth” person or a “Spirit” person.

While separating these things seems normal to many Christians, doing so is as crazy as calling yourself  an “inhaler” or an “exhaler” —after all, both are necessary to survive. If you’re feeling like you’re missing something on your spiritual journey, this segmented view of relating to God could be the problem.

In  Whole , journey along with Kathryn Maack and Aaron Williams (founders of Dwell Ministries) as they explore the spiritual change that’s possible when  learn how to reunite these areas of your Christian
God never meant for you to relate to Him with only part of yourself. He wants the whole you. Discover the life-changing power of relating to God with  all of yourself.

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Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2023

Reviews

[Lexie Darce · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We tend to impose a dichotomy in the very place there should be wholeness…. Do you want to stop relating to God with only half of yourself? Are you ready to come to Him with all of who you are?”

There is truly so much I could say about this book, but quite honestly I’m still processing it. The Lord used it to open my eyes to so many things and to revitalize me.

Kathryn Maack and Aaron Williams have written a book through the power of the Holy Spirit that will challenge the very core of who you are and how you relate to the God who created you. They speak openly of how we have divided ourselves into two camps within the church: “head people” or “heart people”. “Spirit people” or “truth people.” And so on… the problem is, we unintentionally limit the depths to which our relationship with God can go. He calls us to Himself with our head AND our heart. In spirit AND truth. As a be-er AND a doer. A saint who still struggles with sin, but sin is no longer their identity.

Instead of pointing fingers and saying someone is “too emotional” or “too theological,” etc, why don’t we look inside ourselves and ask Christ to show us where we are limiting His work in our lives? We all lean towards certain ways of relating to God- Maack and Williams explain how and why- but in doing so, we become fearful of extremes and ultimately end up limiting what we allow God to do in our hearts and our lives. How could we, the church, and the world change for the better if we simply came to God openly instead of trying to box him into our perception of Him?

Maack and Williams are biblically sound teachers of the Word who will change the way you relate to God and to other believers.

Every Christian needs to read this book.
Every church leader in vocational ministry needs to read this book.
All need to read it with an open heart and open mind.

So now- stop reading this review, go get yourself a copy, and let it change your life. :)

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love personality tests (like I do) and often put yourself on one side of a personal or spiritual dichotomy, this book is for you. Whole is written to Christians who often find themselves "leaning" one way on four spiritual dichotomies: head or heart, being or doing, truth or spirit, sinner or saint. It's overwhelming message is that these four things are not dichotomies but are meant to be integrative parts of who we are--we can be BOTH saints and sinners. We can unite the thinking (head) parts of ourselves with the feeling (heart) parts of ourselves, and more than that, we are called to do this by God. Whole uses Scripture, the example of Christ, and personal examples to illustrate and reinforce their points. Sections of this book--especially the chapters on head and heart and being and doing--were personally convicting for me. The book gave great ways to connect to your personal life, starting with helping you identify your personal bent then ending with application steps. I found it easy to identify where I was most likely to lean and was often convicted of how I needed to love God more fully, as a whole person. This was an outstanding book, and while sometimes repetitive and not the most theologically or biblically rich, the message was clear and convicting. I strongly recommend it.

[Madison Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book written by my new friend Kathryn Maack :) Jesus has invited us Into a full and abundant life, and this book offers a compelling picture of what that life can look like when you relate to Jesus, worship him, serve him, and follow him with your whole self! If you are curious about spiritually or if you have been walking with Jesus for years, I would highly recommend this book!

[Janae (evergreen_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

| 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞

LOVED this book. If you’re into Christian non-fiction, this one is a must read. 100% relatable, no matter your spiritual background, + so good for the soul.

Whole is about relating to God with ALL of yourself, not just parts of yourself. It explores the spiritual changes that are possible when you learn how to reunite these areas of your Christian life (instead of separating them):

head + heart
truth + spirit
being + doing
sinner + saint

I loved that the authors tied all of these sections to Jesus and how He fulfilled them—a Living example of what it means to relate to God fully. Lots of practical ways to grow in the uncomfortable and to experience God in new ways. All around just a solid read and will definitely pick this back up again throughout my life!

[Ruth Puy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reuniting divisions created by tradition, human nature, and personality, Whole points to a full life in Christ. Drawing together spirit and truth, sinner and saint, being and doing, and others, this was a book to read and meditate on.

[L.A. Deming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for examining one’s own spiritual growth and making strides toward understanding God.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“While balance can be a noble aspiration in some areas of our lives, when it comes to our relationship with God, we are invited to go “all in” in every area!
God wants us to love Him with all of our head and all of our heart.
He call us to worship Him in the fullness of Spirit and truth.
He wants us to abide in Him so deeply that our being and doing produce more fruit than we have ever seen in our lives.
He desires for us to step increasingly into our new identities so that we may become who we really are in Christ.”

[Joshua Pankey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily digestible and great for thoughtful reflection