What do you think?
Rate this book
Fresh Start: God's Invitation to a Great Life
If you had the chance to change your life for the better, would you? All it takes is a decision. Trapped by harmful habits, behaviors, and attitudes, we struggle to become the person God has created and called us to be. Saddleback Churchteaching pastor Doug Fields says it's never too late to get a fresh start. With personal stories and youthful writing, Doug challenges readers to recognize that they may say they want God in their lives, but they really don't want to change. They are stuck. He says, "It's not about trying harder, it's about plugging into God's transforming power and submitting your entire life to Christ. Age doesn't matter; fresh starts are for everyone."Topics
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 24, 2018
A great read that addresses some of the most common places we get stuck in life: dreams, success, past behaviors/problems, hurt, conflict, friendships, rejection, and anger. I appreciated Mr. Fields' sarcastic humor which often had me smiling or giggling as I saw myself in his comment, and his stories were easy to relate to and made his point without a lot of extra fluff. The chapter breakdowns were easy to follow, and the steps forward were clear. This book was definitely worth my time.
June 21, 2020
I found this book to be sincere in its message and enjoyed the vulnerability of the author. I read this book fresh off a divorce. It was timely.
May 10, 2025
I will use it for small group, counseling ministry, and more. It has many great insights into what is really matter. Practical mental, emotional, spiritual health. Not theological book. It is very good introductory to what can be turn into discretion paper.
December 16, 2009
"BOOK REVIEW: FRESH START.
I've just concluded this Doug Fields latest book and what an absolutely good read it is!
Doug did a brilliant job like a CSI scientist would as he attempted to unravel the cause and motive of the human malady called “stuckness”, or “spiritual drought” and the remedy for this condition.
Right throughout the whole book, he stressed the need for man to come in alignment with God’s will and call to a new beginning, echoing an invitation to humility which yields the fruit of sanctification!
If you’ve ever struggled with anger, hurt, disappointments, pains of the past, fear of making new friends, or even pride to mention but a few; this book practically addresses these from an everyday living perspective.
But crucially to me as a believer seeking to live a life pleasing unto God; page 26 of the book struck a good chord within me with a revelatory edge from a human stand-point, and not Jesus’, who is God in person! That is, if we consider the Lord Jesus as capable enough to go through all he went through for us, why not consider the messianic prophet: Isaiah!
He was a practising royal-prophet that easily dished out damning verdicts on others until the year his fresh start began; there and then he saw the Lord and the futility of his spiritual walk. I like many others can relate to this work of sanctification which heralded a complete turnaround of his ministry because he acknowledged his helplessness without Divine intervention.
That to me indeed is a worthy summary of Doug’s fresh start as orchestrated by God in the life of Man.
I strongly recommend it for every Christian old and young.
I've just concluded this Doug Fields latest book and what an absolutely good read it is!
Doug did a brilliant job like a CSI scientist would as he attempted to unravel the cause and motive of the human malady called “stuckness”, or “spiritual drought” and the remedy for this condition.
Right throughout the whole book, he stressed the need for man to come in alignment with God’s will and call to a new beginning, echoing an invitation to humility which yields the fruit of sanctification!
If you’ve ever struggled with anger, hurt, disappointments, pains of the past, fear of making new friends, or even pride to mention but a few; this book practically addresses these from an everyday living perspective.
But crucially to me as a believer seeking to live a life pleasing unto God; page 26 of the book struck a good chord within me with a revelatory edge from a human stand-point, and not Jesus’, who is God in person! That is, if we consider the Lord Jesus as capable enough to go through all he went through for us, why not consider the messianic prophet: Isaiah!
He was a practising royal-prophet that easily dished out damning verdicts on others until the year his fresh start began; there and then he saw the Lord and the futility of his spiritual walk. I like many others can relate to this work of sanctification which heralded a complete turnaround of his ministry because he acknowledged his helplessness without Divine intervention.
That to me indeed is a worthy summary of Doug’s fresh start as orchestrated by God in the life of Man.
I strongly recommend it for every Christian old and young.
July 6, 2012
Doug Fields is concerned with those people who feel “stuck” in harmful patterns of sin, pain, anger and other harmful states. Early in the book Fields defines sanctification as “the act or state of being purified and freed from sin” and stresses throughout that the power in this process comes from God while the Christian’s responsibility is cooperation. Fields then applies this concept to a variety of scenarios.
While I thought the subject matter of this book was right on target, I had some problems with the author’s writing style. Fields’ sense of humor doesn’t seem to translate well into writing. Every other sentence seems to contain a forced joke that I caused me to wonder just how serious he was taking the book. This book needed less joking and a more serious tone. I also feel that Fields’ only managed to skim the surface of his subject matter. For instance, in his chapter on forgiveness Fields recommends the reader write down everyone that has hurt him along with what they’ve done and then write down that they are “paid in full.” The author then offers suggestions on how to recognize when they have truly forgiven their offenders. It seemed so lightly approached that I began to wonder if Fields really recognized how hard it was for someone stuck in the grip of resentment and bitterness.
Fresh Start does include a nice small group’s guide and I would recommend it to a small group that wants a primer on sanctification. Despite my criticism of this book I look forward to reading more from Fields in the future.
While I thought the subject matter of this book was right on target, I had some problems with the author’s writing style. Fields’ sense of humor doesn’t seem to translate well into writing. Every other sentence seems to contain a forced joke that I caused me to wonder just how serious he was taking the book. This book needed less joking and a more serious tone. I also feel that Fields’ only managed to skim the surface of his subject matter. For instance, in his chapter on forgiveness Fields recommends the reader write down everyone that has hurt him along with what they’ve done and then write down that they are “paid in full.” The author then offers suggestions on how to recognize when they have truly forgiven their offenders. It seemed so lightly approached that I began to wonder if Fields really recognized how hard it was for someone stuck in the grip of resentment and bitterness.
Fresh Start does include a nice small group’s guide and I would recommend it to a small group that wants a primer on sanctification. Despite my criticism of this book I look forward to reading more from Fields in the future.
September 6, 2009
Would you like a "Fresh Start"? Like a refreshing drink of cool water, so many of us need to "rehydrate" with life.
So many of us are trapped by harmful habits, behaviors, and attitudes. I know I struggle to become the person God created and called me to be. Doug Fields, the pastor of Saddleback Church, says it’s never too late to get a fresh start. He has written a book filled with personal stories and a fresh approach in his writing. Age doesn’t matter; fresh starts are for everyone.
Topics in the book include:
* Dealing with pride
* Defining success
* Living with guilt
* Struggling with conflicts
* Finding true friendships
* Overcoming discouragement
* Facing rejection
* Attacking anger
I found that reading on how I can handle my guilt is important. I feel guilty when I eat. And then I get angry that other people can eat and I can not. Of course then I start to binge. So the cycle starts again. In removing the guilt of eating, as it is necessary to my survival, I can learn to start eating in normal proportions. Knowing that God does not want me to feel guilty nor go without the food he has provided for me gives me a tool to use. I get to have a "Fresh Start" on my eating habits.
Where do you need a "Fresh Start" at? What is the downfall that pulls you back time and time again? And how are you going to get back on track? Maybe it is time for you to read "Fresh Start" and see where it leads you.
So many of us are trapped by harmful habits, behaviors, and attitudes. I know I struggle to become the person God created and called me to be. Doug Fields, the pastor of Saddleback Church, says it’s never too late to get a fresh start. He has written a book filled with personal stories and a fresh approach in his writing. Age doesn’t matter; fresh starts are for everyone.
Topics in the book include:
* Dealing with pride
* Defining success
* Living with guilt
* Struggling with conflicts
* Finding true friendships
* Overcoming discouragement
* Facing rejection
* Attacking anger
I found that reading on how I can handle my guilt is important. I feel guilty when I eat. And then I get angry that other people can eat and I can not. Of course then I start to binge. So the cycle starts again. In removing the guilt of eating, as it is necessary to my survival, I can learn to start eating in normal proportions. Knowing that God does not want me to feel guilty nor go without the food he has provided for me gives me a tool to use. I get to have a "Fresh Start" on my eating habits.
Where do you need a "Fresh Start" at? What is the downfall that pulls you back time and time again? And how are you going to get back on track? Maybe it is time for you to read "Fresh Start" and see where it leads you.
November 16, 2009
Fresh Start is written by Doug Fields, youth minister of Saddleback Church. Although it's written by a youth minister it is not written with youth in mind. It is written to anyone who's craving a new beginning in life. Fields generously sprinkles Fresh Start with humor, and gave me many laugh-out-loud moments as I read about conquering and overcoming the snags in life that we all experience.
With humility, compassion (and a lot of humor which I loved) he encourages the reader to get out of the stuck life and embrace a fresh start in life, in abundant joyful living. He addresses areas we all get bogged down in at various stages in life: pride, regret, hurt, conflicts, fear, rejection, anger, superficial friendships.
He writes, "We are stuck people... the power to change doesn't come from our own strength or resolve or positive thinking... Real lasting change comes from God's unlimited power. Anything else is a temporary fix... God is in the transformation business. He takes real, flawed, messy people and invites us to start fresh and live lives of fullness and forward motion... fresh starts are available more than once... God doesn't demand that we walk a tightrope of perfection. His grace is offered continually and is always within reach."
I enjoyed this book. It's radically laced with messy humanity and loaded with practical help in overcoming the messy predicaments we fall hostage to along life's path.
With humility, compassion (and a lot of humor which I loved) he encourages the reader to get out of the stuck life and embrace a fresh start in life, in abundant joyful living. He addresses areas we all get bogged down in at various stages in life: pride, regret, hurt, conflicts, fear, rejection, anger, superficial friendships.
He writes, "We are stuck people... the power to change doesn't come from our own strength or resolve or positive thinking... Real lasting change comes from God's unlimited power. Anything else is a temporary fix... God is in the transformation business. He takes real, flawed, messy people and invites us to start fresh and live lives of fullness and forward motion... fresh starts are available more than once... God doesn't demand that we walk a tightrope of perfection. His grace is offered continually and is always within reach."
I enjoyed this book. It's radically laced with messy humanity and loaded with practical help in overcoming the messy predicaments we fall hostage to along life's path.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews