Product Description

Many Christians simply aren't experiencing the abundant life. A focus on doing our duty and living by reason--when what we know trumps how we feel--can leave us feeling dead. We need to have our passion restored in order to live the life that Jesus came to give us. In Feel, Matthew Elliott takes a critical look at what our culture and many churches have taught about controlling and ignoring our emotions. He contends that some of the great thinkers of the modern era got it all wrong, and that the Bible teaches that God intends for us to live in and through our emotions. Emotions are good things that God created us to feel. Matthew helps us to understand our emotions and equips us to nurture healthy feelings and reject destructive ones. So refresh yourself, drink deeply, and learn to live with a new, passionate heart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305745 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Back Cover

How many times have you heard . . .
“Your feelings cannot be trusted.”
“Emotions can cloud your thinking.”
“God cares about what you believe, not what you feel.”
These statements are myths—unbiblical and untrue.

Matthew Elliott has been on a lifelong quest to find the true role of feelings in one’s spiritual life. In Feel, he reveals his startling conclusions:

• Emotions were given by God to drive us to our best.
• Emotions are among the most logical and dependable things in our lives.
• The true health of our spiritual lives is measured by how we feel.

Discover with Matthew why your spiritual life doesn’t have to be dull and uninspiring. Explore why God created emotions, and why you can have permission to feel.

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Balancing logic and emotions
From consumingworship.org

This was a bright spot in the latest round of review material. Honestly, this is one that I'm going to go back through with a fine-toothed comb for my own reading and learning pleasure because I felt I really just skimmed the surface for review purposes. As someone who grew up in a church tradition that downplayed the emotional side of faith, Feel was a very affirming read. I grew up in a culture that seemed scared of emotional displays in the context of faith, and I love Elliot's thesis (my own words here) that we are denying ourselves from a full life in Christ when we make our faith an intellectual/logical one and suppress our feelings.

The book is not a call to become hyper-sensitive and throw all critical thinking and logic out the window. There is a balance between reason and emotion that a healthy Christ-follower attains. The key is discernment as to whether or not a felt emotion is the correct emotion. Rather than use logic and reason as an instrument to squash emotions, use them to judge whether an emotional response is a godly one, and if it is don't impede it.

The author, Matthew Elliot, has a running blog here on the Amazon site and there is a special website set up for the book with extras here. Overall, I thought the book was a great read, thoughtfully put together. I would recommend it to anyone with questions regarding the relationship between faith and emotions.

Feel is Faithful

http://www.buzzardblog.com/buzzard_blog/2008/11/matthew-elliott.html

Three weeks ago I walked into Borders, eager to spend my $50 gift card. First, I picked up a book on Switzerland (I recently discovered that I'm Swiss). Next, I grabbed a biography of Genghis Kahn (for some reason I find Genghis fascinating). By my calculations I had about 10 bucks left to spend, so I sauntered into the "Christian" isle to see if anything caught my eye and, something did, a book called Feel.

This book surprised me.

Not only did I think a lot, I also felt a lot while reading Matthew Elliott's Feel.

Apparently, several years ago this fella Matthew Elliott did doctoral research on the role of emotion in the New Testament (wish I had thought of that). That research turned into Elliott's book Faithful Feelings, a book that examines the felt experience of Christian living, how emotion was viewed by the New Testament writers in their cultural context. That book was published in 2006. I hope to read it. John Piper calls the book, "The most thorough study on emotions in the New Testament."

Published earlier this year, Feel seems to be a popularization/distillation/fleshing out of Elliott's earlier work. The book is aimed at two significant errors Elliott observes in American Christianity:

1. "we have made our relationship with God more about fulfilling our duty than expressing our passion. We make our spiritual lives into a list of dos and don'ts. We pursue this list more than we actually pursue Jesus. And this leads to a life that eventually becomes tired and numb, devoid of feeling, dead."

2. "we have become indoctrinated in the belief that emotions are unreliable, dangerous, and bad."

From his study of Scripture, Elliott's book builds upon several key ideas:

* "our emotions were given to us by God to drive us to our best"
* "emotions are among the most logical and dependable things in our lives"
* "emotions give us a window to see truth like nothing else"
* "the true health of our spiritual lives is measured by how we feel"

If some of those statements trouble you, note that Elliott's writing reads like a modern day Religious Affections--Jonathan Edwards' 1746 classic which examines the centrality of emotions in Scripture and in the Christian life. Elliott is careful to ground his ideas, proposals, and conclusions in Scripture.

I really like this book. It affected me. It convicted me. It helped me. I'm celebrating God's providence, how he led me to peek into the "Christian" isle at Borders and spot Feel. Reading Feel has come with perfect timing. The thesis and thrust of the book hit a sanctification bullseye in me. I've already begun recommending this book to many of my friends.

Like with any book I deeply enjoy, I have a few quibbles with Feel. Chiefly, I wish Elliott had included a brief section near the beginning of the book that clearly articulates and unpacks the gospel message, serving those who will read this book and get excited about its content, but fail to digest it in a well formed gospel context. But, to be fair, the heart of the gospel is sprinkled and assumed throughout the book.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Feel:

Jesus Christ brings to each of us a new set of information about the world around us. Without him, we have reason to fear and worry. With him, our emotions have a whole new context.

What we feel--our loves--reveals what we really believe and becomes the motivation for how we live.

...emotion does what a friend does--it counsels and advises...As we are conformed to Christ, we can learn to rely on emotions as we might rely on a friend.

Our emotional response to anything is a collage of our personality, upbringing, self-image, worldview, experiences, and beliefs. What we concentrate on, what we dwell on, what we run over and over again n our heads is what we get emotional about. So we need to stop and think about what we are always telling ourselves. If it does not line up with what is true, we must cancel the download. Then we need to reboot our thought patterns with godly values and beliefs. Only then can our emotions reflect a godly perspective.

Whatever podcast you play in your head is what you will eventually believe about God, others, and yourself. It will determine your emotional starting point and the place out of which you will respond. You can spend most of your life at a single spot emotionally because you pitched your tent on one thing that you relive and rehash every day. Sometimes, you have to make yourself pack it up and move on to something new.

Yup, that last quote is especially convicting, helpful, and freeing.

Here are a few of the endorsements for Feel:

Feel is an engaging book that's potentially liberating. God made emotions and Jesus expressed them; they need to be reclaimed and redeemed, not ignored or abandoned. Matthew Elliott does a service to the church through this thoughtful work.
-Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven and Deception

Many books today on the Christian life are baloney. Others just repackage what is widely known, or dress up tired platitudes with a new set of stories. This book is different. Based on solid research, it has truly fresh insights into our feelings and how God views them. I have been greatly helped personally by reading it, and I can't wait to pass it on to a bunch of other people who will eagerly receive its wisdom too. Best of all, in chapter after chapter, this book calls forth the godly feelings that, the author argues, God wants us to nurture and enjoy. Readers will discover here a path to enjoy God that they may never have glimpsed before.
-Robert Yarbrough, Ph.D., New Testament department chairman, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

As Christians it is easy for us to elevate reason at the expense of authentic emotion -- and in the process lose our passion for the God who created both. Matthew Elliott helps us recapture what we've lost and discover what it truly means to feel. A timely message for our generation.
-Alex and Brett Harris, authors of Do Hard Things

I have always felt that as Christians we do not have enough balanced teaching about the subject of Emotion. I was so happy to see that my close friend and former traveling assistant Dr. Matthew Elliot has written a book on this subject. I want to urge you to read and think though what he has written. I pray that all of us will have a greater walk in truth and reality as result of reading this very very unique book.
-George Verwer, Founder Operation Mobilization



Three weeks ago I walked into Borders, eager to spend my $50 gift card. First, I picked up a book on Switzerland (I recently discovered that I'm Swiss). Next, I grabbed a biography of Genghis Kahn (for some reason I find Genghis fascinating). By my calculations I had about 10 bucks left to spend, so I sauntered into the "Christian" isle to see if anything caught my eye and, something did, a book called Feel.

This book surprised me.

Not only did I think a lot, I also felt a lot while reading Matthew Elliott's Feel.

Apparently, several years ago this fella Matthew Elliott did doctoral research on the role of emotion in the New Testament (wish I had thought of that). That research turned into Elliott's book Faithful Feelings, a book that examines the felt experience of Christian living, how emotion was viewed by the New Testament writers in their cultural context. That book was published in 2006. I hope to read it. John Piper calls the book, "The most thorough study on emotions in the New Testament."

Published earlier this year, Feel seems to be a popularization/distillation/fleshing out of Elliott's earlier work. The book is aimed at two significant errors Elliott observes in American Christianity:

1. "we have made our relationship with God more about fulfilling our duty than expressing our passion. We make our spiritual lives into a list of dos and don'ts. We pursue this list more than we actually pursue Jesus. And this leads to a life that eventually becomes tired and numb, devoid of feeling, dead."

2. "we have become indoctrinated in the belief that emotions are unreliable, dangerous, and bad."

From his study of Scripture, Elliott's book builds upon several key ideas:

* "our emotions were given to us by God to drive us to our best"
* "emotions are among the most logical and dependable things in our lives"
* "emotions give us a window to see truth like nothing else"
* "the true health of our spiritual lives is measured by how we feel"

If some of those statements trouble you, note that Elliott's writing reads like a modern day Religious Affections--Jonathan Edwards' 1746 classic which examines the centrality of emotions in Scripture and in the Christian life. Elliott is careful to ground his ideas, proposals, and conclusions in Scripture.

I really like this book. It affected me. It convicted me. It helped me. I'm celebrating God's providence, how he led me to peek into the "Christian" isle at Borders and spot Feel. Reading Feel has come with perfect timing. The thesis and thrust of the book hit a sanctification bullseye in me. I've already begun recommending this book to many of my friends.

Like with any book I deeply enjoy, I have a few quibbles with Feel. Chiefly, I wish Elliott had included a brief section near the beginning of the book that clearly articulates and unpacks the gospel message, serving those who will read this book and get excited about its content, but fail to digest it in a well formed gospel context. But, to be fair, the heart of the gospel is sprinkled and assumed throughout the book.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Feel:

Jesus Christ brings to each of us a new set of information about the world around us. Without him, we have reason to fear and worry. With him, our emotions have a whole new context.

What we feel--our loves--reveals what we really believe and becomes the motivation for how we live.

...emotion does what a friend does--it counsels and advises...As we are conformed to Christ, we can learn to rely on emotions as we might rely on a friend.

Our emotional response to anything is a collage of our personality, upbringing, self-image, worldview, experiences, and beliefs. What we concentrate on, what we dwell on, what we run over and over again n our heads is what we get emotional about. So we need to stop and think about what we are always telling ourselves. If it does not line up with what is true, we must cancel the download. Then we need to reboot our thought patterns with godly values and beliefs. Only then can our emotions reflect a godly perspective.

Whatever podcast you play in your head is what you will eventually believe about God, others, and yourself. It will determine your emotional starting point and the place out of which you will respond. You can spend most of your life at a single spot emotionally because you pitched your tent on one thing that you relive and rehash every day. Sometimes, you have to make yourself pack it up and move on to something new.

Yup, that last quote is especially convicting, helpful, and freeing.

Here are a few of the endorsements for Feel:

Feel is an engaging book that's potentially liberating. God made emotions and Jesus expressed them; they need to be reclaimed and redeemed, not ignored or abandoned. Matthew Elliott does a service to the church through this thoughtful work.
-Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven and Deception

Many books today on the Christian life are baloney. Others just repackage what is widely known, or dress up tired platitudes with a new set of stories. This book is different. Based on solid research, it has truly fresh insights into our feelings and how God views them. I have been greatly helped personally by reading it, and I can't wait to pass it on to a bunch of other people who will eagerly receive its wisdom too. Best of all, in chapter after chapter, this book calls forth the godly feelings that, the author argues, God wants us to nurture and enjoy. Readers will discover here a path to enjoy God that they may never have glimpsed before.
-Robert Yarbrough, Ph.D., New Testament department chairman, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

As Christians it is easy for us to elevate reason at the expense of authentic emotion -- and in the process lose our passion for the God who created both. Matthew Elliott helps us recapture what we've lost and discover what it truly means to feel. A timely message for our generation.
-Alex and Brett Harris, authors of Do Hard Things

I have always felt that as Christians we do not have enough balanced teaching about the subject of Emotion. I was so happy to see that my close friend and former traveling assistant Dr. Matthew Elliot has written a book on this subject. I want to urge you to read and think though what he has written. I pray that all of us will have a greater walk in truth and reality as result of reading this very very unique book.
-George Verwer, Founder Operation Mobilization



http://www.buzzardblog.com/buzzard_blog/2008/11/matthew-elliott.html

My Reading of Feel
A few weeks ago I finished a book titled Feel by Matthew Elliott. Essentially the book is about debunking the myth that psychologists and now churches have put out that we need to follow reason or logic and not our emotions or feelings. The book was challenging for me. My entire life I had always thought back on my big mistakes as ones driven by emotions rather than a logical thought process. I have no doubt most of you have done the same. We think that it is because of our "heat in the moment" emotions that we make mistakes. Elliott has changed my thinking.

If I were to try and summarize how Elliott goes about changing my thinking I am sure I would do a poor job. Elliott uses scientific data, psychological studies, and Biblical studies on how emotions are viewed in the Bible. These things were more than convincing to me that I am ruining my relationship with Christ by living strictly through reason and logic. I am a very organizational person, I do not color outside of the lines. But I think I've been missing God's ability to speak to me through my emotions.

One interesting thing to note about the book is that it tries to incorporate blogging. At the end of each chapter their a section of personal responses and then include a link of where to join in the conversation. Often we think of blogging and books as two very separate things, but this book is trying to bridge the gap. I'm not sure if it liked it or not. Often, I found myself just skipping to the next chapter.

Overall: Great book, recommend it to anyone who feels like they are living an emotionless life.

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