Resilient Restoring your weary soul in these turbulent times

Biblical counselor Eldredge (Get Your Life Back) delivers a jocular if vague spiritual "survival guide" full of "tools for strengthening heart and soul." Lamenting the Covid-19 pandemic's toll on mental and physical health, the author urges readers to take the "path toward recovery and resilience" laid out by "the Creator and Redeemer." One way to do so involves finding resilience in "God's presence within us," and to that end Eldredge recommends picking a quiet place, tuning out distractions, and loving God, which opens one "to the reality of his presence." The author also advises on "converting the 'unconverted places'" in one's mind, suggesting readers confront unholy impulses (bitterness and lust among them) and ask Jesus what one should do to reduce such thoughts. Each chapter takes inspiration from a story of resilience, including St. John of the Cross's imprisonment and explorer John Muir's brush with death while climbing Mount Shasta. The author's tendency toward abstraction can hamper the usefulness of his advice ("Enter your primal longing for things to be good again, and in that place start loving God"), but his humor keeps the proceedings upbeat ("unflappable Jesus, the most level-headed guy ever"). The result is a timely if somewhat opaque volume on cultivating resilience. (June)