Picture Perfect: When Life Doesn't Line Up (Baker)

Description

Frankly, Your Perfectionism Isn’t Enough.

Perfectionism is a crushing burden that can leave us angry, anxious, and paralyzed. But the quest for perfection will never transform a heart.

Amy Baker examines the root and purpose of the longing for perfection to show how God’s grace transforms the aching “not enough” of perfectionism into the overflowing abundance of faith.

Table of Contents:

Part 1

1. I Love Perfection! I Hate Perfection! 

2. Ian: Performance-Based Perfection

3. Linda: The Angry Mother-in-Law

4. Harmony: A Daughter Who Is Never Good Enough

5. Greg: The Defeated Perfectionist

6. Penny: Living for Jesus?

Part 2 

7. A Perfect Standard 

8. Growing into Our Position

9. More Classes in God’s Academy

10. Satisfaction that Lasts More than a Moment

Part 3

11. Paralyzed by Fear of Failure

12. A Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-control Instead of the Paralysis of Fear 

13. Bryce and Angela: Two Ways of Trying to Look Good to Others 

14. Lessons from a Humble Man 

15. Learning to Handle Criticism 

16. Converting Criticism into Blessing

17. The Weight of Guilt

18. Wallowing and False Guilt

19. Never at Rest

20. Resting

21. Evaluations that Lead to Shame

22. And When We Fail

Endorsements  

“I have found in my own counseling ministry that perfectionism is a major problem that dominates the lives of too many Christians. It robs them of their joy in Christ and makes them difficult to live around. Dr. Amy Baker has poured into this critical work great wisdom that comes from years of her own personal counseling ministry. Her approach to this destructive problem is refreshingly insightful because she takes the sufficiency of God’s Word seriously. Not only does this enable her to unscramble the real problem biblically, but it also enables her to prescribe practical answers with Scriptural insight."  - Dr. John D. Street, Chair of the MABC Graduate Program, The Master’s College & Seminary; president, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC)

“I’ve been a pastor and counselor for over twenty-five years now and this is a book I’ll be handing out! Christians sing about amazing grace, but too often still live by the law of their own hard work and perfectionistic striving. Amy’s done a great job tackling an issue that flies right in the face of the Gospel and God’s grace but seldom gets addressed head-on or with the insights that Amy brings to this subject. She exposes not only the hub of the perfectionistic heart, but so many of the related sinful ‘spokes’ that are connected to this one heart issue—guilt, fear, pride, anxiety, and heightened sensitivity to criticism. And she diagnoses and explains it all so well with practical examples and clear, biblical teaching. Amy doesn’t just point out the danger; she shows you where and how to get free and rest in God’s grace. This book brings you back to the only perfect person—our Savior, Jesus Christ.” - Brad Bigney, MDiv, Pastor, Grace Fellowship in Florence, KY; ACBC certified counselor; author of Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols.

“I am so thankful that Amy Baker has taken decades of counseling experience and turned it into this wonderfully helpful book. Loaded with Scripture and practical application, this book is just what you need to combat the bitter roots of perfectionism growing in your heart.”  - Heath Lambert, Executive Director of The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly, NANC); associate professor of Biblical Counseling at Southern Seminary and Boyce College; author of Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace

“I counsel, rub shoulders with, and too often resemble Taylor, Ian, Penny, Li (‘not satisfied with the way God set up his universe’—ouch!), and the rest of the compelling, real-life situations Amy Baker unpacks. The tension she addresses is inescapable: God commands perfection but our ongoing sin prevents it. We then respond with anger, frustration, anxiety, and guilt. Without removing this tension, Baker uncovers the heart disorders beneath the many strains of perfectionism and she carefully provides Christ-centered, biblical counsel for each.” - Robert D. Jones, MDiv, DMin, Professor, Southeastern Seminary; author of Uprooting Anger and Pursuing Peace

“If you care about not just what your counselees or congregants hear, but also how they hear it, this book is for you. With a gracious and encouraging tone, Amy Baker connects and applies the believer's identity in Christ with the empty promises of striving to live by perfect performance. Amy uses personal stories to demonstrate both the practicality and ability of living life in and through the power of the gospel.” - Kevin Carson, DMin, Pastor, Sonrise Baptist Church, Ozark, MO; Professor of Biblical Counseling, Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO

“Amy Baker has written a skillful and insightful book to help the perfectionist. Her illustrations are good, and the Scriptures that she uses are practical and powerful. As an exhorter, Amy uses her God-given gift to help turn the perfectionist from self-centered introspection to God-centered praise. I thank God for this book and Amy’s heart for God’s glory. I look forward to using it in my counseling ministry.” - Martha Peace, Biblical Counselor; author of The Excellent Wife

“In this book, Picture Perfect, Amy has given biblical insight into a form of legalism, self-righteousness, and a performance-based way of living that subtly and perhaps not so subtly turns people away from living in the richness of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. And more than that, she has also shown the effects of this attitude on the person and others with whom this person associates. Having done that, she then goes on to prescribe a realistic and very helpful biblical plan for overcoming this self-righteous, performance-based way of living. I already have some people in mind to whom I will recommend this book.” - Dr. Wayne Mack, Strengthening Ministries Training Institute, Pretoria, South Africa; pastor/elder of Lynnwood Baptist Church, Pretoria, South Africa

“Amy Baker has written a book that strikes at the root of those of us who still act like we live under the law. Perfectionism is a yoke God never intended for anyone to carry. Amy helps us to see where we have put performance over relationship, where we have tried to prove our worth rather than live under God’s amazing grace. I would highly recommend this book for those who don’t just need to ‘lighten up’ but instead are ready to surrender and rest in the perfection of Jesus knowing His yoke is easy and His burden is light.” - Garrett Higbee, PsyD, Executive Director of Biblical Soul Care

Author Bio  

Amy Baker, Ph.D., is Ministry Resource Director at Faith Church (Lafayette, IN). A counselor certified with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC, formerly NANC), Amy is also a Biblical Counseling Coalition council board member; instructor and counselor at Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries; and Vision of Hope residential treatment center board member. She and her husband Jeff have two children.