Timothy Jennings brings us
Free us from this deep-rooted vicious cycle!

The key to health and happiness is love.
It may seem simple, but we are experts at making things complicated.
Far from living a life filled with love, they are unable to escape the vicious cycle of shame, violence, and addiction, and as a result, they are robbed of joy and unable to love others.
Moreover, statistically, the Christian life is not at all free from abuse, pornography, alcohol and addiction.
Christian psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Jennings sets us free from this prison.

The purpose of this book is to help you identify and eliminate epidemics of thinking and distorted beliefs.
Such a distorted view has already taken root in the hearts of too many good Christians, enslaving them to fear, addiction, and violence.
Furthermore, the purpose of this book is to connect people to the power of God's truth and love that can transform lives and bring liberation.
To help them experience God's promise (that their hearts will be renewed and they will enjoy true peace and freedom) and to help them grow to maturity as sons and daughters of God.
We know that when Christ “appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2) --- p.23

The heart referred to here is neither the organ in the chest that pumps and circulates blood, nor the brain.
In biblical terms, the heart refers to the clot of the self, the innermost self of the abyss.
It is where each person's true desires, affections, longings, beliefs, and identity, which are the core elements of individuality, reside.
The mind is the character that makes me who I am, made up of all these elements.
So the mind (true self, personality, character) is involved in every aspect of our lives.
Thoughts are an expression of the true self.
My true self in my mind flows out as thoughts.
--- p.28

A provocative 2011 study conducted at Yale University and published in the journal Health Psychology demonstrated the power of beliefs to alter even physiological function.
The study had 46 participants drink two beverages at two-week intervals and measured their physical reactions.
Participants were told that the first drink was 620 calories and loaded with fat and sugar, while the second drink was 140 calories and packed with nutrients.
Next, we measured the body's ghrelin levels for each drink.
Ghrelin is a hormone secreted from the stomach when you are hungry, but when you eat a full meal, its secretion decreases and the level of ghrelin in the blood drops.
As this reduced number is received by the brain, appetite and hunger are reduced.

The study results showed that ghrelin levels did drop when the participants drank the 620-calorie unhealthy drink, but not when they drank the 140-calorie healthy drink.
But in fact, both times they were given the same 380-calorie drink! It wasn't the calorie intake that determined the body's response and subsequent feelings of fullness.
Results varied depending on what the participants believed they were drinking.
In the end, it was a matter of the heart.
Changes occurred when I not only heard the contents of the drink but also believed them.
The power of thought is to influence our beliefs, our innermost self-consciousness, and these beliefs, in turn, have the power to change us.
The mind (our character, our deepest beliefs, our core sense of self) actually has the power to change our brain.
--- p.30

How are mind, heart, and brain different? These three words are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
The brain corresponds to the hardware of a computer, that is, the machine.
All elements of the central nervous system that can be physically touched, such as neurons, glia, and neurotransmitters.
Accidents correspond to the computer's software, operating system, and programs.
......
The mind is broader and more comprehensive than the heart.
In other words, the mind is a part (branch) of thought and a part of software.
For example, the native language is not part of the brain but rather part of the mind, but the mind (personality) accesses and utilizes its software functions.

--- p.31