STEPPING UP TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY Inspires Faith Development

How mature is your faith? According to counselor and former missionary and preacher's wife Sara Hines Martin, it's probably in its infancy. In her book, "Stepping up to Spiritual Maturity: The Stages of Faith Development," Martin outlines the stages of faith development and encourages people to develop a more authentic faith.

"From my observations of many years as a pastor's wife, missionary and counselor, I observe that most Christians have immature levels of faith," she says.

"Stepping Up to Spiritual Maturity" is a guide for people to reach spiritual maturity, whether they have been in church their whole lives or are simply curious about the Christian life. Martin has seen many people who believed they were spiritually mature simply because they spent much of their life in church, but their faith was not authentic. She shares insights for people to develop their spiritual maturity and graduate from milk to meat, as Paul said.

"This book grew out of painful experiences I had," Martin says. "Even thought I was a pastor's wife and a missionary, I recognized I had no faith in a loving God. The same was true for my pastor/missionary husband. I started on a search to discover what was a satisfying, mature faith."

With Master's degrees in religious education and counseling, Martin has studied the Bible extensively and has the background knowledge necessary to counsel people in stepping up to spiritual maturity. She understands how psychological development plays into faith development, but still presents the information in an easily understandable way. Martin is passionate about making sure all Christians have access to the tools needed to develop a mature, authentic faith, not simply a nominal one.

"Stepping up to Spiritual Maturity: The Stages of Faith Development"
By Sara Hines Martin
ISBN: 978-1-4497-5242-2 (sc); 978-1-4497-5241-5 (hc); 978-1-4497-5243-9 (e)
Softcover, $17.95
Hardcover, $33.95
Ebook, $3.99
Approximately 218 pages
Available at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

About the author
Sara Hines Martin, holds a bachelor's degree in English, a master's degree in religious education and a Master of Science degree in counseling. She works as a therapist in private practice in Kennesaw, Ga., and has been writing professionally for more than fifty years. Her books include "Healing for Adult Children of Alcoholics" and "Shame on You! Help for Adults from Alcoholic & Other Shame-Bound Families." She has been a pastor's wife and was a missionary in the Caribbean for fifteen years.

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