Rescue Skills: Essential Skills for Restoring the Sexually Broken

“Rescue Skills is the fruit of years of combined ministry. Reju and Holmes, who are skilled at their craft, offer robust, practical wisdom that flows from biblical truths and pastoral hearts. Rescue Skills serves as an invaluable guide, not only for helping those struggling with porn in particular, but also for bearing one another’s burdens in general. I highly recommend this book for any disciple and disciple-maker. ”

“Brothers and sisters! This book has the potential to not only change the way you offer ministry to women and men who battle sexual sin but to transform churches. Imagine what would happen if the body of Christ actively engaged in personal study of the gospel with a view toward application in discipleship to those bound up in sexual sin? Envision with me what would happen if the church embraced practical, on-the-ground ministry rather than merely talking about sexuality. Rescue Skills can powerfully encourage and equip you through the guidance of two experienced pastors who have written this book from years in the trenches of loving people.”

“This is a hard book to endorse—there are just too many good things to say! Holmes and Reju know the questions the helper must ask, the excuses the struggler will offer, the inner struggles that define the porn user’s world, the way to help that will actually make a difference. Rescue Skills somehow manages to teach compassion for those who dive into porn without being soft on their sin. It also brings refreshingly novel topics to the battle, including reviving the conscience, taking your body’s struggle seriously, and appreciating rather than avoiding true beauty. Rescue Skills is the most realistic yet hope-filled book I’ve read on helping people with pornography”

“Compassionate, fresh, practical, convicting, and reproducible, Rescue Skills and the loved ones who are seeking to help them. Within these pages lies the aggregate wisdom of two pastor-practitioners—counseling leaders who have dedicated their lives to the skill and beauty of helping people to experience gospel liberation. Whether you are personally fighting for freedom or counseling those under attack, this book forms a new weapon in the arsenal to help win the war is the right book at the right time for those who are facing sexual brokenness ”

“Reju and Holmes give us page after page of wisdom—God’s truth applied in practical ways to a widespread problem that all counselors and disciplers face. It is gospel-infused, biblically driven, and church-based, yet filled with concrete steps and sprinkled with case examples from their counseling ministries. A rich, readable resource for every Christian who wants to help friends who are tempted by or enslaved to pornography.”

“In Rescue Skills, Deepak and Jonathan set out to help counselors to become better helpers and disciplers of men or women struggling with addiction, and this book certainly accomplishes that task. Each chapter is filled with solid, practical guidance that can be put into practice immediately— guidance that is consistently rooted in God’s Word. This book is the perfect companion to Rescue Plan! ”

“The sin of pornography is a growing issue in the church. Knowing how to help someone in this situation can be daunting. Rescue Skills is a gift to the church. Biblical counselors Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes have meticulously written a biblical roadmap for those who are coming alongside someone who struggles with pornography. Rescue Skills translates biblical theology into practice through the process of biblical discipleship. It teaches the reader how to grow in essential skills, such as listening, asking heart-probing questions, and executing a biblical plan of action to give help and hope to the sexually broken. The easy-to-read chapters illustrate real-life narratives and provide immediate guidance in how to navigate difficult conversations. The reader is encouraged to practice the skills right away by using the application questions and reflections at the end of each chapter. This book is for church leaders and anyone who knows someone who is struggling with pornography. The reader will gain insight, wisdom, and encouragement to grow in their personal skills to be a better minister and friend to the sexually broken. I highly recommend this book!”

“Read this book and you will be better equipped to help those who are struggling with pornography. In short and practically applied chapters full of true-to-life examples, Deepak Reju and Jonathan Holmes have provided a highly useable resource for anyone who wants to help someone to escape from an addiction to porn. Refreshingly honest, biblically faithful, deeply realistic, and filled with the hope that only grace can bring, this is a book that pastors, counsellors, and friends will turn to again and again.”

“Rescue Skills offers the most comprehensive approach of any resource I have seen to equip counselors to offer wise, practical, biblical advice to people who indulge in pornography and other sexual sins. The authors are very specific and real about these struggles without being salacious. They strike an appropriate balance between addressing the heart and taking action to restrain the flesh. While the book specifically addresses sexual issues, most of its wisdom would apply to helping counselees with other besetting sins. My students and counselees will benefit from this resource.”

“The scope of the church’s porn problem is staggering. It’s no wonder that the world mocks us as the porn industry seeks relentlessly to prove that Christ is a cuckold. We need many more disciplers equipped to lead strugglers away from sexual sin and into the gracious arms of Jesus. This book is a stockpile of necessary wisdom. As you read it, your arsenal will be filled with multidimensional tactics specific to the battle against porn. You will come away prepared to be a better friend, spouse, counselor, or pastor to the many men and women who desperately need wise care.”

“No other book I’ve read more clearly teaches churches the practical skills necessary to help those who are struggling with sexual sin. Rescue Skills is rich with stories that clarify how to wisely help both men and women. But it’s not just a catalogue of biblical precision tools. Most of all, it is the merciful heart of our ultimate Rescuer, Jesus Christ, that is on display. Each page displays his gentle heart toward sinners, providing hope and motivation to the reader. This will be an indispensable resource for our church’s counseling team going forward.”

“What happens when two seasoned shepherds team up to write a guide to help us to disciple those who struggle to overcome sexual sin? We receive the hope-infused, grace-fueled, Christ-centered, and biblically faithful tool you hold in your hands. Rescue Skills is a gift to all who are motivated by love to come alongside others to carefully discern how to help them to get to the roots of their struggle, so that they may experience lasting transformation. This wisely crafted instrument, in the hands of gracious disciplers, is sure to help many to learn to walk in the victory of gospel-rooted obedience.”

“Walking alongside people who are sexually broken can feel like a daunting task—their actions can confuse us; their underlying heart struggles can be hard to address. Within these pages, however, there is hope and help. Whether you are a formal counselor or an individual who wants to spur on a friend, Rescue Skills is packed full of biblical nourishment, methodological wisdom, and a wealth of encouragement to keep nurturing our own hearts as we help those around us. Accessible, practical, and dripping with grace— it’s a book I’ll undoubtedly be coming back to time and again.”

“Rescue Skills is a delightful combination of sound theology and practical instruction on how to improve our actual counseling methodology. Jonathan and Deepak are a special blessing to Christ’s church because they are immersed in biblical truth and experienced in helping people with real-life struggles. This book will help you to grow in your understanding of the process of counseling. The gospel is the greatest rescue project ever. May our Redeemer help us to become more skilled in this life-giving and life-changing endeavor.”

“Rescue Skills is an essential go-to for every pastor, church leader, small group leader, caring friend, mentor, or counselor who desires to grow in their people-helping skills. And that’s all of us. You will find this book incredibly helpful as you minister to people with a variety of struggles, not just the sexually broken. Developing and honing the art of wise caring takes time, patience, and practice. You will probably read this book with one specific person or situation in mind, but I think you will come back to it again and again to grow in proficiency as other needs arise. I recommend keeping Rescue Skills, and its companion volume, Rescue Plan, close at hand.”