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Beth Moore is not an unfamiliar teacher to me, years ago I was involved in a women’s Bible study group where we would sit in the auditorium, watch the church’s big screen television and join Moore’s class on The Tabernacle through the magic of satellite. I remember being very impressed by her in depth teaching and wit. The workbook that went along with the class is still here on my bookshelves. But, that was then, this is now, and after last year’s list of let-downs in the world of “Christian-ese” I was a little leery. I’m happy to say that this book did not disappoint.

Going back to the Old Testament Hebrew, Moore defines what a pit is and what a pit feels like when you’re in one. Apparently, some of us can be in a pit and not even know it. So what are the tell-tale signs of pit dwelling? According to Moore, “you feel stuck,” “you can’t stand up,” and “you’ve lost your vision.” Pits are dark and uncomfortable. But some “pit dwellers” have become so accustomed to “pit living” that they’ve decorated the inside, brought some furniture in, and invited company over for dinner. I know a little about “pit visiting” and “pit dwelling.” Who doesn’t?

So how do you get in a pit? Moore lists and explains the three ways to get there. One: someone throws you in. Think Joseph of the Old Testament. His brothers threw him in a pit and left him for dead - and then sat down to have a nice picnic lunch next to the pit where Joseph was crying and screaming! (I never really paid that much attention to that part of the story, but when you think about it, geez, what jerks!!! Even if Joseph was daddy’s favorite and a bit of a brat, nobody deserves that. Fortunately, that story does have a happy ending.) Sometimes it’s just a matter of circumstance. You know, pit happens. So sometimes we get there by the stupid and/or mean actions of others and sometimes it’s just the way life goes; bad, sometimes tragic things happen. Two: we slip, slide away into a pit. We didn’t intend to do anything wrong; maybe we were even trying to do something good by being helpful but ended up trapped in an unhealthy relationship or position. (I think the psychological term for this is codependence. My best friend defines this as “doing something for somebody that they’re more than capable of doing for themselves.”) When people have an unhealthy dependence on us – or us on them – that’s a kind of pit (and a tough one to get out of too). And then there’s the time we jump into a pit. Oh, yeah. We know it’s a stupid thing to do but we do it anyway and live to regret it later. There you have it. Three ways to get in a pit: thrown in, slip in, jump in.

So how do you get out? Typically, you’re in a pit by yourself. Nobody’s there to throw you out, it’s impossible to slip out, and you certainly can’t jump out. Sometimes though you do have company. “Pit pileups” (as in the case of dysfunctional families) are not that uncommon and someone in the group needs to lead the way out. Maybe someone can pull you out, but even then, you’re likely to find yourself in another kind of pit. (Kind of like “out of the frying pan into the fire” situation.) Moore makes a point here that I never thought of: every time the Israelites of the Old Testament demanded a human deliverer they ended up defeated and/or in slavery again. Getting out of and staying out of whatever pit we find ourselves in requires some knowledge (what’s a pit, how do we get in ‘em) and effort on our part. We’ve got to decide to get out (believe it or not, some people like their pits) and let God get us out. She also includes ways we can help other people get out of their pits without falling back in ourselves. Moore includes definite steps on how to do that in what she calls “page-to-pavement answers.” It’s pretty good advice too.

I liked this book. I looked forward to grabbing my cup of coffee in the morning and reading it. There’s a lot of common sense here backed up with Bible. It may not be heavy-duty theology but there are word studies and familiar biblical stories looked at with a fresh perspective. Moore is also funny and quite a few anecdotes are in here which makes the reading pretty entertaining. The chapter on music was quite a surprise and included in the back of the book is a little mini-study guide of “Reflection Questions” and “Personal Application Questions.” What really shocked me, though, was when she spoke of what she thinks of the state of the Christian community today and found out that we share very similar views. ( )

I enjoyed this book very much, and found her advice excellent and scriptural. I especially enjoyed the read-aloud scripture passages that she included, and felt moved to include this particular idea in my devotional life.

I loved the biblical backing for all of her advice, and the metaphors were extremely helpful. It was nice to know that other people have been in "the pit" before me, and God helped them out. I was slightly disappointed in some of the assumptions made (such as the woman who offered to read Tarot cards was a witch), and felt condemned during some examples of how one falls into a pit (but she had to put that in there- the point is that you're in a pit, that's why you're reading this book), but overall the book was good. ( )

The author gives tips on how to trust God to get out of depression and other negative things Pretty good. (Feb 08) ( )