Subtitled “A 12-Week Daily Devotional for Freedom from Alcohol”, Rose Ann Forte’s THE PLANS HE HAS FOR ME (A 12-Week Daily Devotional for Freedom from Alcohol) takes the form of prayer and guidance from scripture, alongside an encouragement to contemplate and reflect, as a strategy to break the reader’s dependence on alcohol. The book is based on the author’s personal experiences with alcohol and the emotional damage it caused. Forte found success by following a coaching program to help her tackle her drinking problem and realized that by transforming her approach to the way she was living she could open herself up to fully appreciating the gifts that God had given her. With THE PLANS HE HAS FOR ME, Forte further develops the method that proved so successful for her, encompassing wisdom from scripture alongside practical advice.
By breaking the process down to a day-by-day devotional, the book is designed to guide the reader towards a point where they no longer need alcohol and will find in its place a new sense of empowerment and connectivity to God. Each day is marked by a passage from the bible to be considered and a short “mindful minute” which take the form of either encouraging contemplative exercises or of Biblical commentary on the day’s extract. At the end of each day a prayer is provided. The reader is encouraged to keep a journal of their thoughts as they continue their journey and the print copies of the book include space for notes. As stated in her author biography, once Forte recognized her drinking was an issue she did not wish to enroll in the Alcoholics Anonymous program as she was uncomfortable with some aspects of it. She had already committed to God and did not wish to label herself an alcoholic. It’s interesting to note that the term “alcoholic” doesn’t appear anywhere in the text of THE PLANS HE HAS FOR ME. The guidance here is designed perhaps more for problem drinkers than alcoholics, i.e. for those whose relationship with alcohol causes serious issues rather than those literally addicted. Viewed this way the book has appeal to a wider audience. Indeed it is very simple to replace alcohol with any number of harmful habits – for instance smoking or junk food or gambling.
With its clean and simple layout, THE PLANS HE HAS FOR ME (A 12-Week Daily Devotional for Freedom from Alcohol) is a thoughtful guide to breaking free from alcohol dependence and–by carefully selecting apt passages from the bible as inspiration–author Rose Ann Forte helps ensure the reader has support and guidance on their journey to sobriety.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader