Title: Wood You Believe: The Spiritual Self, A Spirituality of Healing and Integration For The Times We Live In
Author: Fr. Jim Cogley
Publisher: Matchstick Literary
ISBN: 978-1642542554
Pages: 92
Genre: Spiritual
Reviewed by: Aaron Washington

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Like other books in the “Wood You Believe” series, this book is another masterpiece that will help you with personal growth. Fr. Jim Cogley incorporated every piece of text that will help the reader in their journey of spirituality and healing. The author blended real stories with scriptures and logic to pass the message home. I commend him for being thorough in his explanation, as it helped me fully understand the subjects covered. Psychology, spirituality and our well-being are all connected. The three must be the embraced for one to be in a good state.

This book is a gem. The prudence and advice found in between the pages are not only enlightening but also give one a sense of fulfillment. Fr. Jim is a gifted narrator. One learns different lessons every time they finish a part of the book. The author is careful with his words and tries to logically explain theories in the gentlest way. I admired his method of discussing things.

The best thing when reading part 1 of the book, which questioned faith was Fr. Jim’s explanation of how truth prevails. He starts talking about the piece of artwork that is on the cover of the book. It is an uncommon rough-looking piece of bog oak more than four thousand years old. There is a cross at the bottom of the oak. The cross is clearly seen, and it signifies how powerful faith is. Even after all those years of dark forces and layers of historical accretions, one can still see how intact the Christian faith is. It is comforting to know that the faith in Christ never dies.

“God does not save us from our humanity but rather through our humanity” is one of my favorite quotes in the book. It is one of those quotes I read and felt at ease with myself. After reading the book and reflecting on what I had read, I fully understood the true meaning behind the quote. Like the other volumes, this book contains wooden pieces of art on most pages. The beautiful drawings made my reading more exciting, as the author had many art pieces. It is also great that the wooden drawings were related to the text in the pages they appeared on. The family tree bowl made it to my top five wooden drawings. I love the explanation the author gave; how the roots in the carved bowl reached down into the soil and how older generations pass bad energy to younger generations, just how root rot happens.

This book is an exciting and enlightening read. I can’t help but appreciate the good work Fr. Jim Cogley did in putting together this classic piece of work. This book will help you in your journey as a Christian, as you will discover things you didn’t know about yourself. It is a short read that has every detail you need about spirituality. Knowing yourself as an individual is the greatest gift you can have. This book will enable you to relate well with yourself and God in your day to day life.