Sipping Saltwater ebook

The idea that we are constantly sipping saltwater is an extremely helpful image which is then carefully applied to our battle with sin. It is beautifully honest, packed with stories, and ultimately full of hope in Christ.

Our lives get more busy yet more empty. Steve gets this—he gets us. He describes what you feel, why you feel like that, and walks with you to a better way. And, somehow, he does it in a way that makes you feel heard, even befriended. Within two pages you will be drawn in by Steve's honesty and how he seems to speak to you. Then you read the entire book—hope rising with each chapter. Since one chapter will be uniquely yours, you will double back, re-read that chapter, and act on that hope.

In Sipping Saltwater, Steve grabs your attention from the very first sentence. He sheds unique insight into idolatry through vivid imagery and solid biblical instruction. He powerfully points you to the only One who can and will quench your thirst. I will be sharing this book with those I counsel—both professing Christians and those who profess no faith at all.

Sipping Saltwater is an invitation to find lasting satisfaction for our deepest longings. Steve offers biblical and relevant ways to think differently about work, sex, money, comfort, control, and much more. Compelling, practical, and transparent, I could not put this book down!

In Sipping Saltwater, Steve Hoppe draws on his vast experience as a pastor and counselor. He writes not as an aloof professional, but rather as a fellow traveler—broken, flawed, and in search of full redemption. With clarity and directness, he weaves together the timeless truths of Scripture, real-life stories of people in the pews, and his own journey of moving from brokenness to wholeness.

In Sipping Saltwater, Steve Hoppe uses vivid imagery and powerful stories to explain a problem plaguing us all—idolatry.  But he doesn’t stop there. He gets practical by digging into dozens of everyday idols and showing how Christ is better than them all.

With a pastor's heart, a counselor's eye, and a historian's love of story, Steve draws from each to produce a helpful book on the idols of the heart. Steve unpacks the dynamics around why we return to destructive choices, even when we know they are destroying us. With insight that comes from years of walking alongside others,  Steve sees into the human heart and provides hope for healing its brokenness. This book is real, a bit gritty, and immensely helpful!

Surrounded by saltwater inside the gut of a fish, the prophet Jonah said that when we cling to worthless idols, we forfeit the grace that could be ours. Sipping Saltwater is a thoughtful, helpful field guide on the idols Jonah grieved, and to which we, too, are all susceptible. Through the telling of story, biblical insight, and a strong underpinning of grace, Steve provides an excellent field guide to help us forfeit these idols and cling instead to the grace that is ours in Jesus. I highly recommend this book.

How often have we all thought, "Why do I keep doing the same unwise things over and over again?" In Sipping Saltwater Steve pulls back the curtain to help us understand what our unhealthy motives are and how the gospel can bring hope, clarity and change to the darkest areas of our lives.

This book has been so good for my foolish, thirsty heart that so easily defaults to drinking deadly "saltwater". With great warmth, honesty and insight Steve exposes and redirects our hearts to the Lord Jesus, the only one who can and does quench our thirst and bring joy to our hearts.

A powerfully real and personal book that informs as much as it moves, and challenges as much as it gives hope in the God who gives many gifts.