Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress

by Shelby Abbott

This humorous, poignant, and conversational guide invites young men and women to practically apply gospel solutions to all of life’s pressures, big or small. From navigating failure, roadblocks, and spiritual warfare to tackling relevant, hard-hitting topics such as drinking, sex, dating, pornography, and the fear of missing out, Pressure Points by Shelby Abbott encourages college students to consider Jesus in the midst of everyday struggles.

With twenty years of experience in college ministry, Shelby Abbott is keenly aware of the pressures young men and women face. Used for biblical reflection, group discussion, devotional reading, or large group Bible study discussion, Pressure Points is full of rich gospel hope for all readers. This flexible resource points to Scripture and Abbott’s funny, easily digestible reflections to help modern-day college students maneuver their early years toward the gospel, challenging young adults to see their struggles through a biblical lens.

By addressing relevant challenges and practical hardships with gospel advice, Pressure Points guides readers to see and lean on the person of Jesus, reflecting on important issues in light of the gospel. From waiting on the Lord with patience, learning to fellowship with him in his sufferings, to wrestling with purpose, relationships, and the growing challenges of today’s culture, Pressure Points is a timely and refreshing voice for young people pointing to a bottomless pit of grace.

Genres: Theology

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2019

About the author

Shelby Abbott is an author, campus minister, and conference speaker on staff with the ministry of Cru. His passion for university students has led him to speak at college campuses all over the United States and author the books Jacked, I Am A Tool (To Help With Your Dating Life), and Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress (New Growth Press). He and his wife Rachael have two daughters and reside in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here was my endorsement of the book:

When it comes to student ministry, there are few people I trust more than Shelby Abbott. I’ve watched him up close and far away. He understands the challenges, the struggles, and the angst that so often haunt the college years. In “Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress,” Shelby deftly blends biblical insight and experiential wisdom to help young people navigate life-shaping questions. Buy two copies of this book—one for that twentysomething in your life, and one for yourself. You won’t regret it.

[Alex Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastic book to read as a small group. Abbott clearly has a ton of experience working with college students and discerning many of the “pressure points” they undergo. While maybe not the place, I think Abbott could have provided appropriate steps in how to navigate the situations and what advice she could give.

[Theron John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you a student facing anxiety and stressing out over matters of life, relationships, and hardships, then find rest in reading 'Pressure Points' by Shelby Abbott. You will find relief as Abbott shows you where you can find your rest.

See full review at: http://www.entrustedbygod.org/2019/08...

[R.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where saying “I’m stressed out” is automatic and almost normal, Pressure Points is a book that guides students to break out of that cycle and overcome the pressure points in their lives.

Being a stressed-out college student myself, I am, without a doubt, the target audience for this book. I’ve encountered many of the issues that the author uses as examples and his advice for putting Jesus in the middle of those situations is something I’ve always tried to do. But more than just saying what we should do, Abbott goes a step further and tells you how to walk a Christian life in the midst of the chaos of college.

Pressure Points is extremely conversational, not preachy. Abbott is honest about his own college life experiences, his struggles and triumphs, so it doesn’t feel like he considers himself “holier than thou”. It’s just an honest, down to earth book that shows his passion for college students finding their calling as Christians and overcoming the college temptations.

A couple chapters that I really liked, were the chapters on respecting parents as an adult college student, and the relationship/friendships advice. Don’t get me wrong, the entire book is great, but these chapters really stood out as exceptional to me. The one on respecting parents as a college student is something that just really needed to be said. Abbott discusses the tension between wanting to be entirely on your own, as a young adult, but also still depending on your parents for college tuition and other monetary support. He details the need for your respect, as a college student, to your parents in this stage of life to keep those parent/kid fights from ripping the family apart. That chapter was just really well done and I truly wish I had been able to read it while I still lived at home. The friendships and relationships chapters were equally as well done and I recommend the book for those chapters alone!

Overall, I was really pleased upon finishing Pressure Points and I really recommend reading it as a college student, or even a high school student considering going to college. It’s a great book of preparation. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.

[Natalie Coiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt actually finish this book, mostly because I didn’t find it worth finishing. It was recommended to me as a book for young adults, but I found it more geared to teens or new believers in its depth. I would still recommend it to someone in that group, but it was pretty surface-level which I was not interested in.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for college students today and the stress they experience as our culture shifts and technology continues to pull their attention.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise book that informatively addresses the pressures and stresses facing Christian college students today. Abbott starts with the big issues about who we are and how we are fully known and loved by God, which enables the reader to consider their life’s direction and how God wants them to live. He goes on to address the variety of relationships that college students could be in: romantic, friendships, with parents and with their church community and how each can be lived in ways that honour God, even with the complexities they bring. He confronts the emptiness of social media and modern technology head on, as well as how we can look to Jesus when times are hard.

Each chapter concludes with three reflection questions for the reader to ponder and so would be excellent for a young adult to read on their own. However, there would also be real benefit to work through it with a mentor, providing opportunity to talk through issues and pray together. It is written with a North American college context in mind, but much is applicable to a wider Western university context.

Highly recommended reading for young adults at university.

(I received an ecopy in exchange for an honest review)

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving into the university and young adult stages of life bring additional difficulty, as it is not something we have experienced before. With the wisdom of years of working in college ministry, Shelby talks about issues that face this generation of young adults as they struggle with life in both ancient and modern problems. Moving through both expected issues such as sexual conduct and unexpected issues like friendships, Shelby provides all of the wealth of his experience. This book provides a great short list of questions at the end of each chapter which forces the reader to slow down and evaluate where they are with respect to these questions. All of the content covered is applicable to young adults and is written in a tone that reminds us of a friend. In an age where the move to university is leading more frequently to an abandonment of a relationship with God, this book anchors the solution of every problem that we face in this season to the Cross.
I was provided a digital copy of the book through NetGalley, but all thoughts included are my own.

[Jan Eldred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mr. Abbott’s book, Pressure Points. Especially from a high school teacher’s point of view, I could see this book used for high school age Christians, with just a few modifications. It is written for and directed toward young adults who are already Christians and struggling to come to terms with their culture, and their relationship to Jesus Christ. In Pressure Points, Abbott works to reground young adults in their faith. Using scripture, he teaches Christian college-age young people what they may have heard before, but need to hear again: That it is God who is in control and He knows more than we do. If we love and trust Him, He will guide us a lot better and more lovingly than a “friend” who has “liked” us on Facebook

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to college in the fall? Know someone who is? PRESSURE POINTS is the book for stressed out students (that might work for everyone.) It would be excellent for small group studies or college and career Sunday school classes. It would work for one student alone, too, but it's friendlier with two.



The topics are mentioned in the description so I won't repeat them, but they are addressed in a friendly, conversational voice and include discussion questions with room to write.



An excellent guide to handling stress and finding yourself.



I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

[Jerry Riendeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelby is more in touch with college student culture than anyone I know (and I work in college ministry). In this book he tackles a number of challenges that college students today face. He provides both practical tips as well as a gospel centered perspective. I'd recommend this book to all college students and those who love them.

[Hunter Leavine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book that is very practical and accessibly written for college students (would be good for high school as well). A quick read that covers a lot of “pressure points” or struggles that students experience. Each section connects that issue to the gospel in a quick and helpful way.

[Addie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

[Benedict Jhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this as a freshman in college

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Information
Title: Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress
Author: Shelby Abbott
Publisher: New Growth Press
Publication Date: April 22nd, 2019
ISBN: 9781948130349
Price: $15.99

Book Review

As a fresh graduate, entering what one call’s “the real world”, how are we supposed to live with all these new found freedoms from a Christian perspective? In Shelby Abbott’s Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress he addresses what life throws at you as you enter into the transition to adulthood. Throughout Abbott’s book, he touches on a wide variety of “pressure points” that can be a huge factor for stress and anxiety and supplements these points with biblical wisdom he has given and used himself through the years of being a college student and engaging with college students on a daily basis.

I love that Abbott’s book is focused on the culture we live in at hand. Rather than shaming the millennial generation, he builds them up as leaders of the next generation. In Pressure Points, Abbott talks about purity, technology and people pleasing, and purpose. He covers a huge variety of topics seamlessly. Pressure Points is a great tool not only for high school graduates, college students, but anyone who is known as the “millennial generation”.

Shelby Abbott has written a wonderful guide that is extremely quotable and easily applicable. While Pressure Points did take me a while to read in comparison to other novels I have been able to read, it was due to the heaviness of the text. When you pick up Pressure Points, expect to mediate of godly counsel and the Word of God. Pressure Points by Shelby Abbott is a 5 out of 5 stars. This guide is one of a kind, jam-packed full of godly wisdom for the millennial generation, and applicable to the culture we live in today.
Thank You

A big thank you to Net Galley for supplying this book as well as the Publishers New Growth Press for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderful book! I also want to thank you, Shelby Abbott, for speaking into the millennial generation and talking on a wide range of topics that are usually brushed under the rug. I will be sharing this guide to many.

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my fuller review at Spoiled Milks (7/12/19).

Shelby Abbott has worked in student ministry for almost twenty years, and he has been around students and in their lives long enough to spot their pressure points. What do most high school and college students find challenging about life? There are many decisions that need to be made in this very short period of life. “Your decisions… will shape your future reality, making college time potentially the most stressful of pressure cookers” (2).

Abbott divides his book into three sections dealing with areas life places the most pressure: our finding purpose, our relationships, and other difficulties. 

Abbott answers questions about whether God likes us, how to discover our life’s direction and God’s will, and how to handle the void. The student should ask “How does my life fit into God’s will?” We live in God’s world, and he is doing something larger than what goes on in your life.

In part three, Abbott looks at other difficulties in life, how to work through them, and how they shape us. There are four chapters, and he first writes about how challenges shape our character.

Give this to your son or daughter as they enter high school or go off to college. Give this to students in your youth group or at your church. Their life probably feels like a pressure cooker right now, and this book will help let off some of the steam for them and point them to Jesus who holds them in his hands.