(Tricia here - It is always hard to lose someone, but especially so around the holidays. I am looking forward to reading this one and hopefully gaining some new insights and ways I can better minister to those around me who are grieving. Here is the official word - review to follow.)
When You Lose Someone You Love
by Richard Exley
There is nothing more devastating than the death of a loved one. And whether it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, or at the end of a long and painful illness, every death is experienced anew, a shocking loss that takes your breath away and leaves you disoriented and lost.
Grief is mysterious, misunderstood, and experienced differently from individual to individual. Yet there are certain universal elements, and in this compassionate handbook on grief, a pastor offers comfort and understanding by exchanging letters with a man suffering a profound loss, showing grief as a healthy process that God can use to mend broken hearts.
“I have chosen the ‘letter style’ because it affords me the opportunity to speak to you directly and in a very personal manner,” Exley says. “This is not a book about grief; rather, it is comfort extended to those who are even now walking through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Revised and updated, this twentieth anniversary edition features prayers and scripture meditation, as well as a new introduction and epilogue. Simple, profound, personal, compassionate … When You Lose Someone You Love tenderly guides you through sorrow to peace and, eventually, renewed joy.
Author Bio: Richard Exley is the author of twenty-nine books and has written both fiction and nonfiction. His articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including Leadership Journal, Charisma, Ministries Today, The Pentecostal Evangel, Advance, Enrichment, and New Man. He has served as senior pastor of churches in Colorado and Oklahoma, hosted several popular television and radio programs, including the nationally syndicated Straight from the Heart, and appeared on the 700 Club, Richard Roberts Live, Action Sixty, the former PTL, The New Jim Bakker Show, and The Harvest Show. Richard and his wife, Brenda Starr, spend their time in a secluded cabin overlooking picturesque Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas.
When You Lose Someone You Love by Richard Exley
David C Cook/October 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6480-5/128 pages/softcover/$9.99 http://www.davidccook.com/
If you know Kaylie, you know she comes up with some great one-liners (and two and three liners). She cracks me up all the time, and the best part is when I totally crack up she says "What?!?" - she has no clue how funny she is and isn't usually saying things to get a laugh, she just has a unique way of looking at life. Here are some recent gems: (not as funny if you don't know Kaylie and can't read them in her voice, but I found them entertaining)
• Walking up to my grandparent’s wreath decorated door –
Me: Oh, look at Nana and Papa’s cute wreath
K: Yes, it adds such a charming touch
• In the car –
Hannah: What was I about to say to you [Mom]?
Me: I love you Mom, you are the best mom ever and I am so lucky to have you as a mom?
K: I was about to say that! (pause) Not really.
• On the way home from school –
K: Mom, Allen said my mouse [her new KinzClip] is a rat. I said, “No, it’s not, it’s a mouse. M-O-U-S-E, mouse. And he said R-A-T, rat! [more talking about rat v. mouse]…and it has a furless pink tail, which I am kind of creeped out by the furless part….[and on and on…much more than one ever needed to know about stuffed mini-mice - this one was just funny because she kept going and the tone of voice she had]
• In her book report – (please don’t think this is mean)
Then Old Nimrod died on the altar steps. (He was on an altar then when he died.) [This is a direct quote from the report.]
• When I was sick recently –
I think you are getting pregnant again
• Explaining to me why she wanted a book on “dog language” for Christmas –
Well, I just wanted to be able to understand Archie and Marvin [our dogs].
Apparently, except for the video I posted earlier this month, I did not mention TheChurch of Facebook by Jesse Rice. Oy. Big lapse on my part. So here's the scoop:
Facebook: Where the Future Church Hangs Out
How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community
The Official Word:
A revolution is taking place, one profile at a time. Online social networks like Facebook and MySpace are connecting people like never before. With hundreds of millions of users, they’re creating almost limitless potential to redefine our personal worlds. It’s a movement that’s changing how we form relationships, perceive others, and shape our identity.
In his new book, The Church of Facebook (David C Cook, October 2009) author Jesse Rice takes a deeper look at the movement which, at its core, reflects our need for community. “Our longing for intimacy, connection, and a place to belong has never been a secret, but social networking offers us a new perspective on the way we engage our community,” Rice states. This new perspective raises new questions: How do these networks impact our relationships? In what ways are they shaping the way we think of ourselves? And how might this phenomenon subtly reflect a God who longs to connect with each one of us?
The Church of Facebook explores these ideas and much more, offering a revealing look at the wildly popular world of online social networking. “The new landscape of social networking tells us two basic things: One, we have a deep desire to be known. And, two, we are faced with a technology that both enables and hinders the intimacy we’re looking for,” Rice says. From personal profiles to status updates, author Jesse Rice takes a thoroughly entertaining and insightful look into what Facebook reveals about us, and what it may mean for the future of “community.”
Social networking is no fad; it has become a fact of life, especially for teens and twenty-somethings. The Church of Facebook is essential reading for parents and pastors who want to understand this trend and its impact on their children and congregations. Rice’s discussions will engage social networkers of all ages and stages who are wrestling with the very real issues of identity, meaning, purpose, and friendship within the context of virtual communities.
In the end, The Church of Facebook moves readers toward understanding God’s work in the body of Christ, the church. Driven by Rice’s thought-provoking questions, observations, humor, and heartfelt storytelling, The Church of Facebook challenges readers to consider new perspectives regarding their social networking habits and how those habits may point to deeper heart issues and, ultimately, our hunger for Jesus.
Author Bio: Jesse Rice is a writer and musician and served for eight years as the Contemporary Worship Arts Director at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, a large and thriving congregation in the heart of Silicon Valley. Jesse has a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and is an authority on the search for meaning in a fast-paced, hyper-connected world. He is a sought-after worship leader and speaker with more than fifteen years of experience working with college students and young adults. Jesse and his wife, Katie, live in Palo Alto, California.
Tricia's Take:
If you are online (which you are since you are reading this), then you should read this book. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still very good. It really made me stop and take account of how I am using my time and how social networking can be handled properly and for good, not just a waste of time. I learned alot of interesting things about human behavior and really enjoyed the stories/examples Jesse shared in order to flesh out his main points. Plus the book has some great little bits of humor, and that is a rare (and welcome) thing in a genre that can get a little dry. This book was very easy to read, but that doesn't mean there was no substance. I really dug this book.
Here is why Jesse is my current favorite author. An excerpt from the footnote page 147: I feel the need to point out that a Bluetooth device is not a fashion accessory... Yes, I can see the value of hands-free communication while driving. I drive "hands free" all the time - it's why God gave me knees...at no time, and not under any circumstance, should you be caught wearing such a device.
It's like he crawled inside my head.
Another example of the sense of humor displayed in the book is this video promo for the book. You need to take a couple minutes and watch it.
As the astute reader will notice, it has been awhile since I have blogged. Lots has happened, where to start? Since it will take more than a few minutes to catch you up and I have to get the girls packed for the trip to my mom and step-dad's, I leave you with this fun plug for Jesse Rice's book The Church of Facebook (which I am in the process of reading and will review for you soon).
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