Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Reflections on Suffering

Just released...April 2012

Well, my second book has now been released as an e-book. My latest book is a Bible study. It is called Reflections on Suffering: Defining Our Crosses and Letting go of Pain. It is available on Amazon.Com  and on Kobo.Com now. Within the next couple of weeks, it will be on sale at Barnes and Noble for the Nook, Sony for Sony e-readers and eBookPie and a few other sites.

Why write a nonfiction book? Because I wanted to put down in words for my children what I believe and why I believe it. I also didn’t want other people to define their lives for them, decide why challenges are in their lives or try to speak for them.

It’s a book about human suffering. Why write about suffering? Because it is a question I have had to address so often in my own life and throughout my ministry.  People want to know, “Why?” Why do people face devastating tragedies in their lives? Why do cities flood? Why do children die from cancer? Why does an earthquake reduce an area to a pile of rubble? Why do pedophiles get released only to then murder someone’s daughter? Why do drunk drivers kill innocent children? Why does domestic violence still exist in families in our churches?

I also wanted to address the issues surrounding suffering that are often confused with carrying our cross.  Are we called to suffer as Christians? If so, what does this suffering look like? Many people confuse suffering that God hopes we work to end with suffering that he asks us to carry.

Through this book, I hope readers or class participants open their minds and their hearts to examine honestly the crosses God may be asking us to bear along with ways to end needless suffering in our world. I began this book with a fictional account of a woman named Maggie facing a suffering world and facing her own suffering. I chose this story to open the conversation about suffering in general without focusing on any personal account for readers.

“You have written a very profound piece.” --Sharon V.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” --Susie
“Your book is a nice way of getting a person to question the very reason for turmoil in their life.” --Neville

No comments:

Post a Comment