I just wondered if you or your readers knew of a good christian book I can give a friend? She is in her late twenties and her husband has died. She is a new christian (has no children) and would love a book addressing her situation from a Christian perspective.Does anyone know of a book Penny could give her friend?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
a question for you: a book for someone who's grieving
Penny has written in with a question for you:
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16 comments:
Sorry to hear about this situation.
Some excellent books on suffering are:
- Suffering and The Sovereignty of God - John Piper and Justin Taylor
- How Long, O Lord? - D.A. Carson
- Is God Really in Control? - Jerry Bridges
'Remember', by Rhonda Watson would be perfect for someone who is a new Christian and in the midst of grief:
http://168hrs.blogspot.com/2011/09/book-review-remember-by-rhonda-watson.html
I have read many books about grief since losing my husband. The one I keep coming back to is "A Grace Disguised" by Jerry Sittser. I highly recommend it - I appreciated the honesty of the writer and he is not afraid to ask the hard questions, but ultimately finds the only answer in faith.
Dee Brestin has written an account of her grieving her husband's death. I can't recall the title but if you search at christianbooks.com it will come up and you can see a sample and see if it is helpful.
Anglican Minister in Sydney wrote a booklet on grief quite a few years ago after his wife died, Don Howard, Christians Grieve, too. I can't remember the booklet but I know he was a man with a pastoral heart.
And C. S. Lewis's A Grief Observed is deservedly a classic.
Pam
Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman looks like a wonderful book.
"Won't Let You Go Unless You Bless Me" by Andree Seu also looks like a good one as well.
A friend whose husband recently died highly recommends Nancy Guthrie's book. I think it's called Be Still, My Soul. Also, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts, by Jerry Bridges.
Hi Jean
Another book you could consider is Grieving, Hope and Solace by Albert N Martin, published by Tim Challies' new publishing company Cruciform Press. I haven't read it but from Tim's description of it (
http://www.challies.com/cruciform-press/grieving-hope-and-solace) and the description and excerpt of it here: http://cruciformpress.com/our-books/grieving-hope-and-solace/, it could be
suitable if her husband was a Christian. It's available as an ebook as well as in print.
Linda
This is so timely! My lovely mother-in-law died on Friday and this list will be something to refer to in the coming weeks and months.
My friend Heather, who has much experience of grief both personally and as a support for others, recommends Tea Soup. It's a picture book for adults and children about how the process of grief looks different for everyone, and it's designed both to read yourself if you're grieving and to give to those who support you during this time, to help them understand and know how to respond.
My friend who lost her father late last year recommends:
Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking - not a Christian book, but the most amazing description of what grief feels like from the inside - I read it and took copious notes I loved it so much!
She also read and was helped by two books by Christians who lost children:
Nicholas Wolterstoff - "Lament for a Son"
Luke Veldt - "Written in Tears: A Grieving Father's Journey through Psalm 103"
She may pass some other recommendations on to me; I'll pass them on.
And another book on suffering that I haven't read but that comes highly recommended by people I respect -
Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes - "When God Weeps"
Thank you Jean everyone so much! I will begin looking into some of these
from Penny
It's not a book, but a blog that I've found helpful: Teaching Tuck and Ty. Written by Tricia, a mother with two young sons who was widowed at Christmas last year. You can find it at http://teachingtuckandty.blogspot.com/
I can personally recommend "When God Weeps" by Joni Eareckson Tada & Steve Estes, as a very spiritually nourishing book, profoundly helpful for keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus in the pain and suffering of this world. But as the authors explain, it may not be so helpful for someone in the midst of a crisis - they suggest reading the Psalms.
A lovely devotional is "Quiet Times For Those Who Need Comfort" by H. Norman Wright. He has written a number of other books on grief and helping others who grieve.
Another helpful blog which talks about grief is Molly Piper's. She says, "On September 22, 2007, Abraham and I went from expecting our second child, a fully-developed, viable, 39-week-old little girl, to being parents of a stillborn daughter. In the aftermath of this tragedy, I learned a lot about how to love people who are grieving and tried to capture some of this newfound wisdom (that I wish I hadn’t found like this) in these posts." See Molly Piper - category: grief and her series how to help a grieving friend.
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