Coming Alongside by Jeffrey R. Funk
An insightful guide for current and future caregivers, offering practical etiquette and behavioral guidance for supporting those who are sick, suffering, or facing death. It is also valuable for anyone seeking to provide compassionate care to loved ones during difficult times.
Jeffrey Funk explores the many ways caregivers can understand and respond to grief, with an emphasis on helping relieve the suffering of others. He explains how compassion contributes to healing and offers practical ways to prevent “compassion burnout,” including establishing healthy boundaries. Through self-reflective questions, thoughtful commentary, and a genuine passion for caregiving, Funk encourages readers to examine their own approach to serving others. Most importantly, he challenges caregivers to embody the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. This inspiring guide equips readers to provide meaningful pastoral care while maintaining their own emotional and spiritual well-being. Purchase here…
Undivided; A Biblical Response to What Divides U.S. by Charles Clemmons, Jr.
True Equality Through a Biblical Perspective. For many Christians, we read about racial injustice, or we see the reports of civil unrest within our nation. But what can we do about it? How can we be a part of the solution? The answer is quite simple: We need to consult the Bible for guidance. Throughout the Scriptures, there are examples of racial and cultural tension. Many of the traditional followers and leaders of Judaism even believed that the prophesied Savior only came to redeem those of Jewish descent. They could not fathom Jesus Christ was also coming to save the Gentiles. Charles Clemons, author of Undivided: A Biblical Response to What Divides U.S., explains how the Great Commission is the most inherently inclusive command ever given. In this book, the reader will discover how the Bible provides the answer to race relations based on the image of God, the compassion of God, the justice of God, the gospel of God, and eternal worship of God. Purchase here…
A Day in the Life of a Chaplain by Rick Rood
How can I minister to people in the hospital? How can I bring grace and hope to people in pain? What is a Christian view of death and dying? Of grief and loss? Will I see my baby in heaven? Does God promise always to heal in answer to our prayers? How do we respond in the face of suffering and seemingly unanswered prayer? How does God use life’s most difficult experiences? These are just some of the questions that Chaplain Rick Rood addresses in this book. Weaving together stories from his twenty-three years as a hospital chaplain and insights from Scripture, Rick provides help to those who want to minister effectively to hospital patients and their loved ones. As you read this book, you will walk with him through the various units of a hospital, and encounter situations typically experienced in each one. Rick’s prayer is that the Lord might use this book to help its readers become more compassionate and more effective agents of God’s grace in the lives of people in pain. Purchase here…
Our Story, His Story by Rick Rood
Rick and Polly Rood began their married life like many other couples―hoping for a life blessed by God, and to be used by Him in His service. Twelve years later, however, their life took an unexpected turn when at age 34 Polly was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative illness. For the next nineteen years they navigated this unexpected journey, which included Polly’s residing in nursing home for the last eleven years of her life. This book recounts their struggles and fears, as well as their persevering hope. More than that, however, it tells the story of how God graciously carried them through these years of affliction. Rick’s prayer is that by telling their story many others might find hope in our gracious and merciful God, both for this life and the next. “Our Story…His Story shows how God graciously wills to strengthen His people to be faithful to each other and to Him in the midst of long-lasting affliction.” Mark R. Talbot, PhD. Associate Professor of Philosophy, Wheaton College “I pray God will use this book to encourage many others who are navigating the unavoidable storms of life.” Wesley K. Willmer, PhD. Former Vice-President for Advancement, Biola University. Rick Rood is a native of Seattle, WA and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University (BA in history) and Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM in Old Testament). He has served as a hospital chaplain with Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association since 1996, at both an acute care and a psychiatric hospital in the Dallas, TX area. Rick cared for his wife Polly until her home going in 2003. They have a son and daughter. Rick married his new wife Li Lin in 2012 in Taipei, Taiwan. They reside in the Dallas area. Purchase here…
Compassion When Life Hurts by Richard Phillps
Compassion when Life Hurts is a book you will not want to put down once you begin reading it. Chaplain Richard Phillips writes with refreshing candor and obvious authenticity coupled with complete transparency, as he applies appropriate biblical truths to each of the many and varied situations he meets in his ministry as a hospital chaplain. Written in a very relaxed and easy-to-read style, this is much more than the mere record of interactions with people in various states of need and hurt. It is an absolute goldmine of relevant biblical resources and a valuable reference work for anyone with a ministry to the sick, fragile, or who are hurting in life. This book is really not an expense, it is in fact a truly wonderful investment. The careful study of the many situations described within its pages, will reap a rich dividend in the lives of all those who read it and also in the lives of those who are encouraged and are impacted, as its clear, biblical truths and principles are applied. Compassion when Life Hurts should be carefully read by every Pastor, Chaplain, Elder and Deacon, and any person who seeks to be a blessing to others. Purchase here…
When the Wicked Seize a City by Chuck and Donna McIlhenny, Frank York
When the Wicked Seize a City is a book by Chuck and Donna McIlhenny that discusses the challenges faced by Christians in a society influenced by the gay rights movement, particularly in San Francisco. It explores themes of moral decline and the conflict between religious beliefs and political activism. Purchase here…