Each of us knows someone who is hurting. We want to help but often don't know how. So we try to solve his or her problem by evaluating the situation and giving advice. But what hurting people need first and foremost is to be understood. Rod Wilson offers you practical insights into helping hurting people. These insights are born out of more than thirty years of church and counseling experience. Whether you're a church leader or a caring friend, this book will give you needed tools to minister more effectively to those around you who are hurting.

We live in a multicultural society, but many Christians hesitate to engage those of other faiths about Christianity. Exploring evangelism from the perspective of four major worldviews, Jay Moon and Bud Simon unpack the intercultural dynamics at hand when sharing the gospel across cultures, offering contextual evangelism approaches that are relevant, biblical, and practical.

Proven, compassionate ways to comfort the wounded with practical tips on how to say the right things to friends and loved ones.

"WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION" "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?" We've all had friendships that have gone bad. Whether it takes the form of a simple yet inexplicable estrangement or a devastating betrayal, a failed friendship can make your life miserable, threaten your success at work or school, and even undermine your romantic relationships. Finally there is help. In When Friendship Hurts, Jan Yager, recognized internationally as a leading expert on friendship, explores what causes friendships to falter and explains how to mend them -- or end them. In this straightforward, illuminating book filled with dozens of quizzes and real-life examples, Yager covers all the bases, including: The twenty-one types of negative friends -- a rogues' gallery featuring such familiar types as the Blood-sucker, the Fault-finder, the Promise Breaker, and the Copycat How to recognize destructive friends as well as how to find ideal ones The e-mail effect -- how electronic communication has changed friendships for both the better and the worse The misuse of friendship at work -- how to deal with a co-worker's lies, deceit, or attempts at revenge How to stop obsessing about a failed friendship And much more The first highly prescriptive book to focus on the complexities of friendship, When Friendship Hurts demonstrates how, why, and when to let go of bad friends and how to develop the positive friendships that enrich our lives on every level. For everyone who has ever wondered about friends who betray, hurt, or reject them, this authoritative book provides invaluable insights and advice to resolve the problem once and for all.

Lament helps us hear God’s louder song. When you’re in the midst of suffering, you want answers for the unanswerable, resolutions to the unresolvable. You want to tie up pain in a pretty little package and hide it under the bed, taking it out only when you feel strong enough to face it. But grief won’t be contained. Grief disobeys. Grief explodes. In one breath, you may be able to say that God’s got this and all will be well. In the next, you might descend into fatalism. No pretending. Here, you are raw before God, an open wound. There is a pathway through this suffering. It’s not easy, but God will use it to lead you toward healing. This path is called lament. Lament leads us between the Already and the Not Yet. Lament minds the gap between current hopelessness and coming hope. Lament anticipates new creation but also acknowledges the painful reality of now. Lament recognizes the existence of evil and suffering—without any sugarcoating—while simultaneously declaring that suffering will not have the final say. In the midst of your darkest times, you will discover that lament leads you back to a place of hope—not because lamenting does anything magical, but because God sings a louder song than suffering ever could, a song of renewal and restoration.

“If you struggle to simplify your life and wish you could savor the here and now, this book is a must-read.” —Crystal Paine, founder of MoneySavingMom.com and New York Times–bestselling author Have you ever felt that your life—and budget—is spiraling out of control? Do you sometimes wish you could pull yourself together but wonder exactly how to manage all the scattered pieces of a chaotic life? Is it possible to find balance? In a word, yes. Ruth Soukup knows firsthand how stressful an unorganized life and budget can be. Through personal stories, biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, home, and finances. With honesty and the wisdom of someone who has been there, Ruth will help you: Discover your “sweet spot” —that place where your talents and abilities intersect. Take back your time and schedule by making simple shifts in your daily habits. Reduce stress in your home and family by clearing out the clutter. Stop busting your budget and learn to cut your grocery bill in half. This book provides real and practical solutions from someone who has been there. Ruth doesn’t just offer advice, she walks it with you, and shares with brutal honesty her own mistakes, failures, and shortcomings. It is encouraging, motivating, and life-changing. “An inspiring book full of step-by-step instructions and spiritual wisdom. I love how Ruth is transparent about her mistakes as she leads us to reevaluate our priorities. This book is a great biblical guide to living well and finding joy!” —Courtney Joseph, founder of Women Living Well Ministries

When watching a friend or loved one grieve a loss, you certainly want to help. But how, exactly; can you help? In what manner? With which tasks? In A Good Friend for Bad Times, grief counselors Deborah Bowen and Susan Strickler offer advice and concrete suggestions for helping a friend throughout the grief experience. A remarkably practical resource, this book first grounds you with an understanding of normal responses to grief, then offers insight for expressing sympathy and emotional support. In subsequent chapters, the authors give specific suggestions for both "what to do" and "what not to do" when providing assistance all through your friend's grief journey -- when anticipating a loved one's death, immediately after that death, and in the months and years beyond. In addition, this book relates how you can be supportive when the death involved particular circumstances, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, AIDS, suicide, or the death of a child. Special chapters advise how to comfort a friend whose loved one died in a catastrophic event; how to acknowledge your friend's grief on holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries; and how to reassure and console young children. In short, this hands-on guidebook will help you act on your impulse to be a good friend in bad times. Book jacket.

With more than 450,000 copies in print, When Helping Hurts is a paradigm-forming contemporary classic on the subject of poverty alleviation. Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself. Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.

No issue is taboo for How to Help Your Hurting Friend, a frank and valuable handbook of practical advice for today’s teenage girls. Previously published as Help! My Friend Is Hurting Susie Shellenberger—author and teen advocate—addresses the most vital, personal, and life-challenging issues in young women’s lives. Presented in handbook form, this biblically-based, relevant, and contemporary-focused book empowers girls to salvage and maybe even save the lives of friends. She addresses such things as self-cutting and sexual abuse in a no-nonsense way and no advice is ever vague. This classic book for teenage girls distills the wisdom of the Bible and combines it with the wisdom of many experienced and anointed counselors. How to Help Your Hurting Friend: This is a reissued edition of Help! My Friend Is Hurting. Has a new format including sidebars and intriguing illustrations. Is a great resource for teens, young adults, and parents alike Includes commentary on today’s challenges, advice, and a section of letters to the author with helpful, relevant responses.

Rev. ed. of: Handbook for mortals / Joanne Lynn, Joan Harrold, and the Center to Improve Care of the Dying, George Washington University. 1999.