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Love & Death: My Journey through the Valley of the Shadow (Complete Works of Forrest Church)
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Average Rating:  out of 8 Reviews
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Price: $22.00
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Sale: $12.99
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Manufacturer: Beacon Press
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780807072936
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Forrest Church
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Publisher: Beacon Press
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Edition: 1
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Dewey Decimal Number: 289.1092
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Publication Date: 2008-09-17
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Reading Level: 145
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Description: On a February day in 2008, Forrest Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation, informing them that he had terminal cancer; his life would now be measured in months, not years. In that remarkable letter, he wrote: "In more than one respect, I feel very lucky." He went on to promise that he would sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been so pervasive in his work—love and death—in a final book.
Church has been justly celebrated as a writer of American history, but his works of spiritual guidance have been especially valued for their insight and inspiration. As a minister, Church defined religion as "our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die." The goal of life, he tells us "is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for." This last book in his impressive oeuvre is imbued with ideas and exemplars for achieving that goal. The stories he offers—drawn from his own experiences and from the lives of his friends, family, and parishioners—are both engrossing and enlightening. Forrest Church's final work may be his most lasting gift to his readers.
"Forrest Church, a deeply spiritual but always practical visionary, is a minister to us all with this moving and instructive book on the lessons of life and death. A lovely, important book."
—Tom Brokaw
"Truly a gift, one that will echo in my own preaching and teaching, and in my own life as well. Like Moses gazing at the Promised Land he would not enter, Forrest Church blesses us with his eloquence, his faith, and, mostly, his love."
—Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
"Love & Death is transformative. I was not prepared for the power of this splendid, soaring book. It totally captured me."
—Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Creating a Life
"In the midst of an extremity for which there is no euphemism—the prospect of his own imminent death—Forrest Church has written a book that defies the usual adjectives. It is poignant, moving, candid, and eloquent; but it is also so much more. Love & Death, a meditation on the end of life, is really a book about life—a book that shows us how to love ourselves and others, how to know God, how to live. I read it with inexpressible gratitude."
—James Atlas, author of My Life in the Middle Ages
"Forrest Church is one of our great prophetic intellectuals and compassionate voices. His poignant and wise words on the two ultimate realities of our journey—love and death—reveal his grand courage and vision."
—Cornel West, author of Race Matters
"This beautiful book by a matchless preacher, poet, and author is Forrest Church in his finest hour."
—Senator George McGovern
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Dr. William H. Collins, Jr. Minister of Music |
Date: 2009-01-06 |
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Details: This book by Dr. Church was very inspiring and encouraging. We meet persons who express various views concerning death at different stages of their dying process. Each one speaks according to his or her situation. This book can be a vital source of help to those who experience difficulty in dealing with death. |
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Review Summary: Excellent Book |
Date: 2008-12-02 |
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Details: This is a wonderful book. What a shame to lose such a wonderful man. He truely lives the UU principles. |
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Review Summary: Share This Book with the People You Love |
Date: 2008-08-30 |
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Details: This book is more about love and life than it is about dying and death. I finished it in two days, and will begin to read it again, more slowly to absorb its wisdom. I have just bought multiple copies to share with people I love. Let Rev. Church guide you in all of our journeys. |
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Review Summary: Love After Death |
Date: 2008-08-24 |
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Details: This is a MUST READ for anyone fearing their own death (and who doesn't?) or dealing with the death of a loved one. Written by a Unitarian Universalist minister dealing with his own impending demise, Forrest Church (son of the late Senator Frank Church of Utah) encourages us to appreciate the fact that we are very blessed to be alive at all, given the amazing series of events leading to our births.
Rev. Church acknowledges that, while he doesn't know what - if anything - awaits us after the death of our bodies, he is grateful to be able to simply wonder about it. His writings are drawn from his previous books and many sermons addressing this subject, along with the introspective thoughts arising from his recent diagnosis of terminal cancer. Most importantly, he reminds us that the love that we give and receive in this life is immortal.
He urges us to subscribe the following mantra:
Want what you have
Do what you can
Be who you are
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Review Summary: The Gift of a Lifetime |
Date: 2008-08-15 |
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Details: Part I of this short but immensely powerful and provocative book is an autobiographical review of the author's experiences with the death of others, (that each of us can readily identify with in our own personal way) e.g. when as a young boy his 95-year old great- grandfather's dying is "the most natural thing in the world" while a little over a decade later, a roommate's sudden death from pneumonia shocks and enrages him, providing a "turning point in my life." Then, he brings insight to how he "became a minister in a meaningful way" when he conducted his first funeral, or was at the bedside of a dying parishioner, or called to be with people "at times of loss." The death of his father, Senator Frank Church, is a critical turning point as "he taught us how to die ... and, he taught us how to live." Part I ends with his responsibilities as a New York City religious leader in the aftermath of 9/11.
Part II begins with his October 2006 diagnosis of terminal cancer. This section collects the wisdom of all the learning and experience of his years of ministry to focus upon on Life and its meaning, and the "hinges of birth and death." It is marked by an honesty and an ease of expression that takes deep, powerful ideas and makes them readily accessible through felicitous metaphor and a mantra that you will never forget. (It also has the practical gift of an essay on "how to behave" when one is making a hospital visit.) This is a book about death that is filled to the overflowing with life, love and wit.
It is the gift of a lifetime. |
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