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When Life Gets Tough
A small yet powerful companion for life’s journey is Colonel Henry Gariepy’s latest book, When Life Gets Tough: finding peace and strength in times of trouble.
This pocket-sized, hard cover 31-day devotional is filled with short reflections that give strength for troubling times. In the preface, Gariepy states “Amid the storms of life, the Bible is our anchor that holds us steadfast; it is our compass that will chart the unknown way before us.”
In pages filled with comfort and encouragement, he links us with fellow travelers such as Elie Weisel, who questioned God’s presence in the holocaust, and author and pastor Gordon MacDonald, who served with Salvation Army relief workers at the World Trade Center’s ground zero. Both men asked, “Where is God?” MacDonald decided, “He is closer to this place that any other place I’ve ever been.”
Gariepy wrote the book shortly following 9/11, devoting his time “to writing that which would be of comfort and encouragement to persons experiencing trial and tragedy.”
Each chapter opens with a verse of Scripture, which is followed by a practical reflection on the verse; a point of action concludes the segment and provides a specific means of application for the chapter’s thought.
In “The Gift of Peace,” for example, the Scripture verse is: “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Gariepy writes, “Peace is not a matter of circumstances, nor even of security in our world of violence. It is a matter of the heart. The Lord comes to us in the midst of our failures, fears, sorrows, and tragedies and speaks again His assuring promise, ‘Peace be with you’.” In his application, he reminds us, “God’s peace can fill your life despite any trial or circumstance.”
Fourteen thousand copies were distributed to police, firefighters, relief workers, Salvation Army volunteers and families of the September 11, 2001 victims.
When Life Gets Tough, the newest in a series just released by Cook Ministries, is available at Trade (1-800-937-8896)
Words of Life
You’ll want to read the Bible “day by day” with The Salvation Army’s Words of Life; this latest edition features songs of joy.
“Songs of joy are sung in palaces and in prisons, in holiday camps and in refugee camps, in waiting rooms and in war zones,” says Major Barbara Sampson, Words of Life editor. “Songs of joy are sung to express welcome as life begins, and to say farewell as life ends. Songs of joy are heard in the deepest moments, sung by the most unlikely people.”
The Advent 2003 (September—December) edition features some of the great songs of joy found in Scripture. Also included is a prayer series on the faces of God, a perspective on angels, the birth narrative from Luke’s gospel, the story of the fiery prophet Elijah, Paul’s first letter to Timothy, and a selection of Psalms.
Words of Life is available at Trade (1-800-937-8896) for $4 plus shipping and handling.