And Yet
Finding Joy in Lament
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Publisher: SPCK Publishing
ISBN: 9780281085705
Number of Pages: 144
Published: 01/10/9900
Width: 12.9 cm
Height: 19.8 cm
In a life full of highs and lows, choice and challenges, the words 'and yet' can change everything. We are surrounded by darkness and yet there is light. We feel we are lacking and yet God provides. We are broken and bruised and yet there is hope.
In the depths of depression and plagued with suicidal thoughts, Rachael Newham never thought she'd find herself writing a book on joy. And yet, if her journey with mental health illness has taught her anything it is that true, deep, lasting joy can only be experienced when we allow ourselves to enter into lament and be honest about our pain before God.
With warm understanding, in this lovely Lent book for 2022 Rachael traces how Biblical writers used 'and yet' to bring together joy and lament and invites us to see them not as opposites, but two sides of the same coin. Drawing on her experiences with mental illness, she shows us how we can build a rhythm of both joy and lament into our lives both through the season of Lent and the rest of the church's year.
With reflections split over six sections And Yet is the perfect daily Lent devotional for 2022, but its undated readings can be used for periods of prayerful reflection throughout the year. This is a beautiful Christian book on lament ideal for anyone looking for to better understand how the tradition of lament and joy work together, and how they can make them a part of their everyday spiritual formation.
We may be living in dark circumstances - and yet with a few simple practices we can experience joy in every season.
Foreword vvi
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
1 Advent: waiting 9
2 Christmas: celebrating 27
3 Ordinary Time: grieving 43
4 Lent: lamenting 63
5 Easter: hoping 83
6 Ordinary Time: rejoicing 99
Afterword 119
Notes 123
'If anyone is qualified to teach on joy, it is someone who has struggled to find it. Rachael Newham beautifully navigates the apparent paradox that deep joy can only flow out of honest lament. Rachael makes joy accessible to people who believe it is beyond their reach.' * The Revd Will van der Hart, founder, Mind and Soul Foundation * 'Lament can often be an uncomfortable topic, yet Rachael bravely and sensitively tackles it head on, showing us the importance of addressing our pain and wrestling with God. This honest account will inspire you towards hope, helping you to find joy in the most unexpected places. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to know that there is a "yet" in the midst of their suffering.' * Ruth Jackson, presenter and producer at Premier's Unbelievable * '"And yet" - two little words that bind together the twin realities of grief, depression, sickness and poverty and God's loving, eternal, comforting presence. Rachael has done fierce battle with her mental health and chosen to remain engaged with God, discovering along the way the gift of lament and the joy to which it gives birth. Make this book your friend - live with it, pray with it, write notes in the margins and let it lead you into the deep heart-knowledge that you are not alone.' * Jo Swinney, Director of Communications, A Rocha International, and author of Home: The quest to belong *