David B. Biebel

Speaking with the voice of one who has been there, David Biebel describes the pain of loss or hardship, analyzes it in depth, then suggests how we might use the pain to move onto better things. He explains the often difficult to perceive concept of how pain and suffering can add strength to our character and deepen our spiritual walk. He also goes into the cause of suffering. Does God bring it about or only allow it? How does He use it in our lives and the lives of those we come in contact with? Do all things truly work for good?

After losing my son a few years ago at the young age of 24, I can identify with the conflicting emotions associated with feeling our hurt, ‘getting over it’ from a worldview standpoint and moving into a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father. I especially enjoyed Mr. Biebel’s poetry sprinkled throughout the book and his premise that suffering can stimulate our creativity. I have experienced this firsthand.

This book is a gentle reminder that God is still the God of miracles and blessings, taking the focus off our pain. We are loved and cherished by our Creator to the point where He gave His son to be the atonement for our sin. Heavenly joy can be ours, even in the face of suffering.

Thank you Mr. Biebel, for baring your heart and pain to help others struggling with the injuries life wields and pointing the way to a kind and loving Heavenly Father. I plan to buy copies of this book to share with friends I know can benefit from his wise and perceptive words.

I was provided with this book from bookfun.org in exchange for my honest opinion.
… (mer)

NCLA Review -While portions of this book contain challenging medical terms, I encourage you to keep reading. The book is written by a minister who is also a health educator and a husband-wife Christian medical team. They offer 40 ways to stay involved in a changing world plus numerous websites for further information. For example, one of the survival tricks listed in a chapter about memorizing is to not become discouraged but rather celebrate that you are giving your brain a great workout when learning something new. Their sense of humor and Christian approach adds to their valuable insights for anyone interested in good health for the brain. Rating: 3 —BE… (mer)

Emotionally, physically, and spiritually devastated by the sudden and mysterious illness and death of his young son, Rev. David Biebel questioned his self-worth and transformed his grief into an anguished self-examination. Jonathan: You Left Too Soon is a straightforward account that echoes the unwritten experience of many Christians who, faced with unexplainable tragedy, question the depth of their faith. This book offers valuable insight into the grief process and the "normal" feelings of a Christian experiencing pain and sorrow. It is important reading for those who have suffered their own tragedies and for those who counsel others.… (mer)

Synopsis:

Feeling awful, stressed, or paralyzed by worry? This book contains 50 suggestions to help you break out of that funk and start feeling better today. These ideas are simple, low or no cost, and are backed by scientific and medical advice and anecdotes, based on the authors’ collective experience in each field.

Thoughts:

First, the good:

The book contained 50 simple, easy-to-accomplish, low or no cost ideas for getting yourself out of a difficult psychological state and back into enjoying life. Simplicity really is the name of the game in the book — for example, some of the ideas are “lift weights” or “go fly a kite”.

For someone who doesn’t normally do much more than go to work, come home to eat & watch TV, then go to bed and repeat the next day, some of these ideas might challenge & encourage that individual to break out of such a monotonous routine (which is likely the cause of ‘the blues’ or stress in the first place).

Now, the not-so-great:

Wow. “Go to the Y”? “Pamper Yourself”? “Work on Your Scrapbook”? “Go fishing”?

Do you see the problem here? While there are 50 simple suggestions in this book, the issue is that the book itself doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. The suggestions target men, women, younger individuals, older individuals… but not together. It feels as though each chapter is targeted at a different group, making it very difficult to really glean a sense of coherency in the list of suggestions.

Because of this, I found the book to be too simplistic. I’d go so far as to say “complete and utter tripe”, at least for someone with half a brain. Anyone with a lick of common sense would know that having a massage is a great way to beat stress, so does anyone really need a book to suggest it alongside “use the internet creatively”?

Admittedly, there were a few good suggestions scattered amongst the ridiculous ones, but on the whole, I didn’t take away anything of value. And before you accuse me of not being in the target market for the book, let me assure you that I struggle with stress, anxiety, drastic mood swings bordering on depression, and high tension on a daily basis. Based on my own medical history and daily life, I’m 99.9% certain I’m the target market, and I found nothing in this book but frustration, sighs, and annoyance.

My apologies to the authors, but I think the book would have been much more successful if they’d decided on a target group first (ie. men or women), and then wrote the book directed to them — or, even better, broke the book up into two separate books, one targeted at women and another at men. That way, all the suggestions might be applicable/realistic to each particular group who read the book. Because let me tell you… I have my serious doubts that men are going to appreciate the suggestion to “work on your scrapbook” to help beat stress.

I’m just saying.… (mer)