{ "item_title" : "Lessons from the Well", "item_author" : [" Carol Renee Gitthens "], "item_description" : "GOD WILL RESTORE.Thirty years, three marriages, and five kids after she first gave her heart away, Carol Renee Gitthens writes honestly about the mess relationships can make of a life, and about the God who brings us up again from the depths. Lessons from the Well is a devotional for the divorced and relationship impaired, written by a pastor's daughter who failed herself, her father, and God, and found grace waiting on the other side of pain, loss, and despair.A PLACE ONCE KNOWN AS VIRTUEThe book opens with an allegory. Virtue is a sanctuary of wildflowers, a clear babbling stream, and a well whose water is as clean and pure as a young girl's heart. A young man walks with her to that well each day, until he grows distant, and one day he does not come back. Storms come. The flowers wilt. Over the years the well is walled in with stones of fear and distrust, and the cracked earth bears the evidence of relationship casualties. Anyone who has loved and lost will recognize the landscape, and the longing to see it bloom again.A STORY TOLD WITHOUT EXCUSESFrom there, Gitthens walks through nine chapters drawn from her own life and from Scripture. She writes about growing up in a pastor's home, sheltered and loved but starved of affection, and about learning that the mother she never knew had died when she was an infant. She shows how the struggle did not start with divorce, how hopeful beginnings turned sour, and how shame asks the question God asked in the garden: who told you that you were naked? This book does not praise or justify divorce. It points to the healing power of Jesus despite our choices.LIVING WATER AT THE WELLAt the heart of the book is the woman at the well and the Living Water Jesus offered her. Life requires water, and God brings redemption when we look to Him for living, healing, restorative water. Later chapters take a closer look at her story, lay out steps to move from victim to victor, wrestle with the question of judgment, and close with the work of moving forward.INSIDE YOU WILL FIND- An opening allegory of first love and the loss of innocence- Nine chapters blending personal story with Bible teaching- Reflections at the end of each chapter, with questions to discuss or journal and room to write- Scripture from the New King James Version and New American Standard Bible- A closing prayer for each step of the healing processFOR READERS WHO ARE READY TO HEALThe questions are personal and searching. When did you first say I love you? How did a breakup or divorce change your outlook on love and your sense of self-worth? Have you pursued a relationship you knew was outside of God's will? How have the adversities in your relationships affected your relationship with God? Use this book alone with a journal, or work through it with a small group.Written by someone who now stands on the other side of the pain, this devotional is an invitation back to your first love, Jesus. Losing our focus on Him leads to loss and hopelessness; looking to Him brings a new beginning, something more beautiful than we thought possible.A garden left unattended can be quickly overtaken with the weeds of sin and bad decisions. Even so, with work and the right tools it can be brought to new life and beauty. Make this your anthem each morning: God will restore.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/889/307/9798893071757_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "14.99", "online_price" : "14.99", "our_price" : "14.99", "club_price" : "14.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

Overview

Customers Also Bought

Details