Tag Archives: unemployment

September 23, 2020 · 12:00 pm

From the DVD Shelf–Review of “Walking With God In The Desert”

tree at the desert

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A desert is hot, dry, and extremely uncomfortable. Until I watched the DVD “Walking With God In The Desert” I didn’t realize how much a desert can be a teacher.

In “Walking With God In The Desert” Bible teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan walks in the Negev and other Middle Eastern deserts. He offers parallels between those deserts and our personal ones—those hard times of unemployment, disease, loss of loved ones, and crises of faith. Those parallels include:

  • solitude—in both the geographical and the personal desert, there is silence.  Normal routine is shut down or greatly lessened. In that solitude there is a sense of only God and you, and without the distractions of normal activity you can be more receptive to hearing God speak.  Ray says he went through a “desert” when he had a coronary bypass. He was very weak and couldn’t do anything. But during that time he had an awesome awareness of God’s closeness. It deepened his relationship with God.
  • help—in the Negev and other deserts, there are places where trees such as the acacia and broom tree grow. They provide welcome shade, wood, and even medicinal help. In the personal deserts, God provides help when you cry out–sometimes miraculously, sometimes not. But there is help.
  • God is here—in the geographical and the personal deserts. You are not alone, even when it feels like it. You can cry out to Him and be heard

I bought this DVD several years ago when I was part of a Bible study group. I watched it again earlier this year and thought how timely the lessons are. This DVD is definitely worth repeat viewing.

Divided into seven lessons. Running Time: 175 minutes.

Note: The back of the DVD case says it is designed for use with the Faith Lessons, Walking with God in the Desert Discovery Guide, which is sold separately. I gained a lot from just watching the DVD.

©P. Booher

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January 9, 2019 · 8:00 am

Diving Into A Sea of Books–You’re Not Alone–Daily Encouragement For Those Looking For A New Job

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As an avid reader, I get excited about the great number of books out there to read, either for entertainment, education, inspiration or with some books, all three. The quantity available in print, audio, and e-books reminds me of the vast amount of life in the oceans, so I call these book reviews “Diving Into A Sea of Books”. As with diving into an ocean looking for interesting objects, diving into books means you come across mixed results: over here, a book you don’t bother to finish, over there, a “treasure”–one that you like so much you can’t wait to reread it, and over there, a book you read and think, “Meh”.

You’re Not Alone, subtitled, Daily Encouragement For Those Looking For A New Job, by Richard Malone, is a helpful, useful book of meditations for those in the uncertain world of job changes. The book came about during the author’s own period of  unemployment when he looked for a devotional book and couldn’t find any.

Each day begins with Scripture, Mr. Malone’s writing, and then a short prayer. Mr. Malone points out that many of the people in the Bible dealt with a variety of situations that could bring on the powerful emotions a job loss carries with it–anger, fear, the desire for revenge, loneliness, and others. The author shows that God helped all those people, and He is more than willing to help people who’ve lost their jobs, for whatever reason.

At the back of the book Mr. Malone lists many books on the subject of work and handling emotions related to job loss.

Comments: This is the only book I’ve found so far which links unemployment and Scripture, and shows the help God offers through faith. While compassionate in tone to the job hunter, Mr. Malone also is realistic about factors that come into play in employment. He emphasizes that overall, no matter what, God is still here, and can be trusted. Given that a person cannot be sure of job “security”, this book is a valuable resource. To me, it’s a “treasure”. I want to start a job-search/support group in the future; this is one of the books I plan to use in the group.

©P. Booher

 

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