Now in its 20th year, the 2023 Outreach Resources of the Year honors the past year’s best books that emphasize outreach-oriented ministries.
Last fall we invited publishers and authors to submit resources with release dates between Nov. 1, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2022. The Outreach magazine editorial team then sorted qualifying titles into 10 key categories for review by expert panelists in each field.
The panelists thoughtfully evaluated each submission and chose one or more as an Outreach Resource of the Year, then highlighted other titles as “Also Recommended.” Here is the winner in the Counseling and Relationships category.
COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS
Evaluated by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, founders of the marriage assessment SYMBIS.com and authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.
RESOURCE OF THE YEAR
Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God by Tim Challies (Zondervan Reflective)
You’re a counselor? A minister? Then consider a few numbers: 2.6 million deaths occur per year in the U.S. For every death, there are at least five grievers (13 million annually). About 20% of those who lose a loved one experience an unrelenting mental health condition known as “complicated grief.” Of course, these numbers do not even touch the grief resulting from job loss, the pandemic and other bereavements. Grief abounds. That’s why Tim Challies’ Seasons of Sorrow is particularly relevant for anyone in ministry and counseling.
Challies traces his own journey of traumatic grief through four seasons, beginning in the fall and advancing through winter, spring and summer. And in the end, there’s no mistaking his message: “We are fitted to the ministry of sorrow by suffering loss.” He calls those of us who wade into the murky waters of sorrow with others to bear witness to God’s goodness in grief—and to grieve faithfully.
Read about the other 2023 Outreach Resources of the Year honorees »