Pennel offers an indispensable Guide for clergy and laity serving people in grief that includes practical tips with prayers, readings, and services.
I appreciated his willingness to share his own stories of ministry and life as well as the k.
Bishop Pennel has given us his Gift of presence in the writing of this book.
Frankly it would have been a wonderful book to receive before I started making hospital visits as a new pastor.
We also have a Lay Counseling program where it would be very helpful.
I would definitely recommend this to any Stephen Minister program.
Lori Lampert, Lead Associate Pastor, Schweitzer UMC, Springfield, Missouri [The Gift of Presence]is both practical and contemplative encouraging the reader to remember why we are in ministry but also to pay attention to how we engage in ministry. - Rev.
Because all of us will be in such a relationship at some time in our life, [The Gift of Presence]would be a great read in preparation for life\'s difficult events.
I found Bishop Pennel\'s book to be concisely written, compassionately expressed, extremely helpful tool for anyone in relationship with someone suffering.
The Gift of Presence includes pertinent topics such as: the ministry of presence, quietness, sincerity, and the art of helping.
This small, casebound book outlines real ways to help through planning visits, writing notes, finding scriptures and prayers to read, avoiding cliches, and thinking through the theology of God, humans, and suffering.
With a central message on the importance of simply being there, Pennel combines practical how-to\'s with prayers, readings, and services.
In The Gift of Presence, Bishop Joe Pennel offers practical help to give confidence and skill to clergy and laity serving the broken hearted.
Even so, it\'s difficult to know how to console someone going through a broken place.
None of us have escaped this fact. - Author Joe Pennel Unfortunately, suffering is a part of living.
I hope that the reader will learn how to assist Those who are suffering, and will, at the same time, learn something of great value for living in these days.
Then some become strong at the broken places.\' As a pastor, I have seen people become strong at the broken places, and I have seen people become broken up at the broken places of life.
He said, \'The world breaks everyone. (Church Life) Near the end of Hemingway\'s A Farewell to Arms, there is a word that has continued to stay with me.
Pennel offers an indispensable Guide for clergy and laity serving people in grief that includes practical tips with prayers, readings, and services
