March 19, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS – What sustains Christians when they are confronted with tragedy and grief? How do Christians live in the changed world of post-9/11 reality? Stephen Paul Bouman addresses these questions as he shares his own personal story and the stories of others in his latest book, Grace All Around Us: Embracing God's Promise in Tragedy and Loss.

In Scripture God's promises are made real, says Bouman. God's faithfulness is expressed on the ground, in places of hurt and hope. The passion emanating from Ground Zero in New York has become, for him, a kind of Holy Land, and it is from that Holy Land that he offers this book as a kind of "diary of an urban bishop," looking at tragedy and loss through the eyes of a pastor called to be a bishop.

With awe and respect for the many people whose faith and compassion have left a mark on his life, Bouman explores the struggle between doubt and faith and the effort to pray in the midst of grief.

"This powerful book comes to us from the depths of unbearable loss and horror, with an authenticity only possible from one who has been there. . . . Bouman is a . . . good shepherd, walking with his own shepherd, helping us find a way when there seems to be no way." – Heidi Neumark, ELCA pastor and author of Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx.

"Bishop Bouman . . . dares to proclaim that we can and cannot know when the earth quakes all around us. With deeply grounded leadership, Bouman shows us how disaster response engages the church and our faith . . . breaking the added devastation of isolation." – The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean, The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City.

"Reverend Stephen Bouman writes compellingly about how God's story and our story in the midst of the joys and tragedies of human living allows us to endure because of God's grace all around us." – Heather Feltman, Director, ELCA Disaster Response.

"In Grace All Around Us, Stephen Bouman provides a model for pastoral care in tragic times. . . . This is ministry in its most profoundly Lutheran sense. And it works any time, everywhere." – Amandus J. Derr, Senior Pastor, Saint Peter's Church, New York City.

"Bishop Bouman takes us on a journey in this pastoral book about grief and tragedy. As an urban bishop, he invites us to . . . New York . . . and . . . the aftermath of . . . 9/11. . . . In his reflections, his memories, and his prose, he takes us to the cross and the empty tomb. It is there . . . that we see God's words of hope and promise: ‘Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.'" – Marcus Miller, President, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.

Grace All Around Us: Embracing God's Promise in Tragedy and Loss is a perfect resource for general readers; pastors and associates in ministry; grief counselors, and parish nurses.

Stephen Paul Bouman is Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. An accomplished writer, he is the author of Look for the Light: Devotions for Lent (Augsburg Fortress, 2005, 0-8066-5260-8) and has published articles in The Christian Century. He lives in New York City.

Grace All Around Us: Embracing God's Promise in Tragedy and Loss, By Stephen Paul Bouman, Item Number: 978-0-8066-5325-9, Details: 5.5" x 8.5," paperback, 128 pages, Price: $12.99 / CAN $15.50 / UK £7.99, Publisher: Augsburg Fortress.

To order Grace All Around Us please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press