Gifts from Friends We Never Wanted

""In Gifts from Friends We Never Wanted, Virginia Herbers continues the creative look at scripture and life that she began in her previous volume, Gifts from Friends We’ve Yet to Meet. But this time she goes deeper into the darkness of life’s many mysteries, taking us along for the ride as she journeys into the many unwanted moments of life that still have the capacity to lead us into God’s presence and providence. It’s a journey worth taking."" Steve Givens, Spiritual Director and author of Embraced by God: Facing Chemotherapy with Faith and Executive Director of Bridges Foundation ""In Gifts from Friends We Never Wanted, Virginia Herbers invites us to reimagine whom we might think of as a friend (grief, betrayal, doubt, disappointment) and marvel at the gifts they offer (wonder, reverence, choice, perspective). Reflective, insightful, and sparkling with humor and warmth, the book opens us to moments in the gospels and Herbers’ own life when a gift was revealed through loss, lack, or even a grave mistake. In each of the ten stories, Herbers provides a wealth of historical context and close reading to defamiliarize the characters we think we know well, showing us the how the messy, confusing, and worrisome can actually lead to consolation. This book is a warm conversation with a wise friend who helps us notice in the gospels, our own lives, and everyday challenges, how much the gifts of love and grace abound."" Melody S. Gee, author of We Carry Smoke and Paper: Essays on the Grief and Hope of Conversion “Virginia Herbers' latest work is the fruit of sustained reflection on ten different figures in the Scriptures. Her readers will also come away with a new understanding of themselves, thanks to her perceptive observations.” Very Rev. Seán Charles Martin, STD, President Emeritus, Aquinas Institute of Theology ""In a world that continues to encourage us to be perfect, Virginia writes about the graces received through the times and seasons that we may want to ignore. Instead of wishing our struggles away, she invites us, through our heroes of Scripture, to consider how we are 'blessed in the mess' of our daily lives. Read this with hope: There is joy waiting in the wings!"" Danielle Harrison, retreat director and principal, Mission Faith Equity Consulting