Transforming Loneliness: Deepening Our Relationships with God and Others When We Feel Alone

Loneliness knows no season. It can strike during times of busyness and a full social calendar just as easily as it can when plans are canceled and friends are far off. And we may be surprised just how common loneliness is among our friends, family, and colleagues. But it isn't inevitable and it isn't forever.In Transforming Loneliness, Graham invites you to surrender your loneliness to God and work with Him in making healthy choices that lead to life, joy, and community.Through biblical principles and examples, along with true-life stories, you will discover how the core needs that drive your loneliness--the need to be known, to be chosen, to belong, and to be valued--can be met as God transforms your loneliness into a positive experience that accomplishes His purposes and draws you into a closer, more intimate, and more meaningful relationship with Him and others.Loneliness is not the last word. God designed you for connection, and through his power you will find it. Includes a reader's discussion guide and the UCLA Loneliness Survey.From the Inside FlapRuth Graham is the author of ten books including the bestselling In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart and the award-winning Step into the Bible. Her passion is to motivate people by God's grace and loving acceptance to move from a place of woundedness to a place of wholeness in Christ. Ruth Graham Ministries seeks to create safe places where people can begin and further their journey to wholeness in Christ. No stranger to heartache, Graham provides a biblical perspective as she shares her journey and points to the faithfulness of God in her own life's heartache. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and has three grown children and nine terrific grandchildren.Cindy Lambert is an author, collaborative writer, and speaker as well as an executive editor for Baker Publishing Group. For nearly two decades she owned an award-winning bookstore before expanding into leadership roles in distribution and editorial with such companies as Ingram, Simon & Schuster, and Zondervan, where she served as vice president and associate publisher. She and her husband, Dave, have six children and ten grandchildren and live in Michigan.From the Back Cover"We all experience loneliness. In this book Ruth Graham, drawing on her own experiences and biblical narrative, shows how God can transform our loneliness into a positive experience that draws us into a closer, more meaningful relationship with Him."--Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker; lead pastor of National Community Church"This book is a perfect, timely, beautiful gift. Many of us experience loneliness yet struggle to be able to say that out loud. I know I have. Ruth gives words to our pain and comfort to our souls and helps us see that our God who transforms everything offered to Him can transform our loneliness too."--Sheila Walsh, cohost of Life Today; author of Holding On When You Want To Let Go"Ruth Graham's book provides a fresh and helpful biblical lens on the concept of loneliness, which is that it can actually be a path to something much greater, and more purposeful, than we ever imagined. Her deeply vulnerable stories, scriptural principles, and practical steps will change you forever. Highly recommended."--John Townsend, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Boundaries; founder of the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling"To any of us--and indeed, all of us--who have experienced lonely times, I am delighted to recommend Ruth Graham's latest book. In it she invites us to cooperate with God as He transforms our loneliness into something that meets our needs and brings Him glory."--Dr. Eric L. Motley, author of Madison Park: A Place of Hope; executive vice president of the Aspen Institute, Washington, DC"My dear friend Ruth Graham has written a timely book that sheds light on the continuously growing issue of loneliness, which at some point w