Monday, September 3, 2018

About the Book

Book Title: Dance with Jesus

Author: Susan B. Mead

Genre: Non-fiction: Christian life, Bereavement, Grief

Release date: March 31, 2015

Grief hits each one of us and can come from so many different directions…

HAVE YOU LOST SOMEONE DEAR TO YOU? A brother, sister, parent, grandparent, family member, friend or a child? A relationship? A body part to cancer or an accident? Do you want to experience the joy of moving from broken to blessed? From GRIEF TO GRACE? Do you want God to take your hand and teach you to dance…with Jesus? Yes?

Then devour the words of Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace! Expect to laugh through the tears and experience a deepening of your faith.

Are you looking for a free mini-course to deepen your faith? Text DanceWithJesus (all one word) to 444-999, then reply with your email to receive 6 days of Biblical encouragement.

10% of the profit from Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace will benefit Water for LIFE to help dig water wells in remote locations around the world. People Matter!

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

A master storyteller and award-winning, bestselling author, Susan B. Mead leaves audiences motivated to live a life free of regrets even though she has done the hardest thing any parent can do – bury her youngest son, Kyle. With over 22 years in corporate America, 2 million airline miles under her belt, 1 eLit Book Award Gold Medal and 2 Christian Literary Awards on the shelf, an MBA and a Certificate of Ordination hanging on the wall, as well as a Doctor of Theology candidacy in process, Susan shares her expert teachings on business, grief, spiritual warfare and relationships.

Susan has been described as a solid, comforting voice in a messy world. Whether speaking to business professionals, women’s conferences, industry leaders or writer’s workshops, Susan’s insightful wisdom inspires audiences, empowering them to make healthy mental u-turns to help them find calm in the chaos.

Guest Post from Susan B. Mead

Why did I write, “Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace?” Such a funny story how that happened. I was in the midst of a Bible study by Henry Blackaby called, “Experiencing God” and one night a question asked, “What does God want you to do right now? Right now?”

I heard, sing my love song, and I laughed out loud and said, “Seriously, God, you’re going to have to send me a bucket because I can’t carry a tune, and you know that.”

Then that gentle spirit inside whispered, what’s in your hand? There was a pen in my hand because I was writing in a workbook. I swept the workbook away, got a journal out, put pen to paper, and the story simply flowed onto paper. At 5:30 a.m., I put the pen down and thought well that took more than the two lines provided (in the workbook).

The very first email I read later that day was from Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks, Speakers and Writers Conference. Writers conference, I thought? Seriously God, you want me to do something with this? Okay, and the story began.

That’s how I wrote the book, “Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace.”

And to think from that humble beginning, Dance With Jesus won TWO 2016 Reader’s Choice Awards from Christian Literary Awards. I stand in awe of our mighty God. When we turn to Him, God holds us close as He comforts and heals us, His children, simply because He loves us.

Lysa TerKeurst, Proverbs 31 Ministries President and New York Times Bestselling Author, shared, “Susan has personally experienced one of the deepest forms of grief. Yet she writes this treasure of a book from her point of grace not grief. I plan to give this book to any of my friends that find themselves crying and needing someone who deeply understands.”

May I ask you to give Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace as a gift to any friend who has lost a loved one or to yourself, if you too have loved and lost.

Video from Susan B. Mead

I liked the sweet spirit of this author's writing. The book is about grief and how to deal with it. I'm sure most of us have experienced a loss in our life. My first experience with loss was my granddad. We were very close and he was a man of honor and compassion. He left a big hole in my heart and I still think of him everyday. I was only sixteen when he died, so I don't really think I knew how to grieve at that time.

The author shares her story about loss in her life. There was a part in the book that really brought memories back to me of a loss that struck twice in our family. My mother had been battling Alzheimer and seemed to be losing her battle fast. It was a difficult time for all of us, especially since we had such a dysfunctional family. I was with her in the nursing home when she took her last breath. I think at that moment, the little girl I was never able to be cried for her mommy in a way that pierced the darkness. Exactly one week later, I get a call from my brother in the middle of the night. His son has just been killed in a car accident. My sweet nephew who looked so much like my brother only lived to be twenty-three.

The grief we felt was too much at times. How could God take two members of my family a week apart? I was so angry I shut everyone out. I was bitter at the world and I felt alone as I had all my life. As I continued the book I saw this written by the author, " However, it is our response to an event that shows our character, not the event itself." I can say with confidence now that after reading that one statement, I had to examine my heart. I was still bitter over the death of my nephew who was taken so young. The accident was investigated but the person at fault was never charged. In my heart, I knew I was going to have to deal with forgiving that person. I still had to deal with my anger towards God as well.

I appreciate the author sharing her story and giving readers nuggets of His word to help us cope with our grief. At the end of each chapter, are questions that are a useful tool to reinforce what each chapter is about. It is not an easy journey when we lose someone, but I'm thankful for books like this that help me get closer to forgiving, overcoming bitterness and being joyful again.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.