Learning to be : finding your center after the bottom falls out

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Title:

Learning to be : finding your center after the bottom falls out

Author:

Rasmus, Juanita Campbell, 1961- author.

Lawson, Tina Knowles, writer of foreword.

Summary:

"When everything in her life came to a stop, Pastor Juanita Rasmus found that she had to learn to be--with herself and with God-all over again. Offering both practical and spiritual insights, she shares a wise, frank, and witty account of her own story of exhaustion and depression, acting as a trustworthy companion through dark days."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword: Tina Knowles Lawson -- The stress of living in a do-do-do world -- Who am I? -- Interlude: An ode to the prodigal brother -- The hollow bunny rules -- Perfectionism and the good girl -- Interlude: A family's dilemma-reflections of Ryan and Rudy -- Could I just hit bottom already? -- Finding my being -- Interlude: Doing...doing...done! -- Getting free of my nations -- What's anger go to do with it? -- Interlude: Depression's warning signs -- Letting go of judgment -- Claiming a new identity -- Have-to versus want-to -- Interlude: Hiking a mountain -- Skydiving -- Silence: The place of being -- It's the thoughts that count -- Doing...doing...undone -- It's all grace.

Physical Description:

165 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Self-help publications.

Subject Term:

Depression, Mental -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.

Mental health -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.

Depressed persons -- Religious life.

Author(s):

Lawson, Tina Knowles,

Publisher:

IVP, an imprint of InterVarsity Press,

Publication Date:

2020

ISBN:

9780830845873

Publication Information:

Downers Grove, Illinois : IVP, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, [2020]

Call Number:

248.8 RASMUS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003484501	Adult Nonfiction	248.8 RASMUS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Juanita called it "The Crash."

Her counselor labeled it "a major depressive episode." Others called it a nervous breakdown. On the spiritual front, it was a dark night of the soul.

This experience landed Juanita, a busy pastor, mother, and community leader, in bed. When everything in her life finally came to a stop, she found that she had to learn to be--with herself and with God--all over again.

If you are longing for a trustworthy companion through your dark days, this book is here for you. Each chapter includes life-giving spiritual practices to help you discover your own new ways of being.

Author Notes

Juanita Campbell Rasmus copastors the St. John's United Methodist Church in downtown Houston with her husband, Rudy. Together they cofounded Bread of Life, Inc. Pastor Juanita has also served as a member of the board of directors of Renovaré. Juanita most recently teamed up with Tina Knowles Lawson and Beyoncé to help forty thousand flood victims recover in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Pastor and spiritual director Rasmus, of St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston, wasn't looking to have a life-altering experience, but that is exactly what happened on an ordinary August day. Rasmus had what she and her family have since called, with affection, the crash. Learning to Be is part memoir, part spiritual advice for those who are caught in the difficulties of life's concerns. For Rasmus, that meant finding spiritual approaches to a depressive episode, along with overcoming fear and perfectionism without judging from others and, most important, judgment from herself. Throughout, she considers how we can find God during our most challenging times. Working through the pain of depression, Rasmus has learned to find calm and stillness in a frenetic world and to surrender to the will of a loving God. Inclcuded is a foreword by Tina Knowles Lawson. VERDICT Through introspection and the love of God and family, Rasmus transformed an otherwise dark time in her life into a blessing. The book is intended to help those who face similar challenges. A good read for those interested in a blend of self-help and Christian spirituality, and for those who enjoyed Jessica Kantrowitz's The Long Night.--Denis Frias, Mississauga Lib. Syst., Ont.

Tina Knowles Lawson

Foreword	p. 1
1 The Stress of Living in a Do-Do-Do World	p. 3
2 Who Am I?	p. 11
Interlude: An Ode to the Prodigal Brother	p. 18
3 The Hollow Bunny Rules	p. 21
4 Perfectionism and the Good Girl	p. 27
Interlude: A Family's Dilemma-Reflections of Ryan and Rudy	p. 33
5 Could I Just Hit Bottom Already?	p. 37
6 Finding My Being	p. 42
Interlude: Doing ... Doing ... Done!	p. 50
7 Getting Free of My Notions	p. 53
8 What's Anger Got to Do with It?	p. 62
Interlude: Depression's Warning Signs	p. 70
9 Letting Go of Judgment	p. 73
10 Claiming a New Identity	p. 83
11 Have-To Versus Want-To	p. 94
Interlude: Hiking a Mountain	p. 104
12 Skydiving	p. 110
13 Silence: The Place of Being	p. 117
14 It's the Thoughts That Count	p. 129
15 Doing ... Doing ... Undone	p. 138
16 It's All Grace	p. 150
Acknowledgments	p. 159
Notes	p. 163

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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents