Finding Meaning in an Uncertain World, Second Edition

Now with an Adult Ministry Study Guide! All of us have a desire to live, not in the simple sense of merely surviving, but in the more profound sense of living with purpose and meaning. But we are not born into a ready-made world filled with meaning. We must find and live the meaning that is ours in the life we have been given. Using personal stories and clinical cases, this book deals with the human and the spiritual side of our search for meaning, and it seeks to help us move toward a more fulfilled life. ""Aden's new volume epitomizes a crucial facet of human experience throughout the life cycle: our quest for meaning. . . . Our ultimate sense of meaning is derived from our trust in God's compassion for us, most graphically epitomized in Christ. Aden's classic style as pastoral theologian and psychologist pervades his prose and reminds us of his previous work on the pain and benefits of good grief. This book is for the devoted layperson, who will find it inviting and instructive."" --J. Harold Ellens, University of Michigan ""An introduction tying together Ecclesiastes, Viktor Frankl, and Harry Chapin assures you are in for no trite treatise about aging, suffering, and death. With courage and humility, Aden addresses the essential struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that dismisses the suffering and aged as either insignificant or terrifying. Drawing on popular theology but always relating back to Scripture, he points to truth: we must live fully even in the dark valley."" --Dolores Puterbaugh, Troy University LeRoy H. Aden is Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Care at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is the author/editor of seven books, including the recently released Guilt and the Search for Fulfillment.