Loving Well in a Broken World: Discover the Hidden Power of Empathy

by Lauren Casper

Overview

How can we love our neighbors amid so much division and hurt?

Loving your neighbor as yourself would be easy if your neighbors were all people you understood, people you agreed with, people like you. But what about playground bullies, colleagues, refugees, online adversaries? They're all our neighbors, and Jesus said to love them. Every one. But how?

Lauren Casper believes the key is the lost art of empathy, stepping into other people’s shoes and asking what if?—what if it were my child? What if it were me? Casper helps us discover how to

• identify our blind spots and tune our hearts to the stories around us;
• seek and extend forgiveness with grace and humility; and
• engage in diverse and meaningful relationships.

Following these steps will enable us to connect in simple but life-altering ways, to respond to conflict with grace, bring about needed change, and shine God’s unconditional love into a dark world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718085551
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	02/18/2020
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	998,462
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Lauren Casper is the author of Loving Well in a Broken World and It's Okay About It. She lives nestled in the mountains with her family.

Table of Contents

A Way Back to Love xiii

1 The Antidote to Indifference 1

2 We All Fall Down 11

3 Blind Spots 24

4 Born for Others 37

5 Tuning Our Hearts to the Stories Around Us 50

6 The Magic of What If? 63

7 Big Feelings Lead to Big Love 75

8 Scarlet Letters and Strings of Pearls 89

9 Strangers Are Just Neighbors We Haven't Met Yet 103

10 The Next Right Thing 116

11 Yours, Mine, Ours 129

12 The Buddy Bench 140

13 Four Hundred and Ninety Times More 150

14 The Internet Is Still Real Life 163

15 Pass the Mic 173

16 Comfort vs. Criticism 184

17 Hopefully Ever After 196

May We Walk in Love 205

Acknowledgments 209

Notes 213

About the Author 219

Editorial Reviews

01/06/2020

Blogger Casper (It’s Okay About It) skillfully weaves personal stories and biblical lessons into this persuasive invitation to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Casper argues that becoming a better listener and extending one’s tent of “neighbors” to include those on the fringes of society form the core of being an empathetic Christian, and challenges readers to break new ground within themselves by using criticism as a personal trainer, forming empathetic connections on the internet, and helping the disenfranchised amplify their own voice instead of speaking for them. Casper illustrates her points by sharing her own story and divulges her struggles with infertility and epilepsy, as well as her experience with adoption and parenting a child with autism. Whether exposing her own emotional wounds, offering a fresh perspective on a biblical parable, or guiding readers toward positive change, Casper remains conversational and open throughout. This articulate exhortation for Christians to lead with empathy will please fans of Rachel Held Evans. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

02/14/2020

The basic issue for Casper is this: We are told to live by the Golden Rule (loving others as we want to be loved), but aren't told how to do it. In the author's previous book, I'm Okay About It, she opined about the virtues of looking at the world through a child's eyes; in her case, that meant understanding and appreciating the perspective of her young son, who lives with a disability. Here, Casper focuses her gaze on the power of empathy, or forgiving another before judging. More poignantly, Casper explores what it means to turn that acceptance inward, finding the grace to forgive oneself as a prerequisite for empathy on behalf of another. To Casper, that is our role as citizens of the world. Readers find this title affecting, refreshing, and hopeful. VERDICT A light read, these pages are chock-full of optimism in the midst of difficult times, offering nondenominational, faith-infused guidance. A treat for loyal followers of Casper's writings.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Library Journal

Hayley Cresswell brings a kind and loving voice to her narration of this new audiobook on how to better love your neighbors in a world in peril. The world is not perfect, and this new audiobook posits that all have some room to grow in their love and support of others. With biblical and real-world examples, this work focuses on how to use one’s love of Christ to identify emotional blindspots, seek and give forgiveness with grace, and form more meaningful relationships. Cresswell’s bubbly and kind voice is a welcome balm to the listener, especially during difficult and frightening times. Whether listening all at once, or in small segments, this audiobook is an informative and positive experience, thanks to Cresswell’s balanced narration. V.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Hayley Cresswell brings a kind and loving voice to her narration of this new audiobook on how to better love your neighbors in a world in peril. The world is not perfect, and this new audiobook posits that all have some room to grow in their love and support of others. With biblical and real-world examples, this work focuses on how to use one’s love of Christ to identify emotional blindspots, seek and give forgiveness with grace, and form more meaningful relationships. Cresswell’s bubbly and kind voice is a welcome balm to the listener, especially during difficult and frightening times. Whether listening all at once, or in small segments, this audiobook is an informative and positive experience, thanks to Cresswell’s balanced narration. V.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile