The Essence of the Book:

Dr. Jack Hayford is founder and Chancellor of The Kings University and a gifted teacher. To hear Hayford teach or preach in a conversational delivery, deftly dealing with the highest doctrines like he is sitting in your living room (his usual affectionate tagline for Christians, “dear ones,” rings in my head), is to watch a master artist at work.

Hayford was also a famous pastor in Southern California (the “Church on the Way”) for over three decades—broadcasting internationally from that church, by the way—and this gem of a little 4×6-size book proves that this man knew how to astutely execute that important role of pastor-shepherd. Hayford corrals the key dimensions of losing a child with a theologically astute yet softly ministerial touch—just when a grieving parent needs both in overflowing measure.

Eight short chapters—from “The Gift of Lives” to “In Heaven as a Person”—together form a complete gift to the reader, to be referred to as needed.

Whitestone Commentary:

This book was recommended to my wife Cathy and me after a miscarriage. We have a middle child in heaven—miscarried between the births of our other two cherished children. We can’t wait to see that person and glorify God together!

So, this is the one book we buy to give to young people who lose a child—we actually have started keeping a copy on hand for timely giving.

When words fail, give words that work when the receiver is ready to receive—words calmly waiting on the nightstand for picking up during a sleepless night of grieving. And Hayford is the master crafter of just the right words for this circumstance.

Oh, surely you don’t need this right at this moment. Hopefully, you never will. But you or someone you are close to may need this book in the future. Bookmark this book in your heart, ready for recommendation to a devastated parent. You may not know what to think, say, or do—Hayford does it for you.

Thanks, Dr. Hayford!

Reviewed by Kevin Miller