Living with Grief: Bound by Sorrow, Wrapped in Comfort

This is a heart-felt composition written in a Christ-centered way by a Pastor who knows that the only comfort for our grief is found in Jesus Christ. The book is loaded with references from Holy Scripture that strongly affirm that we will be with Him after death. Not only has the author been a comforter to others in their grief but he has a lot of first-hand experience with tragedy in his own family. Death is our enemy and it is a sure thing and we will “…never be the victor. No resolve, no ingenuity, no technological gains can stave off the fiend named death. There will always be an obituary column to read, and one day, our names will appear.” The cause of death: “Sin infects and affects the whole creation with death.” Rev. Kincaid devotes an entire chapter to the funeral industry where he explains that death has now been “institutionalized and sanitized, taking place most often in hospitals or care facilities….” Gone are the days when death was “hands-on and up-front.” In Chapters 6 and 7, Dr. Kincaid warns about dangers among us. He cautions us against seeking “comfort in comfortless places. We erringly turn away from God’s Holy Word and turn to misleading writings, various ‘signs,’ psychics, mediums, and other detrimental and dark means the devil uses to lure us away from Christ.” You don’t have to wait until you experience grief to benefit from this book. During the pandemic and the resulting upside-down world, it is comforting to be reminded about Christ’s assurances of life after death. The book is excellent for both laity and Pastors. There is no deep theology here; just the simple and clear easy-to-read words from Holy Scripture. At the end of each chapter are reflection questions to ponder, all based on Holy Scripture. The book would be a great congregation Bible study.

Reading this book brought many tears to my eyes but they were tears of comfort and joy. I'll be purchasing more of these to give to those who are trying to cope with loss. Don't want to give away my own copy as I'm sure I'll want to refer to it frequently. This is an exceptional read.