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The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found

Hardcover |English |080287794X | 9780802877949

The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found

Hardcover |English |080287794X | 9780802877949
Overview

"My vocation was supposed to be joy, and I was speaking at funerals."

Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study joy, Angela Gorrell got word that a close family member had died by suicide. Less than a month later, she lost her father to a fatal opioid addiction and her nephew, only twenty-two years old, to sudden cardiac arrest. The theoretical joy she was researching at Yale suddenly felt shallow and distant--completely unattainable in the fog of grief she now found herself in.

But joy was closer at hand than it seemed. As she began volunteering at a women's maximum-security prison, she met people who suffered extensively yet still showed a tremendous capacity for joy. Talking with these women, many of whom had struggled with addiction and suicidal thoughts themselves, she realized: "Joy doesn't obliterate grief. . . . Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even--sometimes most especially--in the midst of suffering."

This is the story of Angela's discovery of an authentic, grounded Christian joy. But even more, it is an invitation for others to seize upon this more resilient joy as a counteragent to the twenty-first-century epidemics of despair, addiction, and suicide--a call to action for communities that yearn to find joy and are willing to "walk together through the shadows" to find it.

ISBN: 080287794X
ISBN13: 9780802877949
Author: Angela Williams Gorrell
Publisher: Eerdmans
Format: Hardcover
PublicationDate: 2021-03-09
Language: English
PageCount: 245
Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.1 x 8.6 inches
Weight: 15.52 ounces

"My vocation was supposed to be joy, and I was speaking at funerals."

Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study joy, Angela Gorrell got word that a close family member had died by suicide. Less than a month later, she lost her father to a fatal opioid addiction and her nephew, only twenty-two years old, to sudden cardiac arrest. The theoretical joy she was researching at Yale suddenly felt shallow and distant--completely unattainable in the fog of grief she now found herself in.

But joy was closer at hand than it seemed. As she began volunteering at a women's maximum-security prison, she met people who suffered extensively yet still showed a tremendous capacity for joy. Talking with these women, many of whom had struggled with addiction and suicidal thoughts themselves, she realized: "Joy doesn't obliterate grief. . . . Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even--sometimes most especially--in the midst of suffering."

This is the story of Angela's discovery of an authentic, grounded Christian joy. But even more, it is an invitation for others to seize upon this more resilient joy as a counteragent to the twenty-first-century epidemics of despair, addiction, and suicide--a call to action for communities that yearn to find joy and are willing to "walk together through the shadows" to find it.

Editorial Reviews


Publishers Weekly

"Gorrell's therapeutic message provides a healing balm that will resonate with any Christian."

Booklist

"You don't have to be a Christian to relate your own experiences with grief and the search for joy to those Gorrell beautifully shares in these pages."
"Angela Gorrell was part of a Yale Divinity School project on 'a theology of joy' when three members of her family died within four weeks, all in tragic situations. Drowning in an ocean of sorrow, she wondered if joy could keep her afloat. This remarkable book is her honest, vulnerable, and healing answer to that question. There is no spiritual cheerleading here, no cheap grace. Instead, there is the hard-won knowledge that, while we cannot make joy, we can open ourselves to the God who suffers with us, offering us witness and 'withness.' The night is long, but if we keep on opening and offering ourselves through our tears, joy will come in the morning."


-- Parker J. Palmer

author of
On the Brink of Everything, A Hidden Wholeness, and
Let Your Life Speak
"What is the true life? That is the big question that animates this book. Angela Gorrell teaches us that in a well-lived life emotions are felt authentically, choices are embraced meaningfully, and self-transcending connections are forged broadly. These pages crackle with raw honesty, deep wisdom, profound realizations, and potent reminders that ultimately goodness can be found amidst the rancor of daily life. The author's insights contained within are not ivory tower speculations, either. They were formed and forged through the crucible of living. Suffering is inevitable and inescapable but does not have to have the final say in our lives. Joy is a gift and 'will always find us, ' writes Gorrell. You will find joy in these pages--may we all be grateful for this deeply moving gift she has given us."


-- Robert Emmons

author of
The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns and
The Little Book of Gratitude
"
The Gravity of Joy is a story of hope in hard times. Angela Gorrell artfully tells her story of faith, pain, and joy. She weaves it with the stories of others--family, women she met in prison Bible study, students, travelers she met on her journey. And she shares a truth that perhaps is discovered only by those who have faced love and loss--especially those society has used and abused, denied dignity to in life and death: that joy comes in the mourning. I encourage all who hunger for justice, peace, acceptance, and comfort to read this book. In its pages you will find beautiful prose and hope that even in the darkest of spaces, places, and times--through addiction, suicide, sudden death, prison, abuse, and despair--love reigns, truth reigns, joy reigns."


-- Liz Theoharis

co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A Call for National Revival
"
The Gravity of Joy is a unique exercise in vulnerable theology. Weaving memoir and journalism, theology and testimony, Gorrell invites us into the unthinkable to discover the possibility of a joy that surpasses understanding. Written with eyes wide open, this book is a reminder that the cracks in a broken heart can be openings for grace."


-- James K. A. Smith

author of
You Are What You Love and
On the Road with Saint Augustine
"In T
he Gravity of Joy Angela Gorrell courageously narrates her personal experience of clawing her way through the valley of the shadow of death and despair, yearning for hope yet questioning whether joy can possibly exist in a world where suicide and opioid addiction steal lives away. When she begins to lead a Bible study with incarcerated women, she finds unexpected balm for her own despair, leading her to affirm: 'By grappling with suffering we actually come to a clearer understanding of joy. . . . God's primary response to suffering is
withness and
witness--the visible manifestation of God's presence in the midst of suffering.'"


-- Joyce Ann Mercer

Horace Bushnell Professor of Christian Nurture at Yale Divinity School
"A searingly honest, devastatingly painful, profoundly wise--and beautiful--book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Angela Gorrell is a scholar with the courage of the most authentic memoirist. She generously and unflinchingly brings the theological discussion of the most sublime subject--joy--right into the middle of the mess of life and lets it unfold in surprising and wondrously disrupting ways."


-- Tod Bolsinger

author of
Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change
"Angela has a gift for clearly articulating deep, complicated emotions in a way that few writers can. I admire both her gut-level honesty and her thorough reflection. Her poignant storytelling gives readers permission to embrace the messiness of life and reinvigorates our hope in God's presence through it all."


-- Linda Livingstone

president of Baylor University
"Angela Gorrell's moving personal experiences and stories in
The Gravity of Joy arise amidst the ordinary, exceptional, and anguishing realities of being human. She is a vulnerable and honest guide, who knows her own and others' tear-stained cheeks, as she and others receive joy with wonder, not triumph; with humility, not presumption; with presence, not power. This book is a witness to hope that can and does save lives."


-- Mark Labberton

president of Fuller Theological Seminary
"For Angela this book is not about Angela, though stories of her experiences figure very prominently in it. It is about the great power of that rather ephemeral but irresistible emotion called joy, an emotion that we cannot manufacture but that we can prepare for and open ourselves toward. . . . That joy, Christ's joy, is 'an incredibly powerful counteragent to despair--and even a companion during suffering.' In a way--a difficult, challenging way--each of the stories of addiction, despair, depression, and death Angela here tells is an invitation to that kind of joy."


-- Miroslav Volf

from the foreword


Angela Williams Gorrell is assistant professor of practical theology at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary and an ordained pastor in the Mennonite Church USA. She is also the author of
Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape.
 

Miroslav Volf is Director of the Yale Center for Faith andCulture and Henry B. Wright Professor of SystematicTheology at Yale Divinity School. His other books includeExclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration ofIdentity, Otherness, and Reconciliation.

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Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

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Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.). 

If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • Gift cards
  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
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If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

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Overview

"My vocation was supposed to be joy, and I was speaking at funerals."

Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study joy, Angela Gorrell got word that a close family member had died by suicide. Less than a month later, she lost her father to a fatal opioid addiction and her nephew, only twenty-two years old, to sudden cardiac arrest. The theoretical joy she was researching at Yale suddenly felt shallow and distant--completely unattainable in the fog of grief she now found herself in.

But joy was closer at hand than it seemed. As she began volunteering at a women's maximum-security prison, she met people who suffered extensively yet still showed a tremendous capacity for joy. Talking with these women, many of whom had struggled with addiction and suicidal thoughts themselves, she realized: "Joy doesn't obliterate grief. . . . Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even--sometimes most especially--in the midst of suffering."

This is the story of Angela's discovery of an authentic, grounded Christian joy. But even more, it is an invitation for others to seize upon this more resilient joy as a counteragent to the twenty-first-century epidemics of despair, addiction, and suicide--a call to action for communities that yearn to find joy and are willing to "walk together through the shadows" to find it.

ISBN: 080287794X
ISBN13: 9780802877949
Author: Angela Williams Gorrell
Publisher: Eerdmans
Format: Hardcover
PublicationDate: 2021-03-09
Language: English
PageCount: 245
Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.1 x 8.6 inches
Weight: 15.52 ounces

"My vocation was supposed to be joy, and I was speaking at funerals."

Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study joy, Angela Gorrell got word that a close family member had died by suicide. Less than a month later, she lost her father to a fatal opioid addiction and her nephew, only twenty-two years old, to sudden cardiac arrest. The theoretical joy she was researching at Yale suddenly felt shallow and distant--completely unattainable in the fog of grief she now found herself in.

But joy was closer at hand than it seemed. As she began volunteering at a women's maximum-security prison, she met people who suffered extensively yet still showed a tremendous capacity for joy. Talking with these women, many of whom had struggled with addiction and suicidal thoughts themselves, she realized: "Joy doesn't obliterate grief. . . . Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even--sometimes most especially--in the midst of suffering."

This is the story of Angela's discovery of an authentic, grounded Christian joy. But even more, it is an invitation for others to seize upon this more resilient joy as a counteragent to the twenty-first-century epidemics of despair, addiction, and suicide--a call to action for communities that yearn to find joy and are willing to "walk together through the shadows" to find it.

Editorial Reviews


Publishers Weekly

"Gorrell's therapeutic message provides a healing balm that will resonate with any Christian."

Booklist

"You don't have to be a Christian to relate your own experiences with grief and the search for joy to those Gorrell beautifully shares in these pages."
"Angela Gorrell was part of a Yale Divinity School project on 'a theology of joy' when three members of her family died within four weeks, all in tragic situations. Drowning in an ocean of sorrow, she wondered if joy could keep her afloat. This remarkable book is her honest, vulnerable, and healing answer to that question. There is no spiritual cheerleading here, no cheap grace. Instead, there is the hard-won knowledge that, while we cannot make joy, we can open ourselves to the God who suffers with us, offering us witness and 'withness.' The night is long, but if we keep on opening and offering ourselves through our tears, joy will come in the morning."


-- Parker J. Palmer

author of
On the Brink of Everything, A Hidden Wholeness, and
Let Your Life Speak
"What is the true life? That is the big question that animates this book. Angela Gorrell teaches us that in a well-lived life emotions are felt authentically, choices are embraced meaningfully, and self-transcending connections are forged broadly. These pages crackle with raw honesty, deep wisdom, profound realizations, and potent reminders that ultimately goodness can be found amidst the rancor of daily life. The author's insights contained within are not ivory tower speculations, either. They were formed and forged through the crucible of living. Suffering is inevitable and inescapable but does not have to have the final say in our lives. Joy is a gift and 'will always find us, ' writes Gorrell. You will find joy in these pages--may we all be grateful for this deeply moving gift she has given us."


-- Robert Emmons

author of
The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns and
The Little Book of Gratitude
"
The Gravity of Joy is a story of hope in hard times. Angela Gorrell artfully tells her story of faith, pain, and joy. She weaves it with the stories of others--family, women she met in prison Bible study, students, travelers she met on her journey. And she shares a truth that perhaps is discovered only by those who have faced love and loss--especially those society has used and abused, denied dignity to in life and death: that joy comes in the mourning. I encourage all who hunger for justice, peace, acceptance, and comfort to read this book. In its pages you will find beautiful prose and hope that even in the darkest of spaces, places, and times--through addiction, suicide, sudden death, prison, abuse, and despair--love reigns, truth reigns, joy reigns."


-- Liz Theoharis

co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A Call for National Revival
"
The Gravity of Joy is a unique exercise in vulnerable theology. Weaving memoir and journalism, theology and testimony, Gorrell invites us into the unthinkable to discover the possibility of a joy that surpasses understanding. Written with eyes wide open, this book is a reminder that the cracks in a broken heart can be openings for grace."


-- James K. A. Smith

author of
You Are What You Love and
On the Road with Saint Augustine
"In T
he Gravity of Joy Angela Gorrell courageously narrates her personal experience of clawing her way through the valley of the shadow of death and despair, yearning for hope yet questioning whether joy can possibly exist in a world where suicide and opioid addiction steal lives away. When she begins to lead a Bible study with incarcerated women, she finds unexpected balm for her own despair, leading her to affirm: 'By grappling with suffering we actually come to a clearer understanding of joy. . . . God's primary response to suffering is
withness and
witness--the visible manifestation of God's presence in the midst of suffering.'"


-- Joyce Ann Mercer

Horace Bushnell Professor of Christian Nurture at Yale Divinity School
"A searingly honest, devastatingly painful, profoundly wise--and beautiful--book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Angela Gorrell is a scholar with the courage of the most authentic memoirist. She generously and unflinchingly brings the theological discussion of the most sublime subject--joy--right into the middle of the mess of life and lets it unfold in surprising and wondrously disrupting ways."


-- Tod Bolsinger

author of
Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change
"Angela has a gift for clearly articulating deep, complicated emotions in a way that few writers can. I admire both her gut-level honesty and her thorough reflection. Her poignant storytelling gives readers permission to embrace the messiness of life and reinvigorates our hope in God's presence through it all."


-- Linda Livingstone

president of Baylor University
"Angela Gorrell's moving personal experiences and stories in
The Gravity of Joy arise amidst the ordinary, exceptional, and anguishing realities of being human. She is a vulnerable and honest guide, who knows her own and others' tear-stained cheeks, as she and others receive joy with wonder, not triumph; with humility, not presumption; with presence, not power. This book is a witness to hope that can and does save lives."


-- Mark Labberton

president of Fuller Theological Seminary
"For Angela this book is not about Angela, though stories of her experiences figure very prominently in it. It is about the great power of that rather ephemeral but irresistible emotion called joy, an emotion that we cannot manufacture but that we can prepare for and open ourselves toward. . . . That joy, Christ's joy, is 'an incredibly powerful counteragent to despair--and even a companion during suffering.' In a way--a difficult, challenging way--each of the stories of addiction, despair, depression, and death Angela here tells is an invitation to that kind of joy."


-- Miroslav Volf

from the foreword


Angela Williams Gorrell is assistant professor of practical theology at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary and an ordained pastor in the Mennonite Church USA. She is also the author of
Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape.
 

Miroslav Volf is Director of the Yale Center for Faith andCulture and Henry B. Wright Professor of SystematicTheology at Yale Divinity School. His other books includeExclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration ofIdentity, Otherness, and Reconciliation.

Books - New and Used

The following guidelines apply to books:

  • New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
  • Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
  • Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.

Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

Shipping Fees

  • Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
  • Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
  • No additional fees and charges.

Delivery Times

The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.

Estimated delivery times:

  • Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
  • Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days

Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.  

Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times. 

Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.). 

If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • Gift cards
  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
  • Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
  • Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.

Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.

If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:

  • Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
  • Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
  • Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.


Shipping Cost


We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

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