Grief Undone: A Journey with God and Cancer
Groves, Elizabeth
Grief Undone is the breathtakingly honest, yet hopeful account of how Elizabeth (Libbie) and Al Groves walked with God through Al’s terminal cancer. Their true story—saturated with in-the-moment Scriptural reflections, blogs, and fervent prayers—paints a stunning picture of how faith transforms the human experience of suffering. But Grief Undone is more than the chronicle of one family’s courage in the face of cancer. At its core, Grief Undone tells a story about the God who is with his people through each and every circumstance in life. Grief Undone will inevitably display the beauty of Christ’s sustaining love for his people through trials that seemed too hard to bear. Though grief threatens to undo us, we find that we are not destroyed, but sustained by God’s presence.
Story-driven and real, Grief Undone avoids the usual traps of being preachy, gratuitous, or dismissive in the face of suffering and grief. Modeling rather than teaching about healthy and God-honoring grief, Grief Undone is uniquely practical for those who are grieving as well as the pastors, counselors, and friends who seek to help them.
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Cover TypePaperback
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ISBN9781939946522
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Page Count224
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PublisherNew Growth Press
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Publication DateMarch 2015
Endorsements (17)
“Grief Undone is an invitation to and an offer of a model by which we too can learn from the Lord enough to trust his loving heart and be able to stare any perturbing circumstance in the face courageously and see beyond it to the tri- umph of Calvary. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who lives in this fallen world with all its disappointments and tears.”
See AllRev. Cephas T. A. Tushima
PhD, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary
“This book not only allows us to journey with Libbie, Al, and their kids through the valley of the shadow of death, it pointedly drives us to the hope of resur- rection we have in Jesus Christ. It is this hope that our dear friend Al Groves cherished even in the face of death.”
See AllDr. Hulisani Ramantswana
Senior Lecturer, University of South Africa, Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies
“Grief Undone is heart-breakingbringing me to tears as I walked through the 89 accounts of Gods faithfulness to my great professor-mentor-friend, his wife Libbie, and their family; heart-warmingexhilarating as I saw how Gods peo- ple celebrate his goodness; and heart-probingdaring me to face grief head-on in a whole new way. Grief Undone is extraordinary!”
See AllMichael Phua
Rev., PhD, Associate Professor, Singapore Bible College
“In Grief Undone, Libby recounts her husband Als battle with cancer and her subsequent journey as a widow and single mother. The book is an honest, encouraging read that doesnt minimize the heartache and agonizing pain of losing a loved one even as it testifies to the sustaining goodness of God and the hope of glory that lies ahead for Christians.”
See AllErika Moore
Professor of Old Testament Studies and Hebrew, Trinity School for Ministry
“In this memoir by Libbie Groves about her husbands death and her life beyond, she provides the reader many simple reminders of Gods presence in dark times. However, the meditations from Al may have been my greatest delight. His observations about Psalm 22 and 23 alone are worth the price of the book. But read on, and see how God continues to meet Libbie in grief, joy, and most of all, the hope of heaven.”
See AllPhilip G. Monroe
PsyD, Professor of Psychology & Counseling, Biblical Seminary
“Anyone facing this path of loss and uncertainty could benefit from the gener- ous openness of a wise and loving friend whose confidence in the Lords faith- fulness and constant presence has been forged in similar circumstances. Here is such a friend.”
See AllDr. Ruth Marshall
Biblical Counseling UK
“Having followed and loved the blog Al and Libbie published during Als ill- ness, I wondered how any narrative could be as riveting. But in this book Libbie masterfully weaves the blogs inspiring messages into a story of love, courage, and humor. It is a model of how to walk the path of suffering while staying connected to God as the source of strength.”
See AllAmy Givler
MD, author of Hope in the Face of Cancer: A Survival Guide for the Journey You Did Not Choose
“Libbie Groves invites us into her personal valley of death to help us see, hear, and feel how God comforts and strengthens his precious children. Instead of advising us how to avoid painful feelings, Libbie shows us how God walked her through the full range of human emotions that accompany the loss of a loved one in Christ. Our strong Savior disarms death, helps us face grief head-on with a sweet and certain hope of resurrection, and generously gives us himself in our deepest sorrow.”
See AllBarbara R. Duguid
Author of Extravagant Grace, Biblical Counselor, Speaker
“Al Groves was a mentor and friend to many people, and now his wife Libbie draws us into their private life with a mixture of intimacy, honesty, and practi- cal theology. The result is simply inspiring. This whole book is vulnerably and excruciatingly beautiful, to borrow one of her own phrases, so get ready to weep, laugh, think, and reflect along with her.”
See AllCharles Clayton
Director, Oxford Leaders Ltd; Chief Executive, Primary Care Trauma Foundation; Former Executive Director of World Vision International
“In this book Libbie expresses concern that shes not very open about what goes on inside or that she loves people well. Dont believe her. In her straightforward and down-to-earth way, she brings dying to life. She reveals the raw and the real within her own heart. She invites us into intimate moments with Al and with Jesus. We come away wanting to be a part of this faithful, loving family, and realize that in Jesus, we are.”
See AllJayne V. Clark
MAR, Chief of Staff, CCEFoundation
“This book offers a touching testament to the power of love over death, one that does more than merely chronicle the journey of J. Alan Grovess battle with cancer, but that beautifully articulates the broad range of feelings, moods, sentiments, and longings his family faced throughout its long, painful ordeal. Grief Undone tells a tale of one familys journey with cancer and how it sensed Gods quiet, compassionate presence at every turn.”
See AllRev. Dennis J. Billy
CSsR, John Cardinal Krol Chair of Moral Theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
“Deepest joy and profoundest hope is often best seen through glistened eyes. This collection of brief but exceedingly poignant reflections on the death of one of the Lords saints will have many readers thanking God with hearts weeping but overflowing because the subject is not ultimately Als death or his familys journey through grief; its about how the presence of Jesus bathes even the land of darkest sorrow in light.”
See AllDan McCartney
Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Redeemer Theological Seminary
“Here is a down-to-earth account of death through cancer, but written as a journey with God. It is a heart-wrenching, honest, and moving account of the joys and regrets of caring for a husband dying of cancer. Written in such an engaging style, the author enables the reader both to resonate with her pain and to marvel at the grace and mercy of God that captivated her and her husband. I read. I wept. I gave thanks to God.”
See AllThe Most Rev. Dr. Glenn N. Davies
Archbishop of Sydney, Australia
“I will never forget Al Grovess huge memorial service. The congregation was singing a praise song from the book of Job: [God] gives and takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Libbies hand was stretched toward heaven, palm upward in worship, yielding Al to God. In this book, she yields him again. These pages are a godly womans poignant offering to Jesus of her dearest earthly friend.”
See AllSteve Estes
Pastor; author of A Better December and When God Weeps
“A lot of people write books about the loss of someone they love. Few are worth reading. This one is. Few combine honesty about the sorrow with insight into the Scripture. This one does. Few people face death holding both present sadness and future hope in their hearts at the same time. Thats what Al and Libbie Groves did. And it is a beautiful thing to behold through the pages of this book.”
See AllNancy Guthrie
Author of Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow
“The great privilege of this book is getting an inside look, a sneak peak at a real working faith. The juxtaposition of Al and Libbies faith and the realities they are facing gives the book an unusual, vibrant feeling. This book is soul food at its finest.”
See AllPaul Miller
Director of seeJesus, author of A Loving Life
“At root Grief Undone is a love storynot only between a man and a woman, but within an entire family. And underneath it, surrounding it, and continuing in the ongoing story, is the love of Christ for his children, and the fact that he never, ever leaves them. This is the story that awaits you as you turn these pages. I suspect that when you come to the end, you will be grateful the Groves family have allowed you into their lives and shared their story. Perhaps more than that, you will want to pause to renew your faith in their Lord and Savior and to rest in his love for you. That, I am sure, is what they would most want.”
See All(from the foreword) Sinclair Ferguson
Professor of Systematic Theology at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas
About the Author
Elizabeth W. D. Groves, MAR, teaches Hebrew at Westminster Theological Seminary and is the author of the minibook Becoming a Widow: The Ache of Missing Your Other Half. She has four children, who were ages thirteen and up when her husband Al died in 2007, and two granddaughters born after his death.