A NEW book has been written to help people through the process and pains of divorce and it’s from the pen of someone who has been there and come out of the other side.
Nothing unusual in that until you discover that it is a church leader who has used his own experiences as a starting point for the tome.
Keith Saynor, who is now pastor of Grace Church in Caversham, but was leader of Wokingham’s Kings Church a few years ago, said that the idea behind the book came after discovering a lack of written resources on the subject in a Christian bookshop.
“There were books about marriage and marriage preparation,” he said. “But nothing giving a Christian perspective. As I searched more widely I found very little written to help people move on following divorce.”
The result is Life Beyond Divorce: My Journey. A Christian book, it describes his personal journey, which he says includes “recovery and restoration following the shock of a painful separation and divorce”.
Mr Saynor, who is now remarried with a young daughter, writes that he faced “a tough, five-year challenge”, which started when his ex-wife left him.
“As a pastor and as a former sergeant in the Thames Valley Police I have helped many people learn how to forgive and move on, so I knew that it was important that I faced and dealt with this area early on,” he explained.
But even biblical theology and conventional prayers seemed unable to fix his problems.
He said that he went back to the source of his Christian faith and was surprised by the variety of ways in which he felt that God showed him how to shed his bitterness and anger and show forgiveness instead.
Mr Saynor said through his journey, he found that he received love, guidance, reassurance and ultimately restoration.
The book weaves together stories from the Bible, lyrics from popular music, passages from literature and scenes from Hollywood films.
Mr Saynor hopes to bring hope in the midst of uncertainty for people going through a marriage breakdown – or any profound loss – and pointers for churches offering them support.
Life Beyond Divorce: My Journey is published by Ronyas Publishing, ISBN 978-1-5272-7469-3, price £7.99. It can be obtained by emailing [email protected].
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