John Trent (1) (1952–)

I finished A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins a few days ago and I've been thinking since then. Some books are like that. Sometimes, I finish a book and I can immediately sit down and write about it. Other times, I have to give it a day or two to sink in, or to think about what I want to say. Honestly, it's a good book. I just can't say unequivocally that I liked it. It made me cry too much. I don't like books that make me cry. I read to either escape or learn, not show more to be sad.

The book is based on a previous book by Trent,[b:The Blessing|205856|The Blessing|Gary Smalley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172677034s/205856.jpg|529970]. According to Trent, the blessing "involves looking for specific ways to move toward others and provide them with five essential elements:
Meaningful touch
A spoken message
Attaching high value
Picturing a special future
An active commitment"

Trent says we are called by Jesus to do this as his followers. Obviously, we need to care for others and take care of each other, but the verses noted only speak of God's blessing to his people and say nothing of these elements. I'm not saying these aren't Biblical principles; God does attach a high value to us (Matthew 10: 29-31), and we do have a special future, not just in Heaven, but here on Earth (John 10:10). I guess I'm saying the author should have used verses like these to demonstrate his point instead of only the ones he gave (Gen 12:2, 1 Peter 3:9).

The story itself is heartbreak after heartbreak, with some love and a little hope thrown in. As a small child, Josh lost his parents in a drunk-driving accident. (Not that they were doing much for him and his brothers anyway, but they were his parents.) Then a tragic mistake separates him from his brothers. So I cried for the first 30 pages of the book. Eventually, he grows up, and meets Mike at work. Mike and his mother, Anna, become Josh's new family and he finally experiences all the love, nurturing, and "blessing" he didn't get as a child. That part of the story is wonderful. It's not all sunshine and roses, and there are some rough patches, but Josh learns that he really is worthy of love and families aren't always related by blood.

Then I cried for the last 30 pages. I won't tell you more because it would spoil the story. But, really, it's only 159 pages and I cried through 60 of them. That's almost 40% of the book. That's too much "sad" for me. But if you ignore that, this really is a good book.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. All opinions are my own. show less

I absolutely loved this book for three reasons. First, my favorite part of this book was the illustrations. They top any other children’s book I have read because they are extremely whimsical, bold, colorful and full of life. The illustrations of the characters especially are outstanding because their facial expressions go along perfectly with the story, and are exaggerated in order to highlight their spirits. I love the main character, Norbert the elephant, because he is relatable to so show more many children who struggle with everyday problems and insecurities. I also love Norbert’s mother in the story because she is a great example of a loving, supportive, and comforting parent. Lastly, I enjoyed the author’s writing because it was engaging throughout the story. Several words are italicized for emphasis, and all of Norbert complaints about his problems to his mom are typical problems that any child can relate to at some point in their life. Furthermore, I like how no matter how great Norbert tries makes his peers look, his mom always responds with, “I’d choose you.” The big idea of this story is to give children confidence and comfort. This book is a great read for any struggling children who lack self-worth and who need compassion. show less

Nearly 30 years ago I read the first edition of The Language of Love and it introduced me to a new way of expressing myself -- which was very important to someone coming from a family background of dysfunctional communication mixed with many forms of abuse. I was so excited to hear that there would be an updated, revised edition, and it does not disappoint. Many examples of word pictures enable you to visualize the principle as you learn how to help people feel your words rather than just show more hearing them.


I received an Advance Reader's Copy from the publisher. show less

Trent's theory is that if someone is just two degrees off course that given enough time and distance that they will miss their target by miles. Said another way, if we are not on the right bearing all the time then we might drift off course and to our ruin. He is technically right, but he misses his own target. The truth is that we have moving targets in life and we always need to be adjusting our present bearing to match the new course.
This book also pushes the concept that ALL people fall show more into 1 of 4 personality categories. Yes, another one of these self help books which places people into compartments so that we can all better understand ourselves and others. Presto, I'm a lion and you are an otter, so let's just leave things at that. Wrong.

So, you just read the book in this review. There is no need to buy it - go find something else better to do. show less