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by Desiree Miller

"No one wants to write this kind of book."

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John Terveen Offers
Hope for the Brokenhearted

Following the death of his daughter, Rachel, Dr. John Terveen, a professor at Multnomah Biblical Seminary, read more than 260 books on grief. Failing to find a book that used the Bible as a primary source, Dr. Terveen decided to write one.

He wrote his book based on his personal experience with grief. Because he had dealt with his grief before writing the book, Dr. Terveen said, "The writing just revisits the previous experience of God ministering through the Bible."

Dr. Terveen hopes to help people find comfort in the Bible. "My treatments of biblical text are journeys to Jesus," he said.

Dr. Terveen said the most difficult part of writing was revisiting all the places where his heart was broken. He said that writing dredged up all the emotion of that same pain of loss. "No one wants to write this kind of book," he said.

He wrote a thorough proposal and looked for a publisher. After three or four publishers rejected his book for being too heavy, he let the idea sit. However, after being convicted that the book was a good idea and it could help people find the comfort he had discovered in the Bible, he decided to persevere.

Partly to honor the memory of his daughter and partly because of his conviction, he attempted once again to get his book published, this time with the help of David Sanford, a literary agent.

"Dr. Terveen's project instantly resonated with us because he went in-depth," Mr. Sanford said.

After a year of polishing the book proposal, which included three sample chapters, Mr. Sanford gave the proposal to the senior acquisitions editor for Cook Communications, Craig Bubeck, who had more than 25 years of experience in publishing. Mr. Bubeck accepted the book proposal because "it was the first out of thousands that had made him weep," Mr. Sanford said.

Mr. Sanford said people can relate to this type of book. "This wasn't just an academic exercise; it strikes close to home for many people," he said.

Dr. Terveen said he believes people can relate to his book because of its biblical basis and the fact that everyone has to deal with death at some point.

"People resonate with the emotions and feelings that scripture brings out. They can resonate with the apostles' feeling when they were in the boat during the middle of a storm. People can see their own pain in the Bible, and that is a comfort," he said.

In April of 1999, Rachel Terveen, 14, suffered a heart attack during track practice. Three years later, during his sabbatical, Dr. Terveen started writing his book.

Dr. Terveen mentioned Isaiah 40:11 as a verse that ministered to his soul the most. "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." This ministered to him deeply because the name Rachel literally means "little lamb."

Dr. Terveen's book was released during August of 2006.

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