Trent’s Message to Parents, Spouses, Christians: “BE THERE!”

Have you noticed how disconnected the world has become? We’ve surrounded ourselves with cell phones, fax machines, e-mail and snail mail—a million ways to stay in touch without ever really touching. Whatever happened to just “being there” for one another with a human touch and a sincere heart? Dr. John Trent, author, speaker and CBA chaplain, believes that one of the most important and overlooked duties of a friend, spouse, parent, or child is just “being there.” In his new book, Be There! Making Deep, Lasting Connections in a Disconnected World (Waterbrook, August 2000), Trent uses the power of story and scripture to illustrate the infinite value of “being there” for one another.

With compelling anecdotes from his own family life and from people such as Senator John McCain, Trent establishes the intrinsic worth of “being there” for family and friends. He also takes readers back to King Solomon’s time to reveal how God promised to “be there” for His people—with His name, His eyes, His Heart, forever (2 Chronicles 7:16). And with this divine model in place, Trent offers practical guidance for the reader who wishes to follow in the Maker’s footsteps by learning:

• To be there is to go beyond casual acquaintances to make deep, lasting connections.

• To be there is to experience a sense of mission and purpose in life—and a decrease in feelings of fear and isolation.

• To be there for others is to find focus for your days—and to maintain a sense of wonder as you age.

• To be there is to be emotionally and spiritually in the “present moment”—for your children, your spouse, and yourself.

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“In our day of great trials and transitions, just as in King Solomon’s day, we need to know God is ‘there’ for us,” Trent explains. “And we need to understand like never before how to ‘be there’ for others.”

As Trent convinces readers of the value and necessity of these connections, he also warns that deep relationships can have a flip side: pain and disappointment. But Trent offers practical advice here as well, helping readers prepare for the pain of losing ones with whom there is a deep connection—and offering the hope of eternal connection in heaven.

In addition to an extensive advertising plan and subsequent author tour, Be There! will serve as the cornerstone of Trent’s keynote addresses at Focus on the Family’s Heritage Builder conferences this fall. A July review is slated for Publisher’s Weekly and Be There! will be featured in CBA Frontline this summer; numerous excerpts and adapted articles are planned for consumer publications.

Dr. John Trent is President of Encouraging Words, a ministry committed to strengthening marriage and family relationships worldwide. Since 1995, John has spoken to more than 400,000 people at his seminars and special events. John has authored and co-authored more than a dozen award-winning and best-selling books for adults and children with more than 2.1 million books printed in nine languages. John and his wife, Cindy, have been married for twenty years, and have two daughters. The Trents reside near Phoenix, Arizona.

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Be There!

Making Deep, Lasting connections in a disconnected world

By Dr. John Trent

Available August 2000

ISBN: 1-57856-1787

$19.95, hardcover, 224 pages