For Immediate Release Contact: Pamela McClure, 615-595-8321
MIDLIFE OFFERS SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY,
WRITES AUTHOR DALE HANSON BOURKE
“Second Calling” Offers Boomers Blueprint for Growth
As the eldest Baby Boomers turn 60 and the youngest have crossed the threshold of 40, the world suddenly seems obsessed with all things related to aging. From face lifts to vitamins, everyone wants to look and feel younger, to extend the activities and appearance of life’s first half well into the second. But a new book takes a different approach to aging. In Second Calling: Finding Passion & Purpose for the Rest of Your Life (Integrity Publishers, January 2006), author Dale Hanson Bourke contends that midlife is a time for spiritual rebirth and urges women to find new passion and purpose by developing their souls. Bourke has “second half” women in her sights as she describes how changes in body, mind and spirit can draw a woman closer to God.
Bourke’s Second Calling is the first major book to address the spiritual side of a woman’s second half of life. Her book provides a basic blueprint for approaching this new stage of life with optimism and renewed spiritual interest. “God is calling us to build spiritual muscle, to develop a resume of soul work, to find peace and joy in increasing volume. I believe God wants to take women on ‘second half of life’ adventures,” Bourke writes in the opening chapter of Second Calling. “Midlife doesn’t have to become synonymous with crisis. Midlife will be rich if we make it a time for heart work.” Within the pages of this new book, Bourke shares her own story of midlife transition alongside those of friends and colleagues, while highlighting practical ideas for a rich second half of life.
Many women’s voices echo from the pages of Second Calling—including General Claudia Kennedy, [DHB1]journalist Peggy Wehmeyer and author/pastor Jill Briscoe. And each voice resoundingly affirms that midlife can be a time of spiritual rebirth and a chance for God to get one’s attention, especially when other demands on a woman’s time have diminished. Bourke also shares the biblical story of Naomi throughout the book’s text, using this
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midlife woman as an example of positive living. These stories are woven into an exploration of midlife attitudes and opportunities, punctuated with essential principles for discovering and pursuing one’s second calling:
· Live in the Present: Since the first half of life can be spent rushing to get the second half, now is the time to be truly present and aware of the needs around us. Enjoying the moment can become a hallmark of life’s second half.
· Leave the Baggage and the Idols Behind: By leaving the past behind, along with the idols that have distracted them from God, women are prepared to discover and pursue their second callings.
· Learn to Pray: Bourke confesses to not being a “quiet type” and shares practical suggestions for developing an authentic prayer life, urging women to make prayer the bedrock of the second half of life.
· Walk with Friends: Friends give form, substance and richness to second callings. Personal stories describe how friends console, stretch, and spiritually direct a woman’s heart and life.
· Pass it On: Bourke writes, “God is calling us to be encouragers and teachers to younger women. It doesn’t need to be a major undertaking. You just need an open heart and a willingness to set aside the pride that says you can’t do it.”
Second Calling is more than a one-book venture for Bourke. She has launched a website for women in the second half of life (www.secondcalling.org) and has begun blogging on the topic of midlife and discovering one’s second calling (secondcalling.org/blog/). She sees the book, website/blog and speaking engagements as tools for passing on her life experience, building community and investing in others. The author is available for media interviews in 2006, and excerpts from Second Calling are available for reprint upon request.
Dale Hanson Bourke is president of PDI, a marketing and strategy consulting firm specializing in work with nonprofit organizations. A graduate of Wheaton College (Ill.), she earned an MBA from the University of Maryland. She served as editor of Today’s Christian Woman, publisher of Religion News Service, and was vice president of International Marketing Group. The author of six books and dozens of magazine articles, Bourke wrote a weekly syndicated newspaper column for five years and continues to write columns for Religion News Service, primarily on international humanitarian issues. She served as Senior Vice President/Marketing of World Relief and has served on the boards of World Vision U.S., World Vision International, and International Justice Mission.
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Bourke currently serves on the boards of Opportunity International and ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). She lives just outside Washington, DC, and is a member of National Presbyterian Church. Married for 28 years to Tom Bourke, they are the parents of two sons.
Integrity Publishers Inc., a division of Integrity Media, Inc., headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., produces markets and distributes Christian books in most major trade categories such as fiction, current events, biblical studies, devotions, psychology, family, children and biography. Some Integrity authors include: Max Lucado, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Dr. Larry Crabb, Stephen Arterburn and product brands such as VeggieTales®, babyfaith™ and On the Farm with Farmer Bob™ . To find out more about Integrity Publishers, visit www.integritypublishers.com.
Integrity Media, Inc., is a privately held media/communications company that produces, publishes and distributes Christian music, books, films and related products. Integrity's products are sold primarily through retail stores and direct to consumers throughout the United States and in 168 other countries. Integrity is headquartered in Mobile, Ala. To find out more about Integrity Media, Inc., visit www.integritymedia.com.
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Second Calling: Finding Passion & Purpose for the Rest of Your Life
by Dale Hanson Bourke
Available January 2006 from Integrity Publishers
ISBN: 1-59145-332-1, hardcover, $18.99, 192 pages
Interviews and review copies available via McClure Muntsinger Public Relations:
Pamela McClure, Pamela@mmpublicrelations.com, 615-595-8321