Maybe you and I have been there where Jesus was. Abandoned by others at the very time we craved connection. Misunderstood in terms of wanting to be with others and not “just left alone” to get over it by ourselves. Maybe we’ve entered our own age of loneliness. Maybe we’ve felt as if we, too, were sweating blood while others were off taking it easy. Maybe we’ve had our own Gethsemane moments. And, then again, maybe we’ve been where Peter, James and John were. Tired. Sleepy. Oblivious to the cries of another person who we’ve interpreted as being “alone” instead of “lonely.” Maybe you and I have also been the Church asleep at the switch during someone else’s worst ever time of fear, loneliness, temptation. If so, there is hope. There is redemption available for our Gethsemanes in this world. Redemption for us when we are living in our own age of loneliness. And redemption from us when we are called to wake up and change our own response to others during their times of fear, loneliness, and temptation.

“Redeeming Gethsemane relates real life experiences to scripture to overcome loneliness and challenges us to wake up and live out the Gospel. Dan Held skillfully weaves these experiences to make the scripture come alive in new ways. A great study book!” (Donald L. Hayashi, past Associate General Secretary, General Council on Ministries of the United Methodist Church)

"Dan Held offers an antidote to loneliness: hope. Using Gethsemane, the stories of Scripture, and the words of Jesus, Held paints a portrait of renewal desperately needed today. As a bonus, discussion questions make the book ideal for group study. Gethsemane gives hope!" (Thomas Jay Oord, author of The Uncontrolling Love of God and numerous other books)