Book Description
Lost & Found was birthed out of Melissa Fallen’s experience of job loss and the lessons learned along the way. Sharing her personal journey while also offering practical help for others faced with a difficult job loss, Fallen invites readers to consider the steps necessary to move beyond the moment of loss toward a place of purpose with a renewed identity as a beloved child of God. A balance between a “how-to” guide and an invitation for reflection, Lost & Found offers readers a chance to find their greatest passion in the world once again.
Book Reviews
"Melissa Fallen offers practical and spiritual lessons learned in the aftermath of her job loss. As someone who also went through a job loss, I appreciated Fallen’s honesty, vulnerability, and clear-eyed assessment of her experience. I recommend this wise and gracefilled companion to those who are going through a similar journey."
—Michael Cheuk, Pastoral coach, congregational facilitator, and community organizer with the Charlottesville Clergy Collective
"Lost & Found gives us an intimate glimpse into Melissa Fallen’s personal, professional, and spiritual journey after her removal from a role she loved. Melissa reflects about “who we are when work is stripped away”; the importance of family, friends, and spiritual practices following loss; the necessity of taking stock of your gifts; dreaming new dreams; willingness to ponder nagging theological questions; and the importance of self-care and exercise.
Lost & Found is a thoughtful read for anyone, especially those who have lost—or fear losing—employment. While not prescriptive in its approach, this personal account offers myriad practical suggestions for navigating the sometimes bumpy ride from one vocational dream to another. Dr. Fallen poses helpful questions to guide your reflection, demonstrates how you can author your own story, asserts rejection need not define you, and declares joy can be found again because our identity is in God and not in what we do to earn a living."
—Terry Maples, Coordinator Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia
"Writing from personal experience and deep theological reflection, Melissa Fallen’s Lost & Found offers practical steps for moving forward and spiritual insight on confronting loss. To read Lost & Found is to realize that our journey, despite its many setbacks, is ultimately one of joy and hope."
—Elizabeth Newman, Adjunct Professor of Theology Duke Divinity School