The author considers all the ways church has forbidden touch and sets out to redeem it. She's brave in covering all topics. I appreciated what she shared about Jesus's willingness to touch and heal people, regardless of what society thought about it.

An interesting topic, given that we are currently avoiding touching anyone during a pandemic. I appreciate Wilbert's passion on the subject, although I don't completely agree with her.

This book brought me to tears. I come from a background and tradition that encourages casual, appropriate touch — it's a primary way that I give and receive love. Lore's poignant, personal reflections on the sacredness of touch, and her journey with it in the church and in relationships come from such a different experience than mine — and *that's* one of the many reasons I love the book so much, and will treasure it to come. 

Her writing is lyrical, poetic, and precise. I've heard and seen her in social media and in podcasts, and the book feels almost like being in another human being's presence. I believe Handle With Care will become a classic.

“God in flesh allowed himself to be made vulnerable so the broken might be healed. We cannot fully heal people by touching them, but we recognize their humanity, their story, their issue of blood, by allowing ourselves to be touched by them. Like Jesus, we should simply make ourselves within reach, available to however God might use us in his healing narrative.”

A beautiful book on the healing power of touch. Lore covers a wide range of topics with wisdom, generosity, and nuance -- singleness, marriage, self-touch and self-care, and abuse, just to name a few. And yet, as difficult and diverse as these subjects are, everything is placed alongside Jesus' life and ministry.

**Full review at The Rabbit Room**

Healthy touch is a subject that comes up often in my world, whether walking with singles or with marrieds. Jesus modeled the restorative effects of touch two thousand years ago. Lore Wilbert’s vulnerability in sharing her personal experiences of both healthy and harmful touch encourages a greater intentionality as we navigate relationships. Even more of a gift is the way she walks the reader through scripture every step of the way. This is a book for anyone desiring a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus’ ministry and how it should shape our ministry today.
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book from the publisher.

This book was a great read! I never knew that others felt the same way I did about touch! I believe this is a must have for our Christian school library for students and teachers a like!

I’ve been waiting for Lore Ferguson Wilbert to write a book for years, and I’m not the only person—as pictures of her book have popped up on social media during release week, it seems as though every person has shared how much they have longed for the day when Lore’s words would show up on our doorsteps, hardbound. When I first heard what this book would be about, I did not think this topic would impact me as deeply as it did. As someone who teaches children who have been abused, I appreciated how delicately she talked about touch in relation to little ones. This is a book that everyone should read, but my prayer is for it to circulate through the church, changing the lives of all who open its pages.

What does it mean to touch well? Is it possible, and if so, what does that look like in today's world?

Tackling a subject so many, perhaps especially Christians, don't know how to talk about and instead sidestep around, Lore instead dives in deep. While there are a few things that Lore does not mention or talk about in great detail, which is understandable within the limited of a traditional nonfiction title and page count, she does not shy away from the many different "topics" surrounding touch. I particularly appreciated that she clearly took time to think through many different people who may pick up this book -- married, divorced, widowed, single, with and without children, etc. Because she took the time and wrote in a way that is not exclusive or aimed specifically at one group, this book will minister to many.

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣In Handle With Care, Lore doesn’t give prescriptive, rule-based advice (thank God!), but comes alongside readers to share what she’s learned about the ministry of touch in scripture.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Woven throughout the book are her experiences with touch - harmful, helpful, and healing - both given and received. She writes about abuse, the ramifications of purity culture, loving and valuing our bodies (“matter matters”), our need for regular, healthy touch, and embodied faith.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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“Who is my neighbor? Everyone. God made us with bodies and came in a body and died in a body and rose again in a body, and one day all His people will dwell with Him forever - every one of us in our own glorified body. Each of those realities matter to the entire gospel narrative and so they should each inform the way we interact with the world around us, our fellow humans on earth. It should inform how we touch and are touched, even by those we have seemingly no personal relationship. We are persons and therefore all our relationships are personal.”⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

That'll preach.
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In this book Lore examines how Jesus touched others throughout his ministry. The author then explores how touch can be redeemed in the church, in our marriage, and in the people we meet each day. 
This book caused me to think of how I need to intentionally touch my mom and grandmother, both widows, whether it be with a hug or kiss on the cheek. Lore’s words in regard to touch in marriage challenged me to show love to my husband by just holding his hand or rubbing his back at night. Simple gestures of love that we have lost through the years. My eyes are now open for the hurting, the abused, and the down and out, that may not know the sincere touch of someone who cares for them. 
Lore shares candidly from her own experiences. She writes thoughtfully, truthfully and always points her readers to Christ.

What I loved:
The author, Lore Ferguson Wilbert, writes about a topic that is SO pertinent to 2020. With #metoo drawing awareness to how touch can be terribly misused (and destroy trust), having a resource to get us thinking on life-giving touch is a must. As far as I'm aware, Lore's book, Handle with Care, is the first!

I love that her heart for healthy, good touch is evident in every page. She doesn't hold back from talking about her own experiences with destructive touch. She also doesn't skip a single area, such as sexual touch, marital touch, or friend touch. I always loved the passages of the Bible that talk about Jesus touching those deemed "other" in the Jewish society in the 1st century A.D.--lepers, women, injured (including currently bleeding), the blind, lame, deaf, tax collectors, prostitutes....the list goes on and on.

Jesus never shrank back, never distanced Himself. That willingness to touch dirt and disease is rare among humans, yet even more amplified by the fact that this was God's Son, the purest, holiest being to walk the planet. Of anyone, He should be given a free pass to not get His hands dirty by our problems...right?
But out of everyone, He was the one to reach first to help and heal. To love. That's a powerful, beautiful thing. In Handle with Care, Lore highlights this. Touch can bring healing -- should bring healing -- whether for a friend, enemy, or love. Her call to think about this wasn't something I ignored. It's given me more awareness on when touch is good, not just when it's bad.

What I didn't like:
This list isn't long, despite my 3-star rating. Disclaimer: I used to rate everything as 5s, but then I realized it was solely to people-please and avoid any negatives Goodreads comments. Now I follow the Goodreads description when hovering over the stars--3 stars is "I liked it." Definitely positive.

What I didn't like is more personal than universal, so take this with a grain of salt.

Like all women, I've experienced negative touch. I've also experienced positive touch, of course. But those negative experiences have helped me be guarded and set boundaries. I honestly believe that these boundaries are good because they stem from respecting myself, and will hopefully teach men to follow boundaries for any other women they meet in the future.

I also like to think that I'm still a warm person, and can exchange hugs, kisses on the cheek, etc. in a normal way. What I didn't like with Handle with Care was that Lore -- a self-proclaimed LOVER of touch -- seemed to make it an either/or thing. Either you always love touch, or you always hate touch. This was absolutely not done maliciously or without explanation (such as that Christians should rise above cultural boundaries, which is true), but I still think that - as much as I want to be like Jesus - there is and should be a difference between HIM touching everyone and ME touching everyone. So I wish there was more nuance in her explanation. She purposefully steered clear from giving an action-plan because everyone is different, which I appreciate. I just wish there was more practical application instead of solely theory.

Overall, a poignant read that fills an important gap in the publishing world. So glad it was written -- I definitely recommend Handle with Care!

This is a faith-based book that discusses all aspects of touch and the importance of healthy touch in our circles today. This is a topic I've always struggled with and knew this book would help me sort through a lot of the thoughts I've wrestled with most of my life. Growing up, I went to a private religious school where it was drilled into our heads that touch was primarily sexual and should be refrained from except in the confines of marriage. If we were to sit next to someone of another gender, we had to leave enough room between our bodies that a copy of the Holy Bible could sit in that space. We were told that our physical bodies had one purpose and to use them outside of that purpose was sinful. I never believed this to be true and have always carried a lot of guilt and shame because of this, and I resonated so much with Lore's words in this book. She shares many personal stories and uses Scripture references to support the statements she makes. This book as a whole was very encouraging and helpful. It's a wonderful read for anyone who is interested in how touch can be used in Christian ministry or, like me, has struggled with some of the ideas about touch that were taught in our early years. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review as part of the official book launch team.

I was so glad to read this book and thought it was very well done. I love the way that Lore uses personal experience and story, robust research and quotations, and many, many Bible passages (in context!) to flesh out each chapter of this book. Touch isn't something I have spent a lot of time thinking about, but now I will, and many things in this book resonated with me. I think many people will read this book and feel seen and known and loved and hopefully experience healing through Lore's words

Handle With Care by @lorewilbert is a special book.
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Yes, it’s a much-needed and sorely overdue treatment of the issue of touch written from a robustly biblical perspective. But what is even more special than the subject is Lore herself. She approaches authorship, theology, and her own influence in Christian circles with an attitude of humility and authenticity from which I believe we all can learn.
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Lore has been doing slow and faithful work for decades. She didn’t write Handle With Care with the intention of “making it big” or becoming a best-selling Christian author, but because publishing it was the way she could best be obedient to God in this season of her life. And that is exactly what makes its message as rich, potent, and sincere as it is.
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Handle With Care releases on Feb 4th. If you’re interested to know how God desires Christians to think about the role of healthy, ministering touch in our lives, consider pre-ordering and follow @lorewilbert to learn more.

This book makes me feel understood even if I am not coming from the place Lore is writing from. It turns over stones that need to be turned, challenges the church especially with regards to current convictions regarding touch and questioning where those convictions come actually from. It provides both insightful and practical wisdom about touch and the importance of this mode of healing and encouragement for the entire lifespan. It sheds light particularly on singles in the church which has been an anomalous demographic in our church culture and history, but quite the opposite when considering Biblical examples and instruction for those who are widowed, orphaned, unmarried, etc. Touch is powerful- it's a wonder why it took so long for someone to dissect this topic but perhaps, it is most appropriate timing for Lore to write on this now in light of abuse in a hypersexualized world. I appreciate everything this book represents and aims to achieve. I hope churches pay attention to this book and begin to consider seriously the power of touch and the ways we need to reconsider it and practice it more in our lives altogether.

My husband and I are on a 15-month motorcycle trip through Central and South America. My Spanish is limited yet improving. One of my goals for this trip has been to truly connect with the people we meet. Latin culture is much more expressive than other cultures. While I have been learning from these dear people, I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the book, “Handle With Care”. I am touched by Lore’s humility and compassion. I gave this book a five-star rating because I am convinced that every person will resonate with some part. 

Lore clearly and concisely defines the three types of touch, platonic, sexual and professional and then expands the discussion to understand how each of these three types can be used to “minister” to another human being created in God’s image OR “taken” in an abusive or manipulative way which God hates.

Touch is so complex. I appreciated Lore’s sensitivity to each person’s story, recognizing we all have personalities and history-- some good, some bad, that will influence how we respond to touch.

Lore also takes examples of Old Testament rules surrounding touch as well as carefully thinking through the accounts of Jesus touching and being touched to help us learn, discuss this area with our spouses, friends, church and commit to teaching our children how to rightly “care” for those around us in order that we will learn to be like Christ  “when Jesus is undone over human suffering, He comes close and He touches.” 

This is not a sterile discussion of touch, it is a vulnerable sharing of one’s life, asking questions, seeking God’s wisdom and requesting that we join this journey. 

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book from the publisher.

Oh, this is such an important book.

Touch is such a sticky topic in our culture and many people avoid touch altogether out of fear. Lore writes beautifully about the importance of touch and points us back to Jesus and His ministry. Jesus used touch as a means of healing and a way to acknowledge a person's humanity. He didn't just speak healing, but many times chose to touch the leper or place his hands over the blind man's eyes. We have the chance to offer others a similar ministering and healing touch.

Lore does not give guidelines or how-to's for touch, but rather invites us to transform our mindset around physical touch and consider its proper place in our lives. I've read Lore's words for years and this book is a faithful outpouring of her wisdom. Her words are full of truth and love and healing.

I LOVE this book and would highly recommend it to anyone with a body. ;)

*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.*

I have been a faithful reader of Lore’s blog for a couple years now and have come to deeply appreciate her poetic yet down-to-earth voice. Her touch on difficult topics is gentle yet unafraid of firm Truth.

Knowing that, I expected to love Handle With Care, and I wasn’t disappointed. Lore handles the topic of touch beautifully. She covers many the kinds of touch we give and receive in our various relationships (marriage, children, family, the church, professionally, socially, etc.) and the ways our experiences shape the way we give and receive. She does this by exploring the ways her experiences have shaped her relationship with touch and by exploring what God teaches us about touch.

I found the book well researched, artfully written, and a true delight. I believe we all need some level of healing in our relationship with touch and I recommend Handle With Care as an excellent tool to take along on that journey.


I received an advance copy of Handle With Care from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

As it turns out, "the purity movement had a good intention, a good motivation (chastity), but its sales pitch, of using sex as the most important thing to sell abstinence, actually led people to value and to focus on the wrong thing. Sex is merely a crumb of the appetizer to the feast of God has prepared for us. Even after the best sex, we will always be wanting more. We must touch with eternity in mind.

The above statement resonated with me because I think it represents the book as a whole that we have a misunderstanding of touch. In our over sexual culture, we look at touch as sexual and not as a ministry. I have followed Lore Ferguson Wilbert's blog for some time. I have enjoyed her writing and how she articulates the gospel that it goes deep into my heart. I have included a link to her blog.
http://www.sayable.net/blog/2019/11/2...

I was thrilled to see that she had written a book as she takes experience and applies the gospel. She gives you a background of how her family life, her single life and now her married life. Our lives like hers involve touch. Some of us back away from touch while others gravitate towards touch. Touch can be a their love language. How they express love and give love.

Why is touch a ministry? It is a way for us to connect in a deeper level. To feel and to give love. In the church because of the sexual culture we are in, touch is limited and half hugs or more telling that touch is bad when it may be the very thing a soul needs. The book is a conversation about how Jesus used touch for ministry. And it is great start for us as well. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank You to B & H Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

When I first heard about "Handle With Care," I had no idea what to expect, but I was fascinated. As is true of the rest of Wilbert's work via her blog, this book did not disappoint. Lore is a deep-thinker and an empathetic traveler on this journey of following Jesus faithfully, and her book reflects this. She caused me to re-think my own story of touch and to realize that a lot of how I understand touch, I've garnered from the culture instead of Jesus. She showed me a new way. She speaks generously and purposefully to both singles and married folks, and it's in few contexts where I can honestly say as a single woman that my story feels valued -- both the good and the hard of it. I have a feeling a married person would walk away from this book with the same sentiment. Lore recognizes the power of the gospel in all things, and she faithfully confronts us with how touch can be brought under the lens of the kingdom and the good news. I hope this is one of many books God assigns Lore to write --- her words are a gift to us. "Handle With Care" is an incredibly worthwhile read.