What is a "Melissa moment"? I mean those experiences now and then that bring clarity and conviction and assurance in the midst of situations otherwise riddled by ambiguity, ambivalence, confusion, and uncertainty. I mean those bright and shining moments which bring illumination and order into the midst of darkness and chaos. They are those times when we come to know who we are, what we believe, what we trust, and to what we are committed. A "Melissa moment" is any reordering of life that restores equilibrium and perspective, that refreshes and renews, that gets us back on track. (from the sermon "Rejoicing In Life's 'Melissa Moments' ")

In this warm, insightful collection of sermons, eminent theologian Kenneth Cauthen brings the simple clarity of a "Melissa moment" to the complex problems that daily confront us. The book derives its title from an incident where Cauthen's daughter Melissa sparked a particularly moving epiphany, and it's an apt description because the messages combine a profound understanding of scripture with poignant stories about real people and their struggles, sufferings, and moral challenges. Though much of Cauthen's other work is academic in tone, these intensely personal meditations deal with profound moral and theological issues in the context of everyday life. Rejoicing In Life's "Melissa Moments" affirms our faith and the goodness of God in the face of the modern world's anxieties, terrors, and threats. It will make you think -- but more importantly, it will also touch your heart. A nationally recognized authority on theology and ethics, Kenneth Cauthen is the John Price Crozer Griffith Emeritus Professor of Theology at Colgate-Rochester Divinity School/Crozer Theological Seminary. He is the author of several seminal works that have become standard texts, such as The Impact of American Religious Liberalism, which was selected for a special White House library on American history and culture. His CSS publications include the groundbreaking volumes The Many Faces Of Evil, The Ethics Of Assisted Death, and The Ethics Of Belief. Cauthen received his education from Mercer University (B.A.), Yale Divinity School (B.Div.), Emory University (M.A.), and Vanderbilt University (Ph.D.).