__How the Church Can Address the Crisis of Loneliness__   
"Eric Jacobsen's Sidewalks in the Kingdom was transformative for our family. It literally changed the way we walk. I expect Three Pieces of Glass is going to change the way people see--and most importantly, how we see one another. It's hard to imagine a more timely book for our fractured, lonely republic."  
--__James K. A. Smith__, Calvin University; author of You Are What You Love and On the Road with Saint Augustine  
  
"Three Pieces of Glass is a revelatory examination of our human need to belong, showing how this universal desire is a reflection of God's own nature, his good design, and our ultimate purpose. In these pages, Jacobsen points the way past the various fractures and false senses of community that characterize today's culture in order to help us find--for ourselves and others--true belonging."  
--__Karen Swallow Prior__, author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More--Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist  
  
"A wise and much-needed book, a rich mix of social analysis and theology. Jacobsen offers churches a deep well of imagination for how we can be catalysts of belonging in a world that is dying of loneliness. Three Pieces of Glass is one of the very few books that is both hopeful and helpful for churches as we try to navigate the profound brokenness of late-modern culture, as manifested in our particular places."  
--__C. Christopher Smith__, senior editor, The Englewood Review of Books; author of How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church  
  
"Jacobsen is a pioneer in the place-based movement. Three Pieces of Glass is a must read for anyone who cares about their community and their literal neighbors. The four practices that Eric outlines in this book are crucial to experiencing the kind of life that we are yearning to live."  
--__Dave Runyon__, coauthor of The Art of Neighboring

__Eric O. Jacobsen__ (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of The Space Between: A Christian Engagement with the Built Environment, Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith, and numerous articles exploring connections between the Christian community, the church, and traditional neighborhoods. He is also the coeditor of Traditions in Leadership and The Three Tasks of Leadership and cohost of the Embedded Church podcast.

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a major public health crisis that is on the rise and impacting people of all ages. Addressing the crisis of loneliness from a fresh perspective, this book introduces belonging as an overlooked but critical aspect of a flourishing Christian life.  
  
Eric Jacobsen shows how three pieces of glass--the car windshield, TV, and smartphone--are emblematic of significant societal shifts that have created a cultural habit of physical isolation. We feel increasingly disconnected from the people and places around us. Jacobsen explains how adopting everyday practices and making changes in our neighborhoods can help us create a sense of belonging and rediscover what belonging in a place looks like. In order to effectively solve the problem of loneliness, we need to recover patterns and practices of community life that encourage us to form meaningful connections with people and stories that are part of the places where we live, work, and worship. To this end, Jacobsen offers four redemptive strategies for living a more intentional and spiritual life.

Addressing the crisis of loneliness from a fresh perspective, this book shows how three pieces of glass--car windshields, TVs, and smartphones--are emblematic of significant cultural shifts that have created a cultural habit of physical isolation and helps us rediscover what belonging in a place looks like.

__Contents__ Introduction: Where Everybody Knows Your Name  
__Part 1: Definitions__ 1. What Is Belonging?  
2. The Special Need for Civic Belonging  
3. Signs, Instruments, and Foretastes of Belonging  
__Part 2: Kingdom Belonging__ 4. The Character of Kingdom Belonging  
5. The Character of Worldly Belonging  
6. The Shape of Kingdom Belonging  
7. Strangers and Kingdom Belonging  
8. Kingdom and Covenant Belonging  
__Part 3: The Gospel and Belonging__ 9. The Promise of Community  
Excursus: Social Capital 10. The Promise of Homecoming  
Excursus: Place Attachment 11. The Promise of a Good Story  
Excursus: Thick and Thin Language __Part 4: A Crisis of Belonging__ 12. Three Pieces of Glass: The Crisis of Belonging in Relationships 13. The Declining Civic Realm: The Crisis of Belonging in Places 14. Busy: The Crisis of Belonging in Story __Part 5: The Shapes Choices Take__ 15. Communally Shaped Choices  
16. Policy-Shaped Choices  
17. Liturgically Shaped Choices  
__Part 6: Encouraging Belonging__ 18. Belonging by Design  
19. Belonging through Proximity  
20. Belonging by Placemaking  
21. Belonging and Local Culture  
Conclusion: Belonging to the God Who Knows Your Name Index

Jacobsen, Eric O.

Back Cover

\["For anyone interested in an antidote to loneliness and isolation","Eric Jacobsen offers four redemptive strategies for living a more intentional and spiritual life.","You'll gain a fresh perspective on forming meaningful connections with those around you"\]

Introduction: Where Everybody Knows Your Name

__Part 1: Definitions__

1\. What Is Belonging?

2\. The Special Need for Civic Belonging

3\. Signs, Instruments, and Foretastes of Belonging

__Part 2: Kingdom Belonging__

4\. The Character of Kingdom Belonging

5\. The Character of Worldly Belonging

6\. The Shape of Kingdom Belonging

7\. Strangers and Kingdom Belonging

8\. Kingdom and Covenant Belonging

__Part 3: The Gospel and Belonging__

9\. The Promise of Community

Excursus: Social Capital

10\. The Promise of Homecoming

Excursus: Place Attachment

11\. The Promise of a Good Story

Excursus: Thick and Thin Language

__Part 4: A Crisis of Belonging__

12\. Three Pieces of Glass: The Crisis of Belonging in Relationships

13\. The Declining Civic Realm: The Crisis of Belonging in Places

14\. Busy: The Crisis of Belonging in Story

__Part 5: The Shapes Choices Take__

15\. Communally Shaped Choices

16\. Policy-Shaped Choices

17\. Liturgically Shaped Choices

__Part 6: Encouraging Belonging__

18\. Belonging by Design

19\. Belonging through Proximity

20\. Belonging by Placemaking

21\. Belonging and Local Culture

Conclusion: Belonging to the God Who Knows Your Name

Index

Eric Jacobsen looks at how the use of screens can contribute to loneliness and isolation and offers a perspective on how this can be rectified through belonging and connection

Three Pieces of Glass

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Three Pieces of Glass

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