About the Book 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. Book Synopsis 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. From the Back Cover How the Church Can Address the Crisis of Loneliness Eric Jacobsens 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. Its 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 Gods 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 todays 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 About the Author 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.