In 2014, I had an earth-shaking experience. My life, work, past secrets, hidden thoughts, and hurtful actions came to light as life came crumbling down. Unlike past life-shattering moments, this one was not filled just with darkness and despair but also hope and freedom. Out of the death emerged a new life.
God’s grace entered into my life in an unexpected and profound way, scattering the internal fear that shaped me while taking on the shame that burdened me. My desire was to finish the experience well, taking my lead from the ultimate finisher; Jesus. His words, It is finished, would start me on a journey, the one explored in the pages of this book.
The journey continued when the pandemic and societal unrest hit in 2020. Inspired by the early Christians, I had high hopes for the church in America. But these hopes were set on fire by how it responded. Unfortunately for me, it was not unlike the ways I had responded in past years, out of my own selfishness and ambitions with people I cared about. Something is wrong. The problem is so bad, that even the church is part of the tragedy. Even I’m a part of the problem.
That journey, that I started in 2014, now kicked into high gear as I reconciled the challenging concepts of our tragic reality with the redemptive Christianity I knew and grew up with. It was time to lean into the tension.
What was I missing? What did God have for me now? And more urgently; does Jesus' sacrifice make a difference today? What could be found by continuing the journey and studying deeply, the passion of Christ, Jesus finishing work?
This book is for you if you — or someone you know — are in the middle of tremendous suffering and are wondering how your Christian faith will help you confidently navigate it. It’s also for you if you’re disillusioned with Christianity, because of your bad church experiences, and you're teetering on the edge of giving it all up.
Inside this book, we explore God's story, humanity's story, my journey, and the most tragic issues we humans face. Together, we’ll survey failure, Christian history, what happened at the cross, and how all this connects with our day-to-day lives.
