Jason and Catherine were both raised in very different churches, with very different experiences. One thing they had in common: both experienced a crisis of faith, and they share how that shaped them at the time, and through to now. They both had experiences that seemed to contradict what they learned about God, and living with faith, and neither was prepared for the struggles they would face.
The authors share vulnerably, and I particularly related to Catherine's story of church hurt. I'll let you read that story for yourself (no spoilers), but she did have a really difficult time returning to church afterwards. Rather than the usual rhetoric of, ""but you should get back to church asap,"" I've become accustomed to, the authors express deep empathy for those who've experienced hurt at the hands of their church. They offer that a person should not feel obligated to return unless they are ready, which realistically may be not at all.
The book covers a broad range of struggles that could start a mid-faith crisis, several of which I've experienced myself; but it also opened my eyes to other ways people are led to question their faith, that I hadn't considered. Jason's struggle with faith while employed as a pastor for example, was not something I'd thought about, and highlights how nobody is immune to a faith crisis.
My favourite aspects of the book: the end of each chapter includes a practice, with questions for reflection, to consider how the topic of the chapter is…
