I am pleased to officially reveal the title and cover for my forthcoming release from InterVarsity Press:
Struck:
One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death
What happens when affliction and faith collide? Can faith withstand the impact of suffering, and if so, what does it look like to endure affliction and rise from it with hope intact?
Three days before my 40th birthday I was admitted to the emergency room because a bacterial infection had destroyed the mitral valve in my heart. I was in the early stages of heart failure. Struck tells the story of that day and the two years that followed.
But it also tells a bigger story.
Struck takes the “real time” account of one person’s affliction, treatment, and recovery, and arranges that experience into themes universal to the human experience of living in a groaning world that is in the process of being redeemed and restored. Struck explores the dark seasons of suffering while keeping one eye always trained on hope.
One of my favorite features of the book is the afterword, written by my wife. Originally, there was no afterword. But during the editing phase, the publisher noted that they would have loved to hear a bit more about her experience. I mentioned this to Lisa, and a couple days later she wrote a long, beautiful, and heart-breakingly honest description of what that season was like for her. As I read it, I knew I wanted to include what she wrote in the book. The publisher immediately and enthusiastically agreed. I can’t wait for people to read her words.
But wait we shall, because the book doesn’t release until March of 2017.
