In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake : Trusting the God Who Meets Us in Our Storm

Your Storm Doesn't Have to Sink You At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a boat in the middle of a lake. We might be there due to a job loss or the death of a loved one. Maybe disability, divorce, or financial insecurity has stranded us. Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling battered after five miscarriages and then surrounded by the waves with Patrick's cancer diagnosis at age forty-three. They were alone. Drifting. And that's when their transformation began. In this compassionate and powerful book, the Schwenks weave together lessons from their own experience with insightful Bible teaching to remind us that one of the greatest ways God transforms us is through trials. As they unpack why Jesus called the disciples into the middle of a lake when dry ground was so safe and comfortable, they help us understand why the depth of our hurt enables us to experience deep hope; learn to conquer fear to experience the freedom God has for us; and discover how God uses chaos, and not just the classroom, to shape and work through us. Today#8212;in your confusion about God's intentions, your disappointment over lost dreams, your disillusionment about prayer#8212;God is offering hope. Because Jesus is still Lord over the water. And while he is not moved by the waves, he is moved by you. And this flood might just be a path to abundance. "A powerful reminder that our current reality is not our final reality, and God is Lord over all chaos and suffering!" #8212;Candace Cameron Bure, actress and New York Times bestselling author "At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a boat in the middle of a lake. We might be there due to a job loss or the death of a loved one. Maybe disability, divorce, or financial insecurity has stranded us. Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling battered after five miscarriages and then surrounded by the waves with Patrick's cancer diagnosis at age forty-three. They were alone. Drifting. And that's when their transformation began. In this compassionate and powerful book, the Schwenks weave together lessons from their own experience with insightful Bible teaching to remind us that one of the greatest ways God transforms us is through trials. As they unpack why Jesus called the disciples into the middle of a lake when dry ground was so safe and comfortable, they help us: understand why the depth of our hurt enables us to experience deep hope; learn to conquer fear to experience the freedom God has for us; and discover how God uses chaos, and not just the classroom, to shape and work through us. Today--in your confusion about God's intentions, your disappointment over lost dreams, your disillusionment about prayer--God is offering hope. Because Jesus is still Lord over the water. And while he is not moved by the waves, he is moved by you. And this flood might just be a path to abundance." -- Back cover Patrick and Ruth Schwenk, founders of the popular blogsFor the FamilyandThe Better Mom, as well as the podcastRootlike Faith, reveal the unshakeable hope God offers in our most difficult trials. At some point, we all find ourselves, like the disciples in Mark 4, in a boat in the middle of a lake. For some of us, this is the loss of a loved one. For others, a disability or financial insecurity. For Patrick and Ruth Schwenk, it was Patrick's cancer diagnosis at age forty-three. In this powerful new book, the Schwenks share their personal stories of loss and tragedy, along with strong Bible teaching and the experiences of nearly twenty years in pastoral ministry, to show that one of the greatest ways God transforms us is through trials--through difficult seasons of loss, disappointment, weakness, and suffering. Because while we live in a culture that values strength, control, and comfort, God does his greatest work in us through our pain. It's when we're weak that God has us where he can work with us. But that is never where he leaves us. It's through the hurt that we come to fully know the hope that is ours in Christ