In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake

Patrick and Ruth Schwenk, founders of the popular blogs For the Family and The Better Mom, as well as the podcast Rootlike 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.