Wisdom + wit + worthwhile lessons for the journey

I'd heard snippets of the first 3 chapters read by Christine Caine on her podcast, and it spoke directly to me at that time, as I neared 40, and wondered what am I doing / what am I going to be doing in my next season of life. I felt stuck, adrift, clueless, a little flat in faith / life / creativity / all the things--everything I didn't imagine when I was 20, and facing the world as a young adult with so many choices before me. I just knew I had to get this for what I would call, simply, my "midlife crisis" (note: you don't have to be nearing 40 for this to be relevant; I have heard countless people, from 25 - 65+, say this year alone, "what am I supposed to be doing? How did I get here?")

If you've ever heard the author speak, or read any of her other works or watched her live messages, you will instantly recognise the passion, the encouragement, the spiritual wisdom, the authenticity of her voice and the nature of her way of living life woven through every sentence of this book. It's truly Christine Caine--filled with pockets of quick-witted humour, real life stories and the learning lessons to take from those, several Greek jokes and references, plus reminiscent family stories that give way to great anecdotes.

What I most appreciated was her realness (she always is, which is why I enjoy hearing from her); how she experienced that drifting away herself (literally...in a boat, and metaphorically during a season) and how it's so crazy simple for all of us to find ourselves the same way without intervention.

There's a lot to learn and mull over in these chapters. While I listened to the audiobook for time-brevity sake in this season of my life, I found myself rewinding to hear passages that just packed a punch. I even wrote a few down in my Evernote Notebook. If I was reading the book, I expect there would be highlighted passages in every chapter. They were wisdom and wake up calls in one. This one was a noteworthy bookmark:

[on burnout] "It's not generally how much you do for God that will make you burnt out. It's normally what you don't do. What you stop doing; stop paying attention to your spiritual disciplines, spending time in the Word, going to church and being in fellowship.

"The presence of God is the thing that replenishes us."

Would I recommend this? Absolutely! It's a fantastic read for a faith-based person who desires more or wants clarity of how to get on track and not feeling like their life is just slipping by them each day. And if you are not in that camp, but want to be fuelled in your passion for a deeper relationship with Jesus and Adonai God, Christine will lead you there beautifully.

Thank you Christine for this timely, well-written and actionable book. It encouraged my faith and stirred me to action.

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