Practicing Radical Advent
Purposeful Waiting in Seasons of Change
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
In times of profound uncertainty, Scripture shows us how to wait. Major life transitions are inevitable, but they’re not easy. Changing jobs, moving across the country, beginning a relationship, entering retirement, or walking through grief all involve not only a shift from the old to the new, but also an in-between time—a period of waiting that can feel profoundly unsettling. In Practicing Radical Advent, Laurie Brink offers a biblically grounded guide to purposeful waiting. By “radical advent,” Brink means a holy waiting infused with God’s presence and promise. Such waiting is not passive but active, reflective, and creative. To illustrate what radical advent looks like, Brink focuses on biblical figures and their responses to impending change: Abram’s trust, Jonah’s resistance, Ruth’s adaptability, Peter’s openness, and more. She also shares stories from her own life and the lives of Christians throughout history. Through these biblical and personal narratives, Brink illuminates essential steps for crossing major thresholds: receiving an invitation, choosing to go forward, discovering a new vocation, crossing boundaries, weighing costs, recognizing destinations, seeking reconciliation, and changing expectations. Authentic and engaging, Practicing Radical Advent shows how times of transition are opportunities for spiritual growth. Readers will emerge with renewed hope, practical strategies for navigating change, and deeper appreciation for life’s turning points.
Endorsements (7)
“Practicing Radical Advent provides an effective framework for addressing profound transition times in our lives. Drawing on scriptural narratives as well as personal stories, Laurie Brink identifies stepping-stones that offer a way forward into an unknown future—a way that is buoyed by a spirit of hope.”
“When the risen Christ knocks at our door and invites us to open it, the practice of ‘radical advent’ must begin. In this marvelous book, Laurie Brink shows us how to move step-by-step through periods of profound transition into whatever comes next. Showing how Scripture deeply reflects our own experience, she presents biblical characters as mentors to make our active waiting—from leap to landing—both productive and creative. Joyfully recommended for moving through life’s changes with grace.”
“In Practicing Radical Advent, Laurie Brink invites readers into a rich spirituality of holy waiting—one that is honest about loss, change, and uncertainty while steadfastly grounded in Scripture and hope. This is a gracious, accessible, and deeply humane book for anyone standing on the threshold of something new.”
“A thought-provoking, practical, and relatable approach to navigating life’s welcome or unwelcome changes. Brink offers an easy-to-digest and theologically sound book, in which she invites us to adopt a new way of thinking about facing and embracing a change in life that may feel daunting to us at the moment.”
“In this creative and lucid work, Laurie Brink provides biblically inspired stepping-stones for negotiating life’s transitions. She offers wise guidance for the practice of prayer and faithful discipleship.”
“In this thoughtful book, Laurie Brink proposes a spiritual practice centered on moving through the inevitable changes that arise for each and every person. Drawing on biblical stories as well as compelling contemporary examples of experience and wisdom, Brink leads the reader across eight stepping-stones that mark the transition from one way of life to another, one reality to a new one, whether this be a shift in work or family, a physical challenge, or the sense of a calling to something new and different. By meditating on the lives of Abraham and Naomi, Peter and Mary of Magdala, we may navigate these changes—no matter how long it takes—with a measure of courage, a holy hope, and an awareness of God’s abiding presence. Brink’s offering is well suited for both individual and small group study. There are gems of wisdom on every page!”
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