Sharon Garlough Brown

Companions in the Darkness

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Diana Gruver writes with the wisdom and compassion of someone who knows the landscape of depression from the inside. In Companions in the Darkness Gruver introduces us to both well-known and lesser-known Christians who battled with despair and whose stories can speak words of comfort and solidarity to those who ache for healing and deliverance. This is a brave, nuanced, and vulnerable book that offers no easy answers but points unflinchingly to the God who companions us in the darkness.”

Learning from Henri Nouwen and Vincent van Gogh

Christian Living

“From the moment I first discovered that Henri Nouwen taught a course at Yale Divinity School on the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, I searched for his class notes only to be disappointed to discover that they were never published—until now. Carol Berry has written the book I longed to find, weaving Nouwen's enduring wisdom with van Gogh's singular gift of using art to comfort and console. Nouwen and van Gogh—both wounded healers—invite us to a life of compassion, humility, and sacrificial love. With deep insight and sensitivity, Berry creates space for us to connect our stories with theirs and to discover what is worth seeing: the radiant beauty of hope within suffering and Christ's call for us to lay down our lives for others. This book is a timely and noteworthy gift.”

Learning Humility

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“In his latest book, Learning Humility, Richard Foster opens up the pages of his journal and grants us access to his yearlong 'prayer experiment' of cultivating this foundational—and countercultural—Christian virtue. With winsome candor and the unassuming posture of a learner, Foster wonders, wrestles, seeks, confesses, and puts into practice ways of cooperating with the Holy Spirit's work of transformation. As he notices and names his own temptations toward pride, he gently holds up the mirror for us to notice and name ours as well. A seasoned mentor, Foster reminds us to keep pace with the slow, lifelong work of grace while not neglecting our call to embrace and embody the cruciform, humble way of Jesus. This is a challenging, thoughtful, soul-stretching book.”

Making Room in Advent

Bible Studies & Devotionals

“I have long been an admirer of Bette Dickinson's soul-stirring, prophetic art. Her written reflections are equally stunning and evocative as she leads us into a prayerful journey through the birth narratives in Luke's Gospel. Written and painted with profound wisdom and insight, Making Room in Advent is an invitation for us to meditate on art, the Word, and the unfolding narratives of our own lives, individually and in community. There is so much to see and savor here.”

On Getting Out of Bed

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“In these wisdom-filled pages, Alan Noble explores how the courageous act of rising out of bed can be both a defiance of despair and a testimony to the goodness of God. With empathy borne out of personal experience and hope forged in affliction, Alan ponders the questions, Why live? and How, then, shall we live, especially in the midst of sorrow and suffering? Prepare to be enlarged and encouraged by his insights. On Getting Out of Bed is a sturdy, important book.”

Room of Marvels

Fiction

“In the tradition of C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, James Bryan Smith casts an imaginative vision of heaven, where no loss is unnoticed and no pain unredeemed. Room of Marvels is an invitation to ponder the particularity of God's generous and loving attentiveness to us, not only in our grief but in the sacredly ordinary details of our lives. I'm grateful for Jim's courage in weaving his own journey toward comfort and hope into a tale that reminds us that 'no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.'”

Sex and the City of God

History & Biography

“Sex and the City of God is a luminous love story. In her elegant and honest memoir, Carolyn Weber invites us to journey with her through disordered longings for union and communion to the discovery of Jesus as our first love who, through his passionate commitment to us as a bridegroom for a bride, awakens us to more deeply devoted human love as well—spiritually, emotionally, and physically.”

Spiritual Practices in Community

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“Spiritual Practices in Community is a gift to leaders and to the church. With conversational, practical, and down-to-earth wisdom, Diana Shiflett provides a guide for facilitating the practice of ancient and contemporary spiritual disciplines, inviting us to drink deeply from the well of living water together. An experienced leader and pastor, Diana is passionate about helping ministry leaders attend to their own walk with God so they are better equipped to provide space for others to encounter him. I'm grateful for this refreshing and creative spiritual formation resource!”

The Promised Land

Fiction

“You “The Promised Land is a captivating tale of pilgrimage not only along the rigorous way of the Camino but also through an equally rigorous exploration of the soul. Through the journeys of three broken and wounded pilgrims, Elizabeth Musser expertly navigates the complex landscape of captivity and loss, while pointing the way to redemption and hope.”

The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout

Church Leadership & Ministry

“The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout is essential reading not only for those who are experiencing exhaustion but for all who have been called to ministry leadership. Sean Nemecek writes with the practical and compassionate wisdom of lived experience, offering theological and psychological insights, compelling stories, and spiritual practices that help us cooperate with the Holy Spirit for transformation and freedom. Through probing diagnostic questions that encourage deep reflection, Sean holds up mirrors so we can see our compulsions and captivities, and with that healed vision, see more clearly the invitations from Jesus to rest in his love and yield to his grace. I hope this outstanding soul-care book will not only be on leaders’ desks but on seminary syllabi everywhere.”

Wait with Me

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“Jason Gaboury knows the ache of loneliness from the inside and agrees with God's assessment of his good creation: it is not good for us to be alone. But what if loneliness can enlarge not only our compassion and empathy for others but also our devotion and love for Christ? What if loneliness becomes an opportunity not only to know God's presence in our affliction but to know Jesus in his? With skillful exposition of Scripture and an undaunted naming of pain, Gaboury invites us into a paradigm shift that is both hope filled and liberating.”

What Does Your Soul Love?

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“Alan and Gem Fadling are trustworthy guides in the journey of spiritual formation, not only because they have set their minds and hearts on seeking the kingdom of God first but because they share their practical wisdom from a posture of vulnerability and transparency. Filled with penetrating questions and creative spiritual practices, What Does Your Soul Love? is an invitation to delve deep into the heart of our resistance and longings and discover the joy of keeping company with Jesus. I highly recommend it.”

When I Close My Eyes

Fiction

“When I Close My Eyes is an enthralling story about family secrets, regret, and shame. Not only has Elizabeth Musser courageously and insightfully addressed complicated issues of mental illness, but she has done so with compassion and nuance by creating sympathetic characters who are struggling to comprehend grace. This story of redemption is an invitation to travel deeper into the heart of a God who companions us in the darkness and offers us hope. Thank you, Elizabeth, for writing an honest book that will be a comfort to the afflicted and to those who love and long for them.”

Write Better

Arts & Literature

“With decades of experience in the publishing industry, Andy Le Peau has written a comprehensive book filled with wisdom, engaging illustrations, and practical tips for both beginning and seasoned writers. But Write Better is more than a superb work about the craft of writing. This is a book that explores our spiritual formation as writers and calls us to steward the Word with integrity and precision, while providing tools to do so with excellence. What a gift!”