The Way of Grace: Finding God on the Path of Surrender (Books in Brief)

By Glandion Carney. IVP Books, 2014. 160 pages. $15/paperback; $12.99/eBook.

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If you have ever loved anyone—or been anyone—for whom an illness changes life forever, then you will enjoy this book tremendously. Carney, an ordained minister, finds himself dealing with Parkinson’s disease while still actively working as a minister. This book is about his process of learning to look at his life not with fear about what might happen, but with the wonder and joy that his life is, indeed, happening. While none of us wish for disability, when it comes it can offer us a chance to see life differently. The choice isn’t about whether to be sick—that forces itself upon us—but about changing in ways that make us more open and ignite our sense of mission. Learning that you are sick is a tremendously painful thing. Carney shares his learning as he sees the power in turning away from fear and inviting life, in all its uncertainty, to take him through his “wild and precious life,” as the poet Mary Oliver famously said. Leap and the net will appear, even if your leap is shaky.

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