"In these times of change and disruption, we need to each find our way to being converted not to a particular creed but to living vulnerable and free. This beautiful book has reminded me of both the difficulty and the hope of that search in my own life. For all of us, it is a good place to start the journey. For the world, we can't start soon enough." --Timothy Shriver
No matter how successful we appear, we all face multiple occasions of failure and humiliation throughout our lives. Paul Farren confronts these experiences of vulnerability, how it feels to be laid low, encouraging us that going through failure in the company of Jesus is what God wants of us, and - whether we like it or not - these experiences are what are most likely to make us whole. Farren's spirituality demonstrates how deeply counter-cultural Christian faith is, shows that worldly failure is the truest path to knowing God, revealing that all life experience, whether successful or failing in the eyes of others, offers opportunities for us to be alive and free.
This book is for anyone who has ever failed, or who fears humiliation. It is a book for Christians of all backgrounds, and for those who are intrigued by the promises of Christian faith. Challenged by accompanying hundreds of people over two decades in parish ministry in Northern Ireland, Paul Farren has learned a few things about humiliation and vulnerability. He has witnessed broken relationships, family violence, bankruptcy, serious illness, death, and addiction. He has experienced vulnerability, failure, and loss in his own life. By counselling others and working through his own travails, Farren has learned to situate experiences of vulnerability and loss into a wider reality. That reality is the love of God and the life of Jesus. As he shows in the stories in this book, and the lessons derived from them, when we can see beyond our moment of humiliation, which often comes as a result of conflict between power and poverty, we can find hope and life instead of paralysis and death. There is a life and freedom waiting for us when we return to the Gospel promises
that Jesus teaches.
