The journey of life is nothing short of a mountain climb. \"The heavenly places\" is a theme of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. This phrase does not refer to places in heaven, but to life on this earth which is lived in the reality of God's heavenly gifts. We begin in the valley, asking questions and attempting to meet our basic human needs for safety, hope, trust, love, and purpose. Our valleys often include faulty answers-addictions, materialism-which fail to meet our needs and can destroy life. If we're willing to leave the valleys of failed answers, we can travel forward on paths that point to heavenly places, describing what it looks like to enjoy life in Christ, through practices such as prayer, exercise, communion, play, meditation, and rest. Dr. E. Madoc Thomas and those he has served have walked from death to life through Jesus Christ. Climbing Home is a story of reality, where Jesus travels alongside His followers, from alcoholism to hope, from cancer to courage, from marital discord to delight, from anxiety to peace, from abandonment to belonging, and from suicidal thoughts to a reason for living. It's a word of hope that God is bringing us into the folds of his love, even when the shape of his presence is only dimly discerned. The pages unfold from thirty-five years of Dr. Thomas's counseling and teaching ministry, and from a lifetime of journeying out of his own dark valleys toward the heavenly fullness of God's light. Chapters include thought-provoking questions designed to help readers experience their own journey of Climbing Home.
