Frequently, books in this genre take an optimistic tone, trying to minimize the pain and go for a self-help solution. Here the authors go for something more honest, admitting that the Bible's answers to suffering are more complex than just self-actualization. By noting that God often uses suffering as a route to highlight issues that need to be resolved, they help readers see a route forward that allows for seeing the unexpected blessings in the midst of pain.

In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake
Trusting the God Who Meets Us in Our Storm
by Patrick and Ruth Schwenk
Nelson Books
Thomas Nelson
Christian | Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 08 Sep 2020


I am reviewing a copy of In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake through Nelson Books and Netgalley:



There are times we all feel like we are in a boat in the middle of the lake. We can feel that way because we lost a job, or we lost a loved one.




We can find ourselves stranded due to disability, divorce, or financial insecurity.



Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling like they had been battered after five miscarriages and Patrick’s Diagnosis of Blood Cancer when he was only forty three. They were drifting and alone, and that is when the transformation began.





This book reminds us that there are times when it is okay, not to be okay, and that we need to be honest about the pain. We are reminded too that Denial most often leads to an avalanche of emotion. We feel it all. Everything from fear to anger to sadness and sometimes guilt. When the shock wears off, the emotions set in. It can all feel like a slide to the bottom of a pit.



We are reminded too that suffering hurts, but the reality we are in at that time is not our final reality. We are reminded too that trust requires humility. Trust requires saying, “I don’t understand, God, but you do.” Trust requires admitting our powerlessness. Trust requires giving up control. Which maybe is the hardest part. We like control. We like to be at the center of things. We like the comfort it brings us.


This book reminds us that God does not want us to be alone in whatever struggles we are going through.



The Schwenks have created a book that has both compassion and power, they weave together lessons from their own experience with insightful Bible teaching to remind us that one of the greatest ways God transforms us is through trials. They show us why Jesus called his disciples into the middle of a lake when dry ground was so safe and comfortable, they help us.



In A Boat in the Middle of the Lake helps us to understand why the depth of our hurt enables us to experience deep hope;learn to conquer fear to experience the freedom God has for us; anddiscover how God uses chaos, and not just the classroom, to shape and work through us.



I give In A Boat in the Middle of the Lake five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This is such a beautiful book. I am in constant tears. Something I love about Patrick and Ruth's books is that they are easy to read but at the same time so well rooted in the bible. Even though, at the moment, i am not going through difficult times this book has been so encouraging and helped me understand pain and suffering in a different way and how to support those around me who are going through hard times. Through the pages of the book you can see Patrick and Ruth's heart, It really encourages you to keep seeking God and be thankful to Him always!!!