Even In This

By Dianna Lanser

Description:

Sixteen going on seventeen, Miah Brennan stands on the riverbank of her future, awaiting permission to jump in. With a recording contract pending and a young Native American man winking at her, it seems as if God is parting the waters and waving her through. Her parents, however, prefer to keep her tucked away as if they were still living on their secluded, drought-dry cattle station in the Australian Outback.

Weeks before the September 11 attacks, just when her dreams are on a sure track to coming true, evil stalks Miah with a vicious plan of its own, destroying her hope and her future.

While scripture tells her to forgive, her heart wants to forget. But how in the cruel, aching world can she move forward when her life has collapsed into a heap of rubble? How could God possibly work this out for good? And will she and her boyfriend remain steadfast in their faith and love as they face the shocking challenges ahead?

Based on James 1:2, “Consider it all joy”, Even In This is a chilling yet poignant love story that encourages the reader to lean into the ugliness and pain of life, whisper thanks to God, and trust He will transform it into something beautiful.

Book Takeaway:

Even in our suffering and losses—when everything falls apart, God is there , and He is trustworthy. His presence may not remove our pain, but He never wastes it. He redeems it.

Why the author wrote this book:

I started this book 15 years ago as a busy mother of 5. My husband's small business was struggling, which stressed our marriage. I began a daily habit of walking and praying, but soon the praying changed to making up a hopeful and faith-filled story in my head. I confessed this "waste of time" to my sister-in-law, who encouraged me to write the story down. Soon after that another sister-in-law gave me a copy of the book, The Shack. It shook me to the core. I had lost both of my parents when I was in my early twenties, and at the time, the Lord had given me great faith to walk through that tragedy. However, after reading The Shack, I realized there was a latent need for reckoning my losses with God. So, the protagonist's (Miah's) story mirrors my own lamenting, stumbling and surrender to God. Like myself, Miah clings to God through her Job-like experiences, but also questions His refining work.