New Years has to be one of my fave times of the year.
The end of the year and entrance into another — with its celebration of Christ’s birth and the promise of new life — offers the perfect chance to take stock and set goals for the road ahead.
One area I always consider is my spiritual walk, which brings up all sorts of questions: Am I closer to God at the end of the year than I was at the start? Am I growing more or less like Christ? Am I deepening my relationship with my Savior in ways that bring transformation to my world?
Maybe you think about the same sorts of questions this time of year. If so, I’ve got the perfect way to enter into 2024: the next Religion & Fiction book club!
A year ago I walked through the first book in my Faith Reimagined series. I thought I would pick up the same theme with Book 2, A Rediscovered Faith. It follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. In particular, he is haunted by this one:
What do you do when your newfound faith is challenged by those closest to you?
The question comes hot on the heels of a crisis of faith that transformed him in powerful ways. A crisis and transformation that mirrored my own 15 years ago.
Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know of someone who is struggling themselves, discover along with Peter why the old, old story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.
The book club will start next week, December 20, 2023, and run through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each week’s podcast episode will cover 7-8 chapters, running around 25 minutes with some questions to contemplate and discuss (should you desire to pop into the comments!).
👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.
👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.
Today’s episode is a prequel to the book club, a sort of behind the scenes intro to the story — the very FIRST novel I wrote 11 years ago! It explores the why behind the story, and what sort of spiritual empowerment and insight you can expect.
Next week, we’ll dive into the first chapters of the book in the podcast so you can listen and follow along at your pace.
🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:
January 24 | Chapters 32–39
Hope to see you along for the story ride starting next week! Last year was a blast and I plan to have as much fun this go around 😀
J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.
Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 024 | The Next Book Club Pick