Darkness is as Light

Description

“Each entry sings with one theme: Christ is present. And it is this present God we can trust to sustain us, draw us closer, and sanctify us, no matter what.” –Sojourners Magazine

About the Book

In the beautifully illustrated and highly acclaimed devotional Darkness is as Light, twenty-two established and emerging Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant women authors bear witness to help readers see God with them in suffering, recognize hope in the hardest of experiences, and learn to reach sideways in the darkness to those companions who are alongside them in their struggles.

A Compassionate Women’s Devotional for Persisting in Hard Places

Every Christian woman encounters resistance to knowing God during times of trial, whether from external sources like death, abuse, illness, and the economy, or from her inner struggles for holiness in the context of a womanly body. While most devotionals avoid talking about the hard places in life, Darkness is as Light highlights moments of revelation and companionship with God and the saints in the midst of suffering.

In nine weeks of narrative devotions, twenty-two faithful Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christian women bear witness to God with them in hard places. These insightful stories grounded in scripture and tradition hold out hope to women going through difficult times, including:

• Surviving spousal abuse
• Surviving childhood abuse
• Suffering miscarriages
• Enduring poverty
• Going through depression
• Experiencing grief
• Feeling shamed
• Learning to revive after prolonged caretaking
• Living with illnesses and disabilities
• Being overcome by bodily processes
• Feeling out of control
• Questioning God

Darkness is as Light is a poignant gift for readers in times of hardship who need a reminder that God sees them and is with them in their suffering. It empowers those who feel lost in their mourning, burdens, or shame to know that they are not alone and to recognize the healing, freeing presence of Christ right where they are. Inside you’ll find:

• High contrast illustrations inspired by Gothic Christian women mystics
• Poetry to introduce each week of devotions
• Themes drawn from traditional women’s spirituality that pairs joy and suffering: Provision, Sweetness, Healing, Death, Balm, Help, Trial, Consolation, and Closeness

When we experience suffering, it can be easy to think that we are caught in a closed net of loneliness and isolation. Though we will inevitably encounter hardship, Darkness is as Light bears witness to the freedom we have in Christ even in the midst of our struggles, for our darkness is as light to God.

What Readers Are Saying

“WE ARE LIVING in dark times. A perfectly timed and distinctive new devotional, Darkness is as Light, wrestles with the dark, and from its many entries emerges a clear chronicle of the real power and meaning of God’s grace for us even—especially—in the dark. Each entry sings with one theme: Christ is present. And it is this present God we can trust to sustain us, draw us closer, and sanctify us, no matter what.” –Julie Vassilatos, reviewer for Sojourners Magazine

“This collection of reflections written by 22 different women explores the complexities of life, death, faith, and doubt with a winsome honesty.” – Charlotte Donlon, Author of The Great Belonging

“Particularly in this time of difficulty and grieving, this compilation floods the shadows with the light of our risen Lord without condescending or contrition. Rather, the twenty-two women of faith–Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant–describe in concrete stories their own epiphanies and encounters with God, offering sincere and simple ways to contemplate the words of scripture.” –The Unmooring Journal

“If you’re looking for a devotional that paints real life pictures, I highly recommend this one. It’s set up for nine weeks of reading but would be good for Advent. These Orthodox women display such grace and beauty in the darkness, even as they long for deliverance.
The way God meets them in these pages… I want that.” – Traci Rhoades, Author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost

“It is beautifully curated by Summer Kinard and contains little deeply honest gems of encouragement, hope, and the wisdom that comes of hard-earned life experience.” –Miss Bates Reads Romance 

“The reader will feel a sense of companionship, a friend walking alongside them in whatever trial they may be facing at that particular time. They will see that faith, hope, Christian love, and the prayers of the saints will see them through even the darkest of times.” – Sarah Gyurkovitz, Reviewer

Product Details

ISBN: 978-1-953427-00-7       Imprint: Park End Books         On Sale: 2020-10-16

Pages: 191  List Price: $15.99                    Publisher: Park End Books

Publication Date: 2020-10-16  Trim Size: 5.5”x 8.5”               LCCN: 2020917853

Category 1: Religion – Christian Living – Devotional

Category 2: Religion – Christian Living -Personal Growth

From the Cover:

Darkness is as Light is a Christian women’s devotional for persisting in hard places. Inspired by the Gothic Christian women mystics, this unapologetically womanly devotional is written for the succor and encouragement of women going through hard times, by women who have experienced God’s presence in suffering. Readers will recognize God in every entry by the way each woman met Him in her darkness.

This nine-week devotional is a perfect length for persisting through the fall and winter holiday season or any season of hardship. In Darkness is as Light, twenty-two women authors-Orthodox, Catholic, and saint-venerating Protestant-bear witness without pulling their punches, without tidying away their womanhood, their vulnerability, their bravery, or their womb-deep understanding of how God fills all things and redeems suffering with joy-if one can wait. This timely volume taps into the timelessness of Gothic women’s faith that was richly reliant upon God and expected God to be with women in suffering. These modern Gothic devotions reach out to the untamed woman, the lost woman, the too-much woman, the woman who loves and hurts, the woman who grieves and hopes, who desires and disciplines herself to receive God. The Gothic faith shared in clear, crisp narrative reflections in these pages can reach the woman who doesn’t have her life together or a quip to summarize her love; God’s presence is enough of a moral to her story.

With illustrations reminiscent of the work of Gothic women mystics and poetry to begin each week of reflection, Darkness is as Light explores with beauty the hardest places where women meet God.

When you purchase a copy of Darkness is as Light, Park End Books will donate 10% of the proceeds to our local women’s and children’s shelter, The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, out of gratitude for their work and because they once sheltered Summer Kinard, our Senior Editor, when she was a teen.

Ships within the United States only! Orders outside the United States will be refunded and canceled. We are unable to mail outside of the United States at this time due to high shipping costs which match or exceed the cost of our products. Thank you for your understanding. Our books are available to purchase from your local booksellers worldwide.