The Gift of Hard Things: Finding Grace in Unexpected Places

• Foreword Reviews' 2016 INDIES Book of the Year Award, Silver Winner in Self-Help

In many ways society teaches us to try to have everything under our control. If we are honest, we tend to think that this can be true even of our spiritual lives. But Mark Yaconelli eloquently expresses the reality of our situation: "We are small, sensitive creatures with short lifespans, in a world that is often chaotic, capricious, mysterious, terrible and wonderful all at the same time. Failure, disappointment, loss and other difficult experiences call us to accept our humanity, feel grateful for what has been given, receive the care of others and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit."Using extraordinary stories from his own life and the lives of others, Yaconelli offers a narrative journey through ways in which disappointments have turned into gifts. In these pages are a wealth of spiritual practices that will carry us deeper into the grace we find in unexpected places.

Mark Yaconelli is a writer, speaker, spiritual director and community activist. He is the founder and executive director of The Hearth Community, a nonprofit that assists towns and charitable organizations in cultivating compassion through personal storytelling. His previous books include Contemplative Youth Ministry and Wonder, Fear, and Longing. Profiles of Mark have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, ABC World News Tonight and Youthworker Journal. Mark lives in southern Oregon with his wife, Jill, and their three children.