In the months of June and July, our church-wide book study will engage Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved), by Dr. Kate Bowler, a professor of church history at Duke Divinity School. Everything Happens for a Reason is Kate’s reflection on her ascendant life as it is powerfully disrupted and threatened by tragedy and suffering. At thirty-five, with everything seeming to point upward in a job she loves, married to her high school sweetheart and with a newborn son, she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.
Confronted by a terminal diagnosis, Bowler agonizes through the overwhelming questions that come when life’s “foundations are shaken” (Psalm 11:3). Beginning with her own searching questions—”Why?” “God, are you here?” “What does this suffering mean?”—Kate tells her story with candor, humor, grief, laughter and honest faith. The book also gives voice to a diverse cast of characters who try to help Kate (or themselves) make meaning out of her suffering: her friends, family, fellow academics, megachurch preachers, and her medical team. Her powerful storytelling offers both painful honesty and important questions that can move us toward deeper compassion for our neighbor and greater trust in God.
If our vision at Yates is to be a community of believers who bring people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and encourage each other toward spiritual maturity, we do well to hear stories like Kate’s, find our place in them and listen for how God will teach us what it means to live patiently, steadfastly, faithfully and hopefully in the midst of the deep uncertainties of our lives.
The structure of summer opportunities will include:
Personal Reading. Hardback copies of the book can be ordered through the church office if orders are placed by Monday, May 14. Yates will start receiving your orders on April 9. You can also purchase your own copy in a format you prefer. Costs range from $15–20. Copies purchased through church will cost $18.
Small Group Study. Two Sunday School classes will offer time during the Sunday School hour to discuss the book (one exclusively for women and one for men/couples) and explore its implications for a life of Christian discipleship. Several home groups will host discussions through the week. Remember—opportunities like this to connect with others in conversations that matter mean much to those we want to reach as a church. Honest conversations like these are great places to invite that coworker, neighbor or friend who may be hesitant about attending a Sunday morning service for their first time at church!
Summer Sermons. The sermon times in June and July will focus on themes and questions raised by the reading.
Prayer Exercises. Along with the Biblical reflections offered to supplement discussions in the small groups, a guide with practical prayer exercises for personal and group time will be offered to any who wish to cultivate a broader, richer experience of prayer time with God.
I look forward to this summer journey with you as the church—together.
Grace and Peace,