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chelseyroberts's review
5.0
Wow. This book is powerful, intelligent, full of wisdom and grace. I am going to be thinking about it for a long time, and returning to it again and again. To anyone who has experienced suffering (particularly prolonged) these words will be a balm and a beacon of hope.
msw2016's review
5.0
I love books in which the author shares their story and also provides me with tangible knowledge. KJ does this beautifully in “This Too Shall Last.” She also gives permission to be in pain and reminds us that Jesus also experienced pain, that He can truly comfort us as we walk through difficulty.
But my favorite thing about this book is that there’s no tidy bow. KJ sits in her pain and allows us to do the same; she reminds us all that there is holiness and beauty and life in the midst of pain, that we don’t just have to get over our pain.
KJ eloquently reminds us all that we aren’t alone, that Jesus loves us more intimately than we dare think or imagine. And she does it all with scripture and scientific research supporting her statements.
This book is a must read for anyone who has ever been in pain, is currently in pain or knows someone in pain. Thus this book is for everyone.
But my favorite thing about this book is that there’s no tidy bow. KJ sits in her pain and allows us to do the same; she reminds us all that there is holiness and beauty and life in the midst of pain, that we don’t just have to get over our pain.
KJ eloquently reminds us all that we aren’t alone, that Jesus loves us more intimately than we dare think or imagine. And she does it all with scripture and scientific research supporting her statements.
This book is a must read for anyone who has ever been in pain, is currently in pain or knows someone in pain. Thus this book is for everyone.
lizwineks's review
3.0
(I received an ARC).
I really appreciate and respect KJ’s ministry online. I wish this book had more of her personal stories, which have been written with poetic care. I have some differing theological views so with that being the majority of the pages of many chapters, I found it distracted me from the timeline of her story.
I really appreciate and respect KJ’s ministry online. I wish this book had more of her personal stories, which have been written with poetic care. I have some differing theological views so with that being the majority of the pages of many chapters, I found it distracted me from the timeline of her story.
onceuponarachel's review
5.0
Hello my name is Rachel and I love Christian nonfiction (preferably written by women) that looks at Hard Questions™
This book gets up close and personal with one overarching question: what does it mean if God doesn't end your suffering, like, maybe ever? What if some sufferings (or suffering in general) isn't a temporary valley but the path of your whole life? What if your marriage doesn't repair or you never do get pregnant or your family never reconciles or your illness or their illness is never cured?
Framed around the author's expertise in theology, psychology and neuroscience, her life traumas and a decade with a chronic illness, let me say this book is two things: SMMMMMMMMMMMMART and real. Don't go in expecting some nice encouraging fluff. This is a few levels short of a dissertation, full of notations and footnotes and references to neuroscientists and other theologians. While there are pieces of advice, this is not a how-to book on suffering. Instead, it asks you to take a long look at suffering, both yours and others. Are you trying to rush through it? Are you quick to tell people that "God has a plan" or "God will use this for good" instead of just sitting in the grief with them? Do you treat suffering as a 'before' stage and therefore don't know how to handle if there is no 'after'? Do you understand that Christ suffered, and what that means for us? DEEP TALKS.
PopSugar 2020: A book you picked because the title caught your attention.
This book gets up close and personal with one overarching question: what does it mean if God doesn't end your suffering, like, maybe ever? What if some sufferings (or suffering in general) isn't a temporary valley but the path of your whole life? What if your marriage doesn't repair or you never do get pregnant or your family never reconciles or your illness or their illness is never cured?
Framed around the author's expertise in theology, psychology and neuroscience, her life traumas and a decade with a chronic illness, let me say this book is two things: SMMMMMMMMMMMMART and real. Don't go in expecting some nice encouraging fluff. This is a few levels short of a dissertation, full of notations and footnotes and references to neuroscientists and other theologians. While there are pieces of advice, this is not a how-to book on suffering. Instead, it asks you to take a long look at suffering, both yours and others. Are you trying to rush through it? Are you quick to tell people that "God has a plan" or "God will use this for good" instead of just sitting in the grief with them? Do you treat suffering as a 'before' stage and therefore don't know how to handle if there is no 'after'? Do you understand that Christ suffered, and what that means for us? DEEP TALKS.
PopSugar 2020: A book you picked because the title caught your attention.
ashleyyll's review
5.0
THIS is the kind of Christian non-fiction book I crave - beautiful, deeply moving and unpretentiously cerebral. In the midst of unrelenting suffering, a "rah-rah, you can do it!" pep talk with numbered steps and imperialistic "how-to"s grates the soul. Gimme a story, every time.
This gorgeous book about how Jesus meets us in suffering manages to be soaringly poetic while educating us about neuroscience, theology and the pervasive effects of trauna while offering concrete hope in Christ. Ramsey makes heady theological concepts earthbound and embodied through story, reflection and physiological and therapeutic truths. And it's all interspersed with memoir (which I could have used even more of, frankly!). As she quotes Andrew Peterson (and gee whiz, her numerous quotes from other authors and theologians are invariably CHOICE!): "sometimes a story is the only way back from the dark."
While she grounds hope in the here and now even in the midst of seemingly intractable pain, she never loses a gaze toward eternity. But hers is not a blithe gaze which trivializes or diminishes the suffering of now and the story gravid with meaning and redemption that God is writing through it.
It's simply a beautiful book that checks all my boxes: it made me feel smarter, satisfied my yearning for deep theological discourse, and assailed my heart with the beauty and thrilling mystery of the incarnation. I normally don't underline books 'cause my husband's greatest pet peeve is buying a used book only to discover it's been liberally highlighted and / or underlined, but I lit this puppy up like the Fourth. Some favorites:
"We remain a people of hope when we are honest about hopelessness." Pg. 58. Oof. Thank you.
"Our ability to give and receive God's love - to relate in ways that reflect the self-giving, empowering, gracing nature of God - is formed in the matrix and mud of relationships. Our story shapes our faith. And to live in the story of God's love, we must be shaped by communion with each other." Pg. 75
"Our inability to think our way into hope is a grace, because hope comes through being known." Pg. 84
"The psalms show us being fiercely honest about not being enough is what creates and sustains intimacy with God." Pg. 87
"Dissonance is the birthplace of all abiding Christian hope." Pg. 115 WUT?! Think about it though!
"Suffering can erode our trust in God. I think it also rebuilds it. But first suffering kills the god I thought I was worshiping so I can know the God who is actually here." Pg. 127
Pg 129 - Her discussion of how Jesus had to have faith, had to make a choice to believe like the rest of us. This really challenged my thinking around verses such as Hebrews 4:15 and what it means for Jesus to have been FULLY human! Wow! As she says on pg. 130 - "His trust creates the possibility of ours."
"When we are united to Christ, our suffering can be music that reverberates with the sound of his love. His loves crosses the universe, echoing into the darkest, deepest silence of our suffering, enfolding our pain into his song of infinity-crossing love." Pg. 136. Um, whoa.
"We'll only live and tell our stories as good when we live and tell them in community" Pg. 182.
"Relationships are often the places where we've incurred the most pain in life, and they are also the mysterious means God will use to reshape us to live in the story more lasting than pain." Pg. 202. So simple but so profound and so true.
I could not recommend this beautiful book more highly, and also recommend that Christian publishers listen up and publish more like that. Us depth- and memoir-loving folks - we're out here! I look forward to following Ramsey's career and the depths of riches her continued obedience to and trust in the living God brings forth.
This gorgeous book about how Jesus meets us in suffering manages to be soaringly poetic while educating us about neuroscience, theology and the pervasive effects of trauna while offering concrete hope in Christ. Ramsey makes heady theological concepts earthbound and embodied through story, reflection and physiological and therapeutic truths. And it's all interspersed with memoir (which I could have used even more of, frankly!). As she quotes Andrew Peterson (and gee whiz, her numerous quotes from other authors and theologians are invariably CHOICE!): "sometimes a story is the only way back from the dark."
While she grounds hope in the here and now even in the midst of seemingly intractable pain, she never loses a gaze toward eternity. But hers is not a blithe gaze which trivializes or diminishes the suffering of now and the story gravid with meaning and redemption that God is writing through it.
It's simply a beautiful book that checks all my boxes: it made me feel smarter, satisfied my yearning for deep theological discourse, and assailed my heart with the beauty and thrilling mystery of the incarnation. I normally don't underline books 'cause my husband's greatest pet peeve is buying a used book only to discover it's been liberally highlighted and / or underlined, but I lit this puppy up like the Fourth. Some favorites:
"We remain a people of hope when we are honest about hopelessness." Pg. 58. Oof. Thank you.
"Our ability to give and receive God's love - to relate in ways that reflect the self-giving, empowering, gracing nature of God - is formed in the matrix and mud of relationships. Our story shapes our faith. And to live in the story of God's love, we must be shaped by communion with each other." Pg. 75
"Our inability to think our way into hope is a grace, because hope comes through being known." Pg. 84
"The psalms show us being fiercely honest about not being enough is what creates and sustains intimacy with God." Pg. 87
"Dissonance is the birthplace of all abiding Christian hope." Pg. 115 WUT?! Think about it though!
"Suffering can erode our trust in God. I think it also rebuilds it. But first suffering kills the god I thought I was worshiping so I can know the God who is actually here." Pg. 127
Pg 129 - Her discussion of how Jesus had to have faith, had to make a choice to believe like the rest of us. This really challenged my thinking around verses such as Hebrews 4:15 and what it means for Jesus to have been FULLY human! Wow! As she says on pg. 130 - "His trust creates the possibility of ours."
"When we are united to Christ, our suffering can be music that reverberates with the sound of his love. His loves crosses the universe, echoing into the darkest, deepest silence of our suffering, enfolding our pain into his song of infinity-crossing love." Pg. 136. Um, whoa.
"We'll only live and tell our stories as good when we live and tell them in community" Pg. 182.
"Relationships are often the places where we've incurred the most pain in life, and they are also the mysterious means God will use to reshape us to live in the story more lasting than pain." Pg. 202. So simple but so profound and so true.
I could not recommend this beautiful book more highly, and also recommend that Christian publishers listen up and publish more like that. Us depth- and memoir-loving folks - we're out here! I look forward to following Ramsey's career and the depths of riches her continued obedience to and trust in the living God brings forth.
janegleaton's review
5.0
I loved this book. As someone who also suffers chronic illness, this book was a breath of fresh air. It acknowledges the suck of suffering, while also offering a new way to encounter it. How to sit in it.
It’s also really good for just anyone in general. It’ll help develop how to interact with those who are suffering (hint: it’s not platitudes). I think every Christian should read this.
It’s also really good for just anyone in general. It’ll help develop how to interact with those who are suffering (hint: it’s not platitudes). I think every Christian should read this.
kaitsarago's review
5.0
The church hardly speaks about suffering. When they do, it's often lighthearted. Not many people are willing to sit with those who suffer. K.J. Ramsey does in this book. She KNOWS what it's like to have unending suffering. She doesn't know all the answers. But she meets us there with grace in abundance.
If you've known suffering, read this book.
If you haven't, you will. So you should read this book.
(Picked this book up after I heard her podcast episode with Adam Young on The Place We Find Ourselves and I'mso glad I did!)
If you've known suffering, read this book.
If you haven't, you will. So you should read this book.
(Picked this book up after I heard her podcast episode with Adam Young on The Place We Find Ourselves and I'mso glad I did!)
meganbhm's review
5.0
I stumbled across K.J.’s instagram at the very beginning of my state’s stay at home order and ordered the book since I figured I would have some extra time on my hands. Not only was the timing perfect, but the message of this book was exactly what my soul needed. I have already highlighted and annotated my copy profusely and ordered 4 others for friends who are also struggling with chronic illness. It may sound cheesy, but I really see God’s hand in bringing this book to my attention, and more broadly in the way that this book will support those experiencing pain and suffering.
Another beautiful aspect of this book is that although K.J. speaks on her personal experience with chronic illness and I am reading from a lens of one who suffers with illness, This Too Shall Last is applicable to many different types of suffering and a variety of experiences. I believe that those experiencing loss, depression, other mental health issues, fertility uncertainty, loneliness, and a host of other circumstances can find company with this book as well. As a therapist, I am keeping this book in mind to recommend to clients in the future.
I didn’t quite know what to expect from a book about suffering, but I definitely thought it would include copious statements about how I should be “grateful for my pain” and how it is a “blessing in disguise” or other churchy phrases that I have heard so much of lately. Somehow K.J. has managed to create a literary space where it is possible to acknowledge the sadness, grief, and tragedy of suffering and pain while simultaneously discussing Christ’s purpose for pain without cheapening, invalidating, or minimizing the reader’s experience. As a young person who was recently diagnosed with cancer (and who continuously feels the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual effects it has on my life), this book was the companionship I longed for. I have been wrestling with grieving the losses of innocence, youth, and ability that illness has brought to my life and reading the words of someone who also lives that life has given me so much hope.
As a Christian therapist myself, I appreciate K.J.’s ability to incorporate neurobiology and other psychological insights into her words as well as personal anecdote and theological insights. She is brilliantly able to balance these approaches and highlight the way that science and faith work together and support one another. This book will be a wonderful addition to any library, but particularly those of believers who appreciate scientific and/or psychological topics.
Another beautiful aspect of this book is that although K.J. speaks on her personal experience with chronic illness and I am reading from a lens of one who suffers with illness, This Too Shall Last is applicable to many different types of suffering and a variety of experiences. I believe that those experiencing loss, depression, other mental health issues, fertility uncertainty, loneliness, and a host of other circumstances can find company with this book as well. As a therapist, I am keeping this book in mind to recommend to clients in the future.
I didn’t quite know what to expect from a book about suffering, but I definitely thought it would include copious statements about how I should be “grateful for my pain” and how it is a “blessing in disguise” or other churchy phrases that I have heard so much of lately. Somehow K.J. has managed to create a literary space where it is possible to acknowledge the sadness, grief, and tragedy of suffering and pain while simultaneously discussing Christ’s purpose for pain without cheapening, invalidating, or minimizing the reader’s experience. As a young person who was recently diagnosed with cancer (and who continuously feels the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual effects it has on my life), this book was the companionship I longed for. I have been wrestling with grieving the losses of innocence, youth, and ability that illness has brought to my life and reading the words of someone who also lives that life has given me so much hope.
As a Christian therapist myself, I appreciate K.J.’s ability to incorporate neurobiology and other psychological insights into her words as well as personal anecdote and theological insights. She is brilliantly able to balance these approaches and highlight the way that science and faith work together and support one another. This book will be a wonderful addition to any library, but particularly those of believers who appreciate scientific and/or psychological topics.
mandajoyful's review
5.0
This book has forever reframed my perspective on what it means to live the both/and life.