Joe
This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers is not the book the church wants, but it is the book the church needs. It is not the book I want, but it is the book I need. Odds are, it is not the book you want, but it is the book you need.
Christianity in the United States is dominated by the Prosperity Gospel. It is a fundamentally American take on religion. Even in corners of the church with a decisively different theology, the American idea that success or blessing is a consequence of faithfulness dominates our thinking. As a result, we hold little place for suffering in the life of the believer. Into this context steps in my dear friend K. J. Ramsey.
I first met K. J. in 2016 at Where Grace Abounds, a Denver-based community for people seeking to process through sexuality and relationships. She served as a therapeutic intern as I tried to sort through the wreckage of my life. Her ability to hold space, listen with compassion, and offer transformative wisdom continues to prove invaluable.
Fast forward to the end of 2019 and I participated in K. J.’s embodied writing mentorship. Once again, her insight and perspective left me amazed. Much of the writing I am doing today flows from that time under her mentorship.
I share all of this because these two aspects of K. J. pour out on to the pages of This Too Shall Last. Her prose is pure poetry, even as it makes deep theological and psychological concepts accessible. It invites slow reads, allowing time for ideas to soak in and manifest in your own application.
But adding one more layer to the brilliance of this work is how it flows from her own life experience. On top of being a therapist and theologian, K. J. suffers from a debilitating auto-immune disease. She is well versed in suffering whether it is part of her everyday human experience, at work, or in her body that continually battles against itself. And yet, in this pain she finds a path to grace, to life, and to joy.
In This Too Shall Last, she invites you and I to join her on this journey. Like I opened, this is not a book any of us want, but it is a book all of us need.