Recently, I got to ask Pastor Mike what book he’s reading right now that he’d recommend to all of you. The Answer to Our Cry was his response.

Q & A with Pastor Mike

Adriene: “Why is The Answer to Our Cry the book you chose to recommend?”

Pastor Mike: “Rick McKinley (author of The Answer to Our Cry and lead pastor at Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon) talks about how he discovered that he’s beloved by God — not by what he does, but by how he is. This is made clear to him largely through his relationship with his beloved, developmentally disabled daughter Kaylee. He says at one point that God uses Kaylee to mentor him… ‘Kaylee teaches me that being fully alive looks entirely different than I thought it did. It is not about success, as we see it played out in the American Dream. It isn’t even about doing something. Being fully alive comes from a place of communion with God where we are safe to be who we are because we are loved. Being beloved means we are set free by grace — to be loved.’” (p. 45 & 46)

Adriene: “That’s beautiful.”

Pastor Mike: “It is. I also appreciate the way Rick (the author) portrays himself. He’s transparent about who he is and who he’s not. He doesn’t show himself as a guy who has all the answers. He has real struggles.”

Adriene: “Love it. That kind of honesty isn’t exactly common these days. While you were reading Rick’s book, did you find yourself racing to the end, or was it more of a slow read?”

Pastor Mike: “This wasn’t the type of book to make you sit and ponder each paragraph to make sense of it, but I did want to savor it.”

So there you have it, folks. The mantra of this book is printed right on the front cover - ‘Freedom To Live Fully, Love Boldly, And Fear Nothing.’ Take a moment to read the blurb below, and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, you can grab your own copy here.

From the Back Cover

We all long for freedom. Freedom from anxiety, fear, and sin. Freedom to love others completely as God loves us. And yet we are shackled by insecurity, prone to selfishness, and wary of letting down our guard. That's not the life God designed for his followers. When his people cry out to him for freedom, he hears--and responds.