books
holy disturbance:
Reacquainting the Church and Her People
with the Gifts of Suffering
How might believers get back to offering the gifts of suffering—faith, perseverance, empathy, and hope—to those living in a literal world of hurt?
People used to seek support from the Church when life got hard. But instead of providing a place for people to suffer well together, many churches today focus more on big growth, how-to programs, and positive news. If we come to value comfort over depth, chasing after more safe, predictable lives, we risk diminishing our light and His hope.
In Holy Disturbance, author Karen Sjoblom aims to reacquaint people of faith with the gifts of suffering by weaving historical and current-day narratives around Reverend Addison Groff’s timeless prayer, “Disturb Us, O Lord.” Focused on equipping and encouraging pastors, leaders, volunteers, and congregants, Sjoblom invites the Church and Her people to move toward deeper faith and community—especially within our storms.
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Study how and why we’ve drifted from being suffering servants
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Read dozens of stories from congregants, leaders, and pastors about grief, recovery, hurt, and growth within the Church
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Soak in reflection questions, meaningful practices, and leadership wisdom to map a new course for your church and community—and a renewed thirst for God
Suffering engenders messier lives but richer, deeper connections…
and this is what the Church was built for. Holy Disturbance is part love letter and part wake-up call to the Church and Her people—to recognize the gifts that come from our seasons of struggle, and to share our hard-won lessons and His hope with a hurting world.
Available January 2026
GONE for GOOD:
lessons from a midlife exodus
Why did God allow such pain and trauma in my life?
What good could possibly come from it?
And will I ever get free?
When Karen Sjoblom relocated to her Midwest birthplace after her daughter left for college, she anticipated exciting possibilities. Instead, she found herself on an unexpected pilgrimage through past trauma, family fractures, and rigid generational expectations. That’s when she discovered she’d have to cross through a wilderness of pain if she wanted to reach her own promised land.
Mirroring the biblical Exodus in which the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt—a place familiar but enslaving—Sjoblom’s reflections on her healing journey illumine the unique losses, lies, and failings we can stumble on, especially at midlife. And yet, they also point to healthier beliefs, relationships, and possibilities to carry us forward.
With humor, hope, and hard-won wisdom, Gone for Good will help you:
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Understand the healing reasons for your desert seasons
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Trust that God is a good guide who wants to redeem your pain
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Walk in authentic freedom from the pain of what’s been to the promise of what might be
Sjoblom poignantly captures the exhilaration of new beginnings, the longing for what’s left behind, the grief over our wandering years, and the truths required to leave “Egypt” behind. A good God does indeed allow hard journeys, but there’s redemption on the other side: renewed trust in his character, freedom from the past, and knowledge that it’s never too late to embark on a soul-healing expedition. As Sjoblom demonstrates, when we stay with the lessons until the lessons are learned, God enables us to release our wounds and losses so they’re gone—for good.
one:
single mothering, full circle
Christian Literary Awards 2018 Henri Award Nominee
If you’ve ever wondered how you got to this place, what you need to make it through, whether the loneliness will subside, and if the money (and your energy) will hold out until your kids are raised, you’ll find your story on these pages…required reading for every single mom.
one traces the full-circle journey of solo parenting, capturing both the ordinary and extraordinary and proving you really only need a single point of connection to keep going—even on your hardest days. Designed to be read on-the-fly, these short stories meet you where you’re at with all the dark humor, occasional despair, and surprising joy inherent in raising children alone. They celebrate the sustenance provided by connections to God and each other, and invite women to take courage from hard endings that give way to wobbly, promising beginnings. With wisdom on building community, embracing our imperfections, forgiving ourselves and others, and staggering triumphantly to the other side of great loss, one refills and refreshes single moms up to their elbows in life and living.
7 Reasons to be Grateful You're the Mother of a Toddler
This charming and genuine book encourages moms who may feel they are living the same day over and over. With disarming joy and lightness, this volume lifts spirits and encourages moms to be thankful for their journey, embracing the perfect imperfection of life with a toddler.
