Leaving Darkness
- Author: Greg Schaffer
- Publisher: WestBow Press
- Print Length: 276 pages
- Release Date: October 31, 2018
- I Rate it:
- Genre: Christian
- Purchase on Amazon
Book Summary
Long-haul truck driver Lowell Ferguson is on the brink of suicide. He is haunted by the guilt of a horrible secret from his senior year of high school. Therapy and antidepressants aren’t able to lift him out of depression. At twenty-eight years old, he believes his life has dissolved into a meaningless annoyance. Only the strong bond with his lone friend—a Chihuahua named Rufus—keeps him from choosing death. But when Lowell learns Rufus may have cancer, he fears there will be no reason left to live if his beloved dog dies.
While awaiting the diagnosis, he comes across a flier for a Christian support group promising hope and freedom. A skeptic and an apatheist, he nonetheless reluctantly decides to join the group. Through this joining, he finds what he has been yearning for—a path toward leaving the darkness of depression. This first step provides Lowell the courage to do what he must to escape his guilt and finally confront his past.
Guest Post from Greg
As first a group participant and then a volunteer for Restore Small Groups for many years, I’ve seen firsthand the healing power of small group ministries. Many want to change but don’t know how. Leaving Darkness tells the fictional story of one lost in depression to the point of contemplating suicide who happens upon such a Christian-based ministry. Although he is reluctant at first, he gives the process a chance, and through it leaves his darkness, finds his faith, and becomes the person God meant for him to be. I was called to write this story in hope that someone with similar struggles may read Leaving Darkness and realize that there is a way out of the darkness when everything else has failed.
After participating in a Christian-based small group ministry in 2011, Greg Schaffer became a group facilitator with the ministry to help others find their direction towards a purposeful life. An author of two previous novels, first-hand experiences of lives transformed through such healing groups led him to write Leaving Darkness, hoping the tale of transformation through God’s grace may encourage those lost in their own darkness to reach out for help. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife and three rescue dogs.
Book Review by Bree Herron
I wouldn’t pick this book on my own, but it was a good read once I read it. It is a tough read dealing with suicide and depression but a worthy read because it handles such topics very nicely. I found myself looking at the main character and seeing him in some of my students, it isn’t easy to live with hard secrets. I love that we see that faith and friendship are great tools in combating the darkness in this story and makes it a relatable read.
**DISCLAIMER: I was provided an opportunity to read this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in return for a fair and honest review.
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Giveaway
Find out all the details and enter to WIN at Leaving Darkness Celebration Tour Giveaway.
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This sounds like a wonderful book! It sounds very inspiring and it’s something I would enjoy.