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Four Strangers, One Retreat Center, A Story of Transformation

Sharon Garlough Brown tells the moving story of four strangers as they embark together on a journey of spiritual formation:

Hannah, a pastor who doesn't realize how exhausted she is.

Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past.

Mara, a woman who has experienced a lifetime of rejection and is now trying to navigate a difficult marriage.

Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right.

You're invited to join these four women as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support and personal revelation.

Along the way, readers will find:



- Key spiritual practices that they can take into their own lives,

- A cast of characters that any reader can find themselves in, and

- Tangible support for the deeper life with God.

If you want to travel this journey with others, you will find a group study guide and book club resources at www.sensibleshoesclub.com.



Sharon Garlough Brown is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and author of the bestselling Sensible Shoes series of spiritual formation novels, including An Extra Mile, which was named Christianity Today's 2019 Fiction Book of the Year. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Sharon and her husband, Jack, have served congregations in the United States and United Kingdom and now live in Scotland.



1. Invitation to a Journey



2. The Pilgrimage Begins



3. Exploring the Heart of God



4. Learning to Linger



5. Come and See



6. Hiding and Seeking



7. Walking Attentively



8. Intimacy and Encounter



9. Found at theCrossroads



10. Deeper into the Wilderness



11. Lightening the Load



12. Walking Together in the Love of God



Epilogue



Acknowledgments



Discussion Guide



"I have been on retreats with [these characters] and I am one of them. Their neediness, arrogance, cluelessness, perfectionism, self-pity, codependence . . . are mine. By the end of the book I was grateful for author Sharon Garlough Brown's fresh eyes and voice. She not only gave me resharpened tools for my journey with Jesus but also reminded me that I need fellow pilgrims to love me and keep me honest along the way."



"Written with a compelling narrative that weaves their lives together, Sensible Shoes offers readers a new understanding of key spiritual practices and support for those who wish to travel deeper into life with God themselves."



"Sharon Garlough Brown introduces us to four engaging women who are wrestling with their . . . view of God. Strap on your best traveling shoes--following their journey in Sensible Shoes is not for the faint of heart!"



"This work of fiction felt like my own personal story as I connected on a different level with each of the four women on a quest to grow in their faith. I loved it in a way I haven't loved a book in a long time. It's filled with relatable narrative and examples of key spiritual practices that deepened my faith. I found in it a compassion for myself and for others who are walking alongside me. I cannot wait to read the other books in the series."



"If you're a spiritually inclined person, I think you'll really love it. It's about four women, every one of them coming from a different place spiritually. But all of them in need of a fresh cup of mercy. . . . So it's terrific. I highly recommend it."



"There are books that offer a can't-put-it-down reading experience and books that offer truths so resonant that I am compelled to stop reading and ponder awhile. Sensible Shoes is both. Its characters have become spiritual companions for my journey."



"Sharon Brown's story provides a way for readers to vicariously dip into deep spiritual practices through the realistic struggles and joys of four women. Through emotionally resonant characters, Sensible Shoes encourages us to communicate with God in new ways, broadening our spiritual journey one step at a time."