Finding Your Plot in a Plotless World: A Little Direction

by Daniel de Roulet

The world fell apart for author Daniel de Roulet the moment his son was diagnosed with autism. In Finding Your Plot in a Plotless World, de Roulet takes a closer look at those devastating moments in everyone's lives and the journey that follows. What do we do when our sense of God's plan for our lives crumbles around us? How do we find our plots in a seemingly plotless world? For answers, de Roulet looks to stories--those of our own culture and the Bible. Along the way, de Roulet encourages readers to be authentic as they tell their own stories and leaves them with hope that God reveals himself through our messy lives. EXCERPT Let me make something I am convinced that for Christians, even in the darkest night, there is joy in the morning. God does work all things together--however unlikely the parts--for good for those who love him. But the roads of our progress from darkness to light will often be through murky or unpleasant waters, and our discoveries may not be as whole or as resounding as one could hope. But talking about the whole journey--darkness and light--is being honest to the condition of being human, and perhaps we can help others to begin to make the leap between the difficulties of the now and the promises of the not yet. Successful storytellers and teachers tend to meet their audiences where they are--not where they want them to be. There are times for all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike, when the world seems dark and senseless and morning seems far off, and these times are often when God's plot is the most relevant. And so this book talks about a journey from plotlessness to plot. Its chapters are meant to be guides for both reading God's narratives that I think God uses to reach down into our own experiences and tell us about himself, and our own the words that we use to tell our experiences to each other and, I believe, to God.

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Paul Dubuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a real gem. The author gets to the heart of the matter for those who struggle with finding meaning and purpose (a sensible "plot") for their lives with insightful illustrations drawn from several well known books, films, and stories from the Bible as well as his own life. Our lives rarely turn out the way we plan and, even if they do, we are often left wondering if the choices we made to get were we are were good ones or were worth the cost. This book will help readers rethink their perspective on the meaning for their lives and help turn them in a direction where it's possible to find oneself to be part of a larger and more significant plot.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read a book that required me to think in the way that this one did. The author uses carefully chosen examples from literature to address the idea of "plot" in our lives. Very interesting...glad I read it!