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Tracking Desire: A Memoir(ish) Walk Through Faith, Failure, and Finding God Under My Feet
Joshua M. Casey’s first book is a story for those still searching for the Source of their inconsolable longing. By framing his own journey through the spiritual pilgrimage of the Church year, these universal human movements of expectation and arrival, death and life, are given fresh perspective.These arcs follow Joshua through the death of his father as a child; growing into a deep belief in his pastoral “call”; his growing dis-ease with his evangelical tradition (and, eventually, the entire institution); two college ministries; the priesthood; and ultimately, out of the only work he ever conceived doing. They also pursue Joshua through marital infidelity, reconciliation, and shifting conceptions of human beings’ longings and desires for each other. Tracking Desire is no panacea for the spiritually dispossessed, but neither does it leave readers in the throes of confusion. Rather, it offers a faith trajectory beyond the confines of the Church, by identifying the Christ Story across all Story, encouraging readers to find Christ in the people all around and, eventually, in the very earth “under their feet.”
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2021
About the author
Joshua M. Casey
1 book3 followersJoshua M. Casey lives with his family in Bloomington, Indiana. A pastor's kid and former campus pastor himself, Joshua has lived and worked in faith communities his whole life and brings this experience to writings focusing primarily on living a post-Church faith. His first book, "Tracking Desire: A Memoir(ish) Walk Through Faith, Failure, and Finding God Under My Feet" catalogues the first stages of this journey
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 1, 2022
Let me preface this review by saying that I was a student of Josh's during his time in Muncie. I went on several mission trips with him, and was active in the ministry. It has been 9+ years since I have really spoken to him. I respected him then, and I respect him now.
I think that this book would have been better as two books. Let me explain.
I am not fluent in theology, but I can usually track and get the gist of it. I loved the first few chapters of Josh's book, and I highlighted several lines. However, as the book continued, it seemed to become heavier and heavier with theology and lighter and lighter with memoir. I realize that that's sort of the point of the book. But I honestly found it distracting and disorganized. I think Josh has a lot of good things to say about theology, and a lot of good things to say about his life. But I think this book did not do justice to either because of how it was set up.
I found a lot of his language unnecessarily complex, like a teenager clicking "thesaurus" to change up their English paper. As I looked up more words, the theology sections became less accessible. I dreaded them and wanted to just skip to the memoir parts (even though I was familiar with a good amount of it already, having been in community with Josh for a few years). The two categories just didn't mesh well. The theology parts left me feeling dumb and often confused, as I felt like Josh spoke in circles. The memoir parts left me wanting more.
The footnotes were entirely distracting. I honestly stopped reading them less then halfway through the book. Very few of them I found actually added to the story.
Overall, Josh has well-defined theological views, but in a poor setting. It seemed that he was trying to mesh one view with one part of his story, like smushing dough into a too-small mold. I would have preferred reading two books written by him, one as a memoir and one as a theological book. The audience of this book is just unclear. You have references to the Book of Common Prayer and classic liturgy, along with the Big Lebowski and Austin Powers. I don't regret reading (or purchasing) this book, but I am glad to have concluded it.
I think that this book would have been better as two books. Let me explain.
I am not fluent in theology, but I can usually track and get the gist of it. I loved the first few chapters of Josh's book, and I highlighted several lines. However, as the book continued, it seemed to become heavier and heavier with theology and lighter and lighter with memoir. I realize that that's sort of the point of the book. But I honestly found it distracting and disorganized. I think Josh has a lot of good things to say about theology, and a lot of good things to say about his life. But I think this book did not do justice to either because of how it was set up.
I found a lot of his language unnecessarily complex, like a teenager clicking "thesaurus" to change up their English paper. As I looked up more words, the theology sections became less accessible. I dreaded them and wanted to just skip to the memoir parts (even though I was familiar with a good amount of it already, having been in community with Josh for a few years). The two categories just didn't mesh well. The theology parts left me feeling dumb and often confused, as I felt like Josh spoke in circles. The memoir parts left me wanting more.
The footnotes were entirely distracting. I honestly stopped reading them less then halfway through the book. Very few of them I found actually added to the story.
Overall, Josh has well-defined theological views, but in a poor setting. It seemed that he was trying to mesh one view with one part of his story, like smushing dough into a too-small mold. I would have preferred reading two books written by him, one as a memoir and one as a theological book. The audience of this book is just unclear. You have references to the Book of Common Prayer and classic liturgy, along with the Big Lebowski and Austin Powers. I don't regret reading (or purchasing) this book, but I am glad to have concluded it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review