Seriously, God?: Making Sense of Life Not Making Sense

by Michael White, Tom Corcoran

Winner of a third-place award in the grief and bereavement category from the Catholic Media Association.

A friend’s child dies; a parent gets a cancer diagnosis; your spouse loses their job. Sometimes life and God’s plan don’t make sense and we end up feeling hurt and angry.

In Seriously, God?, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran explore the denial, doubt, and betrayal we experience when we face hardship, pain, and grief, and they encourage us to lean into our feelings and to take each circumstance as a chance to learn more about God.

Drawing on personal anecdotes and stories from their parish, White and Corcoran—authors of the bestselling and award-winning book, Rebuilt—share important lessons, including:


Even the heroes of the Bible—such as Abraham, Moses, David, and the apostles—experienced situations that caused them to misunderstand God.
There is joy in knowing we will forever be getting to know God.
Even though life often doesn’t make sense, we shouldn’t assume God doesn’t make sense.
For anyone who has battled suffering, walked away from faith under the pressure of crushing doubt, never felt safe giving faith a chance, or cared about someone who struggles with these realities, this book treats the problems of suffering and evil not as an argument to be overcome but as an invitation to a deeper faith.

Each chapter relies on biblical stories that provide a wonderful introduction to scripture to those who are not familiar with the Bible and a fresh perspective to those who are. Each chapter also includes questions for self-reflection and discussion. A free parish small-group guide and videos from the authors are available online.

This is a perfect book to give as a gift to friends or family members who are grieving, those struggling with doubts about their faith, or those who are new to faith.

Genres: Inspirational

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2021

Reviews

[John Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catholic and evangelical aid. Very helpful and readable. Pleased to have read this over Easter.

Father Michael is the pastor of the Church of The Nativity, North Baltimore, Maryland. Tom Corcoran is the pastoral associate of the same church. They have written successfully together (Rebuilt, Tools for Rebuilding…)

Stories from the Old and New Testaments told and interpreted alongside recent life stories. A Faith fillip!

[benjamin uhlenkott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A staff person gifted me this book for Christmas , telling me how helpful it was for her. I certainly agree there are good questions to ask oneself to be found in the book. It’s a quick read and can be helpful for someone who needs a place to start with suffering and/or death. If you are in a place of life where you’re struggling to find answers, you could do worse than this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you lost your faith, or are you feeling angry with God, or in despair? This book will help. Fr Michael White and Tom Corcoran share parables and stories from the Bible, and stories from personal experiences so that you can see things differently. They study the common questions of why we experience pain and misery, loss of faith, our feelings that our prayers are not answered, and many other concerns. Handling grief and wondering why someone we loved died for seemingly no reason also plays a big part in this helpful book.

I had forgotten some of the parables and stories from the Bible, so it was good to read them again, and to read the author's interpretations, and how they can help us with our own experiences of life. For example, reading about Joseph's sufferings, and his decision to forgive his brothers, can also assist us with our own pain, and sturggles to forgive.

The part that I found especially moving, however, was the chapter on Revelation and the idea of heaven. Revelation is an especially difficult book to understand, but I found the author's explanation of it beautifully written, and very inspiring. I'd like to read more of their books.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Artie Monahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

THOUGHT PROVOKING

This book was enlightening in its explanation of why things happen, bad or good. I was given a better perspective to analyze occurrences. It is not God’s will, God’s fault. Because of original sin death is a part of our lives. Free will allows us to choose how ewe act and what we do. Our human nature always influences our behavior.
I fortuitously was watching Conversation with Cardinal Dolan when the Cardinal interviewed the authors of this book.

[Kara Marziali · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a member of the Chruch Nativity community, I read this book with my small group during the season of Lent. Both Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran write with wisdom and scriptural understanding. It is a meaningful book that offers lots to ponder and much hope. At the end of each chapter, there are questions to help the reader reflect and participate in discussions. When you finish reading, instead of saying "Seriously, God?" you might be declaring "Seriously, thank you, God!"

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I lost my wife in September 2022 I needed something other than family to lean on. A friend of ours knew what I needed since I like to read stories, fiction, nonfiction, and so forth. That friend hit the nail squarely on the head.
This book helps to give comfort and peace and the reason why stuff happens when you expected a better outcome.
Thanks to the friend for knowing what I needed during this long grieving period.

[Elizabeth Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end really made the book a tear-jerker for me. I had a premonition that my son was leaving before he was murdered in a work place robbery

I would recommend this book to anyone who is grieving or suffering. It gives new meaning to life’s greatest difficulties

[Lynn Zay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, helping to make sense of senseless things that happen in this world. Not all that happens is God's Will, and we don't always have to make sense of something God does. This book is clearly written, and an easy read for such a complicated topic.

[Debbie Herrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely read books on theology. I'm glad I read this book because it encouraged me to explore my expectations of God and his role in my life. Instead of looking to God to make your life easier, it encourages you to look on how God's actions / inactions may actually make you a better person.

[Pete Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a good job of explaining many of the things that make life a struggle. Using personal stories and biblical stories as examples, they explain God's role in these situations. It kept my interest and was insightful and inspiring.

[Alicia]

Nice, informative, inspirational book. Tom and Fr. White did not disappoint. Favorite pages were the last two.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was fine while reading, but when I put it down, I barely remembered anything from it. Fairly surface level, easy to read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really made me think about the different topics brought up. Will be going through it again as there was a book study that went along with it.

[Lexie Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was passed out for free when I joined The Church of Nativity. I’m really glad it was and that I got a chance to finish it. I really needed to read it at the time that I did.

“Seriously, God?” is about how God allows certain, negative situations happen. That they will bring us strength and Grace and see that good things will come afterwards. Whether it’s financial hardship, breakup, divorce, work-related stress, loss of a loved one, etc., God is there for you. He will bring you strength and good to follow. For you are made for more. God us with you despite these hardships.

This book describes this through the commentary of Father Michael White and co-pastor Tom Corcoran. The open dialogue and combination of scripture brings light to God’s work. The book was helpful for me and I hope it encourages you to pick up this book and see why God allows hardships ti happen.