The Spiritual Formation and Christian Education Team is excited to begin sharing a featured resource each month for local congregations. These resources are selected to support discipleship, faith formation, Christian education, and spiritual growth in a variety of ministry settings. Whether you are looking for materials for personal devotion, small groups, Sunday school classes, or church-wide engagement, we hope these recommendations are practical and meaningful tools for nurturing faith in your community. We invite you to explore each month's resource and discover new ways to deepen spiritual growth, encourage lifelong learning, and strengthen discipleship within your congregation.

This month, the Spiritual Formation and Christian Education Team is highlighting Getting Through What You're Going Through: Notes and Poems for Hoping and Becoming by Tanner Olson. The book offers a collection of reflections and poems designed to meet readers where they are, acknowledging life's challenges while gently pointing toward hope, grace, and God's presence.

Finding Hope While Getting Through What You're Going Through

There are seasons in life when we carry more than we expected. Grief, disappointment, uncertainty, change, or simply the daily weight of responsibilities can leave us wondering how to keep moving forward. During those times, it helps to have companions on the journey who remind us that we are not alone.

Olson writes for those who may feel stuck, weary, or uncertain about the path ahead. Rather than offering easy answers, he creates space for honest emotions and reminds readers that hope can be found in ordinary moments of life. Through faith-filled reflections, readers are encouraged to trust that God is at work even when the journey feels unclear.

One of the book's central messages is that we do not simply have to "get through" difficult seasons. With God's help, we can move through them, discovering growth, purpose, and hope along the way. The collection includes more than one hundred poems and reflections that explore themes of loss, healing, grace, waiting, and becoming who God created us to be.

As we continue nurturing spiritual growth in our congregations and communities, we invite you to consider this resource for personal reflection, small-group discussion, or devotional reading. Whether you are navigating a challenging season yourself or walking alongside someone who is, this book offers words of encouragement grounded in faith and the promise that hope remains.

May you be reminded that wherever you are on your journey today, God's presence goes with you, and you are not walking alone. 

Any questions, please contact, Rev. Tammy Palermo at tpalermo@mentorumc.org or Julie Carter at jcarter@wocumc.org