Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves

There are so many deep truths in this book. Michele deals with the thorny problem of simplistic faith—if we obey God, He will bless us.Until He doesn’t. What then? When we experience “a terminal disease, a chronic illness, the loss of a child, or the irreparable severing of a relationship, suffering brings with it an otherness.”As many of us did, Michele grew up hearing the verse, “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). This verse contains truth, but needs to be balanced with the rest of Scripture to protect us from developing a fear-based obedience that can destroy an intimate relationship with God.“Sometimes the math doesn’t work, and no one can explain why it doesn’t. … This is what happened to John the Baptist. … And in the dark basement of his dungeon, John’s white-hot faith flickered. … Am I being punished? … Did I misread the signs? … John had a need, and Jesus ignored it or, at the least, didn’t do anything about it.”Michelle vulnerably shares deep questions that those who suffer ask, such as: “Can I huddle in John’s prison and still believe the Jesus I’ve always known?” and “Can I celebrate His obvious miracles even while mourning the lack of my own?”She writes to our natural desire to believe that we can prevent and avoid disease, disaster, and tragedy, but sometimes our imbalanced motives add to the pain of those who are suffering. She poignantly shares about receiving an eight-page letter from a stranger detailing how she could cure herself of cancer if she would only do certain things, avoid other things … and believe more. She says, “Behind the sender’s pretense of help sits a poisonous implication: my suffering is my fault.”“But God never made that guarantee. Jesus says quite the opposite: ‘In this world you will have trouble’ (John 16:33).”I still remember the day Michele stopped in the middle of a conference to listen, to hear, to hold hands, and shutting out all the people around us, to pray for me. I felt God’s Presence descend on us in that moment. She is the real deal.From someone in the trenches, Michele passes the comfort she has received on to us through the gift of this book. Through it, she draws us to Jesus, who “touches us at the place of our pain over and over again with hands familiar with both suffering and healing.”May we all pass on the comfort we’ve received to another and learn better how to be inclusive to those who are suffering. We can learn much from them. This book shows us how.--Deb Gruelle, author of Aching for a Child and Ten Little Night Stars

This is not your ordinary beauty-from-ashes account or crime-to-Christ story. Not that there is anything wrong with said testimonials, but this book is different. Cushatt begins at the grass roots level, with memories of her early childhood of events, words, hardships that shaped her view of world and self. Some brutal details, but not so far-removed that any reader can attach a thread of his/her own life to her's. The shame, the disconnect, and on into her adult years with repeated cancer episodes, all point to a life that can be related to. The hurts and wounds we, as readers, have experienced, she seems to have gone through too. There is a tone of compassion and reaching out that permeates each chapter that is so healthy and inspirational.Another thing I like about this book is that thoughts are shared in small increments, easily read as one-each-day. There's enough in each inclusion to take with you and meditate on for the day.This read stands alone as and is now on my current Top 10 must-read again pieces. Bless you, Michele, for being acquainted with the journey we're on, coming alongside as we attempt to sort it all out, and affirming our sense of worth and belonging as we take our steps forward, one day at a time.

A BOOK MEANT TO BE PLACED INTO YOUR HANDS AND HEART... Are your hands trembling in fear of your circumstances, or sweating as you go through all of the "what if's?"...are they aching from fighting and wrestling, or just weary from holding on too tightly, or tired from working so hard to breakthrough? Is your heart so broken and disappointed from all of your unanswered prayers? Do you feel abandoned by God?...Even questioning if you did something wrong, or if He really exists? Are you having a crisis of faith?... Once again, Michele Cushatt, through her humility, courage and gut wrenching honesty, has been used by God to share her incredible, hard, living testimony....creating a book which I believe that through a divine appointment will be placed into your hands. Her story will allow you to honestly wrestle with, and embrace God, His ways, and his promises. She will show you how to find him working in your own precious circumstances and suffering. As you wrestle and embrace while reading, Michele will literally take your hands holding and reading her book....and place them back into the loving, mighty, trustworthy, sovereign hands of the Lord. Even in the silence, even in the darkest times, He has always been there, still working all things together for our good. "God never left-even when I doubted his reality. He stood guard, behind and before. I saw evidences of him in authors, scholars who spoke to my broken heart through their words, in the well worn pages of my Bible that shone with fresh revelation and new light-and in the steadfast friends who made space for my questions without shaming me to silence." (Relentless p.78) Do you need evidence of God in your life right now? Does your faith need resuscitation? Michele's relentless searching, fighting, praying, learning, writing will lead you to renewed hope and faith in a relentless father, who has been there the entire time waiting for us to place our hands back into his, as he squeezes tightly and whispers once again...I love you, I have been here the entire time, I will never leave you....trust me.

I am so thankful that I read Michele’s book ‘Relentless’! It has encouraged me, challenged me, relieved my striving and worries, and led me into a new depth of Christian living. Thank you, Michele! God bless you.

I am now a forever fan of Michele Cushatt’s writing. Actually, I already was after reading her previous two books; it’s just now I’m publicly stating it.There is much Biblical Truth and ample bared-heart sharing in Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves to feed the faintest of pilgrims. If you feel alone in your struggle to comprehend how God could allow so much bad stuff to happen in your life, or in the lives of those you love dearly, then this book will help you find your way back to believing God is good.If you’ve hit the bottom of bottoms and you can’t bear the sight or sound of another Christian cliché tossed your way, then you will love the warm and safe hearth found within the words of a woman who has been hit hard by a trainload of trials. Michele Cushatt shares her dark times poignantly with readers, so that the Light of God’s relentless love and Presence shines hope in our darkness.One of the big takeaways for me was realizing I wasn’t alone in wondering why wrong things happened when I did my best to do all the right things. I was comforted by some common ground I found in Michele Cushatt’s soulful account, and I was encouraged by her subsequent search for God’s Presence in pain.If you’re doubting God is still beside you in your suffering, Relentless will validate your struggle and then give solid validity to the truth our Lord forever pursues us, never leaves us, and always loves us. You’re not alone, dear friend. God is in this place with us.I’m reading Michele’s book again, because it’s that deep and that rich with godly wisdom and been-there insight. It’s worth a second read and more.Thank you, dear Michele Cushatt, for writing bravely. Thank you for writing Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves