Grieve, Breathe, Receive: Finding a Faith Strong Enough to Hold Us

What do you do when your world seems to be falling down all around you? When loss is too much to bear? When disappointment becomes your new reality? Pastor Steve Carter is certain you’ll find hope and life through these three simple yet profound steps: Grieve. Breathe. Receive.

In 2018, in light of further misconduct allegations against Willow Creek Community Church founder and senior pastor Bill Hybels, Steve Carter announced publicly that he was resigning from his dream job as a lead pastor at that church. After posting his resignation online, he turned off all of his devices and began to weep on his wife's shoulder. The next morning as he was taking a walk to process all the thoughts and feelings tumbling around in his mind, he cried out to Jesus in desperation, begging for an answer. "What am I supposed to do now?" He expected nothing but the silence that had overwhelmed him since hitting send on his message to the world, but before he could take two steps, a gentle whisper impressed three words upon his heart: grieve, breathe, receive.

Those three words would become a profound mantra for Steve in the season he would soon begin—a season focused on healing. Deep healing. The kind that comes after painful trauma. In this book, Steve is more personal and vulnerable than he's ever been, and by doing so he encourages all of us to:

• Allow ourselves the necessary time and space to properly GRIEVE what is, what you thought it was going to be and how key people let you down rather than fill our days with activities and commitments that distract us.
• Slow down to BREATHE in God's grace, His peace, and His love . . . and to learn how to exhale all the negativity, pain, resentment, and bitterness we carry within us.
• Be open to RECEIVE all the lessons, surprises, and healing God knows we need for every part of us to be made whole.

This process of grieving, breathing, and receiving was a life-restoring gift from God for Steve and his family, and he is certain that it will bless anyone who prayerfully follows it.

Steve Carter is a pastor, speaker, author, podcast host, and the former lead teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. He hosts the Craft & Character podcast, where he helps people get better at the art and craft of communication while ensuring their character always leads the way. An avid sports fan, Steve has co-hosted with ESPN sports anchor Samantha Ponder, NFL player Sam Acho, and Trey Burton The Home Team Podcast, which unpacks the intersection between faith, culture, sports, and family. With a degree in Biblical Studies from Hope International University, Steve has a heart for the local church. He is currently a teaching pastor at Forest City Church in Elgin, IL, and often speaks for churches, conferences, events, camps, and retreats all over the country. Steve lives in Chicagoland with his wife, Sarah, and their two kids.