Morland - A family shaped by grace: how to get along with the people who matter most

We always knew Dad had a book in him; we just figured one of us would have to write it for him. We werent sure he would be able to consolidate all his notes in one place. Dad has been taking notes on God and life and family for the past twenty-eight years, filling up stacks of lined yellow legal pads and four-by-six index cards, then his iPhone notes app, now this book. This is a bigger deal than you can possibly know for two reasons.

First, Dad never learned to type with his fingers in the correct typing position, so this whole manuscript was pecked out with two index fingers and a whole lot of heart.

Second, Dad wasnt a believer for most of our childhood. He didnt even go to church for show or out of duty. Instead, he stayed home every Sunday morning, drank beer, and listened to Bruce Springsteen records. We still remember the morning he reenacted the concert version of Born in the USA for us in the living room, a rare Sunday when Mom went to church without us girls. He dimmed the lights, cranked the stereo, and lip-synched the whole thing, complete with white T-shirt and red hat in his back pocket.

But life with Dad when we were little wasnt always so lighthearted. Most of our childhood memories involve an alcoholic father who was there but not fully present, alive but not fully awake. Until one day Dad stopped drinking, and awhile after that, he told us he accepted Jesus. Thats when the story gets interesting.

This book is about what happened next, about how a man who never had a proper role model of a healthy family life learned to be a husband and father so that we could never say we didnt have a proper role model of a healthy family life.

As his daughters, we have had a front-row seat to the difference God makes in the life of a person. We finally got to see the man Dad was always meant to be.

This unlikely story of grace and forgiveness will help cast a hopeful vision for you if youre desperate for some accessible encouragement and practical advice. Dads gentle instruction will be a kind companion for you in the midst of your own difficult family relationships.