You’ve probably heard the saying, “Love makes the world go ‘round.” But if that’s true, why is it so hard to find love?

You may long to be loved, but you probably also struggle with wondering whether or not you are worth loving. You desire deep friendships but also struggle to love others who are different from you.

Why is it so hard to love? Why is it so hard to be loved? Is the love we’re yearning for real, or is it merely a romantic notion that can only be found in movies or novels? 

Have you ever looked over a landscape covered in clouds? Everything has a grey coldness to it; everything feels far-off and distant. You know that the hills are over there, and you know the tall trees are beside them--but you can’t really see them. They are so faded, you wonder if they’re even in your world, or just illusions far away. The only constant thing is the fog, shrouding your window, covering all else.

Have you ever had the same feeling when you were trying to look at God?

Has he ever felt far-off, and distant? You know that his love is there; you know his transforming power is there--but you can’t really see them.

Restore: Changing How We Live and Love released today! This Study Guide is the fruit of almost 25 years of ministry and over 7 years of seeking to understand how God’s story offers hope and help; and it’s breathtaking to see it arrive in such a physical way. God has had His hand in this whole process, and we’re grateful for His kind and faithful leading. 

We’re passionate about this work, as we believe it fills a great need in the church--if not, the book wouldn’t have been written! But don’t just take it from us…

How confident are you in your God?

We believe that He exists, and we know in our minds that He loves us. Yet we are still overwhelmed by life, and unsure how the Gospel makes any difference. We struggle, and the questions rise. “Why does God feel so distant? “Does God really love me?” “Does He even know what’s going on in my life?”

We know about God’s love, but we don’t experience it…

“I’m so overwhelmed.”

Have you thought this lately? Has it felt like everything is piling on top of you, making it hard to concentrate, and even hard to breathe? Whether it is worries about a job, our family, or the future; everything can feel like it’s just too much. We look ahead and are overwhelmed with the uncertainty of what’s to come. We look back at our lives, and are overwhelmed with the struggles we’ve had.

What do we do with the things that overwhelm us?

Do you know your own story? 

At some point, we all ask, "Why am I here? What’s my purpose? Why did these things happen to me?”

But rarely do we know the answers.

We can feel lost—drifting about aimlessly, in an ocean with no rudder, not sure where we came from or where we’re going. But it’s not only our stories we feel lost in, we can be confused about God’s story too…