• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • The words
  • The writer
  • The work

Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for November 6, 2013

How a book about waiting challenged me: Review of The In-Between by Jeff Goins

November 6, 2013

For years, I’ve been eager for the next stage of life. The next move. The next … whatever. And I realized that in the process, I was missing out on the right now.

Jeff Goins’ new book The In-Between meets me where I’m at and propels me not toward the next thing but toward the now. The-In-Between_KD-570x868

He writes: “Maybe the ‘good stuff’ isn’t ahead of or behind us. Maybe it’s somewhere in between. Right in the midst of this moment, here and now.”

The In-Between is a book about waiting, and while that might not sound interesting (I’ll admit, I was skeptical), in truth, it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. (And I received a free digital copy of the book in exchange for a review.)

Goins has an approachable style of writing where he hits on some big spiritual truths but not in an in-your-face way. It’s like meeting a friend for coffee and listening to him tell stories. That’s what he does here, tell of his in-between experiences, when he was waiting for the next big thing, the next stage of life, the next step in God’s plan for his life, and what he learned.

Throughout the book, Goins offers us the opportunity to embrace the waiting times and let them shape us. One of the most powerful statements of the whole book is this: “Maybe, I thought, God is less concerned with exactly what I’m doing and more concerned with who I’m becoming.”

Challenging and freeing at the same time.

I connected with it in so many ways. (And while it’s subtitled “a spiritual memoir” I didn’t really think of it that way. But that’s not a drawback.)

It’s a short read, full of encouragement and honest looks at the times when Goins got it wrong. His honesty and openness about his life is one of the charms of his writing.

If you find yourself in a period of waiting, you’ll find The In-Between a helpful resource to endure it, and maybe even enjoy it.

Watch this book trailer for more of a taste of the message.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/kohp0qCM9Jo]

Filed Under: faith & spirituality, Non-fiction, The Weekly Read Tagged With: christian non-fiction, jeff goins, moody books, the in-between, waiting

Primary Sidebar

Photo by Rachel Lynn Photography

Welcome

Hi. I’m Lisa, and I’m glad you’re here. If we were meeting in real life, I’d offer you something to eat or drink while we sat on the porch letting the conversation wander as it does. That’s a little bit what this space is like. We talk about books and family and travel and food and running, whatever I might encounter in world. I’m looking for the beauty in the midst of it all, even the tough stuff. (You’ll find a lot of that here, too.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay as long as you like.

When I wrote something

November 2013
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Oct   Dec »

Recent posts

  • Still Life
  • A final round-up for 2022: What our December was like
  • Endings and beginnings … plus soup: A November wrap-up
  • A magical month of ordinary days: October round-up
  • Stuck in a shallow creek
  • Short and sweet September: a monthly round-up
  • Wrapping the end of summer: Our monthly round-up

Join the conversation

  • A magical month of ordinary days: October round-up on Stuck in a shallow creek
  • Stuck in a shallow creek on This is 40
  • July was all about vacation (and getting back to ordinary days after)–a monthly roundup on One very long week

Footer

What I write about

Looking for something?

Disclosure

Lisa Bartelt is a participant in the Bluehost Affiliate Program.

Occasionally, I review books in exchange for a free copy. Opinions are my own and are not guaranteed positive simply due to the receipt of a free copy.

Copyright © 2025 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in