Summary: Third in the series, Barefoot starts immediately after Two Steps Forward.
The four friends continue to discover more about themselves and their relationship with others and God as the series progresses.
I accidentally found out a significant plot point of Barefoot as I was trying to figure out the right order of the books, so I knew going in what was going to happen. I am not going to reveal that here, but I will say, don’t read about book four (An Extra Mile) before you finish Barefoot or you will find that spoiler as well.
I stayed up way past my bedtime finishing Barefoot up. I am not completely sure why I did that because I knew what was going to happen. But I wanted the story to get there.
In many ways, Barefoot moved the broader story along, but did not resolve any of the storylines so it is hard to talk about anything new happening in the series. Each of the characters continued along the path that they were going. Each of the characters discovered things about themselves that the reader was well aware of, but the characters hadn’t quite put together on their own. (One of the reasons that I am such a fan of spiritual direction is that it is easy for you as an individual to be blind to a situation that an outside observer can see clearly. And this series illustrates how that works well.)
I haven’t decided whether I like “the” main plot point in this book or not. I can see why Brown used it. But I also feel like it may have been a short cut as a writer to move the story along in a way that wasn’t necessary and may actually show some of the problems with how some spiritual formation is understood in the larger church.
Church matters to the characters. There is an emphasis on getting into a church community that I do think is helpful, but at the same time I do not think adequately takes into account church hurt. No characters has been harmed by the church and therefore has difficulty returning to church. I don’t like to complain about what is not in a book, but this is a major part of the deconstruction movement. Yes, according to The Great DeChurching, the main reason people stop going to church is that they move and never return. But church hurt, abuse and other harm is also a major reason people stop going to church.
In every case in this book, the church is a balm. Not every person in every church meshes with every other person, there are personality conflicts, but the conflict is with individuals, not the system. And there isn’t really a confusion about whether God condones or supports the harm that occurred.
There is no good solution to the problem of evil, so I am glad that this series isn’t attempting to give one. But I do think that the tragedy of many of the characters in the series will prompt the question of the problem of evil. Not just as part of the plot but as a natural part of what it means to live in the world.
Barefoot: A Story of Surrendering to God by Sharon Garlough Brown (Sensible Shoes #3)