Feathers of Hope Study Guide by Sharon Garlough Brown

Feathers of Hope Study Guide by Sharon Garlough Brown

Sharon Garlough Brown's novel Feathers of Hope follows Wren Crawford and her great-aunt, Katherine Rhodes, companions in sorrow and hope. As Katherine prepares to retire as the director of the New Hope Retreat Center, shefaces personal and professional challenges while Wren takes the next step in her journey with depression by offering compassionate care to the residents of the nursing home where she now works.

This eight-week study guide offers an opportunity to reflect on how the experiences of the characters in the novel resonate with your own experience. Daily Scripture readings and reflection questions are accompanied by an invitation to the practice of visio divina (meditating on art) through weekly prompts related to works by Vincent van Gogh. With simple spiritual practices, this guide provides a space for individuals and groups to process Katherine's retreat teaching as well as the themes of Feathers of Hope.

Sharon Garlough Brown is a spiritual director, speaker, and cofounder of Abiding Way Ministries, which offers retreats and resources for spiritual formation. Sensible Shoes, Two Steps Ahead, Barefoot, An Additional Mile, and their study aids are part of her bestselling Sensible Shoes Series. Sharon, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, has served on the pastoral staff of congregations in Scotland, Oklahoma, England, and, most recently, West Michigan, where she co-preached for many years with her husband, Jack.