--- product_id: 113871514 title: "Shades of Light" price: "€ 32.71" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/113871514-shades-of-light store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Shades of Light **Price:** € 32.71 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Shades of Light - **How much does it cost?** € 32.71 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/113871514-shades-of-light) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description "I was desperate. . . . I couldn't turn off the dark thoughts, no matter how hard I tried or how much I prayed. And then I spent a whole weekend in bed, and the crying wouldn't stop, and I got really scared. I've had bouts with depression before―it's kind of a cloud I've learned to live with―but this time was different. I felt like I was going under, like I'd never feel hopeful again, and then that just made my anxiety worse and it all spiraled from there." Wren Crawford is a social worker who finds herself overwhelmed with the troubles of the world. Her lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression are starting to overcome her. She finds solace in art, spiritual formation, and pastoral care along with traditional therapeutic interventions. But a complicated relationship from her past also threatens to undo her progress. Fans of Sharon Brown's bestselling Sensible Shoes Series will be delighted to discover some old friends along the way. As Wren seeks healing in this beautifully written novel, readers are invited to move beyond pat answers and shallow theology into an experience of hope and presence that illuminates even the darkness. Review: Excellent book! - Sharon Brown has done it again. I loved the Sensible Shoes series. Now, in Shades of Light, she brilliantly brings the topic of mental illness to the forefront in a fiction book with realistic concepts. I immediately connected with the main characters and was involved throughout the book. She accurately describes the main character, Wren’s, depressive periods and anxiety attacks. It was interesting how she brought in spiritual formation, mental illness, art from Vincent Van Gogh, and even cameo appearances by characters from the Sensible Shoes series. Some characters in Shades of Light took a stance, telling Wren simplistic ways to get rid of mental illness. She was told by some to pray it away, do better at spiritual warfare, or read the Bible more. Many who suffer are made to feel shame or embarrassment because of their lack of faith to rid themselves of the trials. The book flows along so seamlessly and naturally. It is enjoyable to read even though the topic is heavy and important. I am going through it a second time and underlining interesting points and things I want to remember. The accompanying study guide would steer group discussions and book clubs. Many in the church today are just beginning to be more aware and empathetic about the facts of mental illness, and learning to understand and not be judgmental. I highly recommend this book. Sharon brings us before our heavenly Father, who knows, loves, and walks with us through all of life’s trials, and holds us in the palm of His hand. Review: Hope in the midst of darkness - Hope. A four letter word that can transform a life. Hope shines through this book through sorrow, struggles, and suffering. Anxiety, depression, mental illness surround us in life. How do we respond? How do we deal with it if it one of us? Sharon Garlough Brown beautifully illustrates ways we can respond. Wren discovers in many of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings his view of compassion. Art has such healing effects. After all, God illustrated in word pictures. God uses images to reach us in many ways, such as “rivers of life.” Visio divina was a new term for me. “It’s about how art opens us to prayerful contemplation as we notice details that stir us, something that comforts or agitates us.” If you look closely you can see movement and emotion in pieces of art. How comforting it is to discover Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. He is acquainted with grief and we can lean on Him for understanding and healing. He can take our suffering and anguish and make it well. Protestants are not usually comfortable with focusing on Jesus “on” the cross but prefer to picture the cross empty, all the focus on the resurrection. But He was on the cross and if we allow ourselves to enter that story it can have profound impact on us. As Brown so well articulated, it is choosing a sorrow that hopes rather than a sorrow that despairs. May we be able to enter in such a solidarity and understanding with compassion. God came for the despised, the rejected, the anguished, the abandoned. Let us learn to enter into and spend time on the journey to the cross so we can better walk alongside those who feel little or no hope. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #122,890 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #372 in Christian Pastoral Counseling #714 in Contemporary Christian Fiction (Books) #1,379 in Christian Women's Issues | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 564 Reviews | ## Images ![Shades of Light - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81MwVV0HOfL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent book! *by M***T on September 9, 2019* Sharon Brown has done it again. I loved the Sensible Shoes series. Now, in Shades of Light, she brilliantly brings the topic of mental illness to the forefront in a fiction book with realistic concepts. I immediately connected with the main characters and was involved throughout the book. She accurately describes the main character, Wren’s, depressive periods and anxiety attacks. It was interesting how she brought in spiritual formation, mental illness, art from Vincent Van Gogh, and even cameo appearances by characters from the Sensible Shoes series. Some characters in Shades of Light took a stance, telling Wren simplistic ways to get rid of mental illness. She was told by some to pray it away, do better at spiritual warfare, or read the Bible more. Many who suffer are made to feel shame or embarrassment because of their lack of faith to rid themselves of the trials. The book flows along so seamlessly and naturally. It is enjoyable to read even though the topic is heavy and important. I am going through it a second time and underlining interesting points and things I want to remember. The accompanying study guide would steer group discussions and book clubs. Many in the church today are just beginning to be more aware and empathetic about the facts of mental illness, and learning to understand and not be judgmental. I highly recommend this book. Sharon brings us before our heavenly Father, who knows, loves, and walks with us through all of life’s trials, and holds us in the palm of His hand. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hope in the midst of darkness *by C***R on September 10, 2019* Hope. A four letter word that can transform a life. Hope shines through this book through sorrow, struggles, and suffering. Anxiety, depression, mental illness surround us in life. How do we respond? How do we deal with it if it one of us? Sharon Garlough Brown beautifully illustrates ways we can respond. Wren discovers in many of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings his view of compassion. Art has such healing effects. After all, God illustrated in word pictures. God uses images to reach us in many ways, such as “rivers of life.” Visio divina was a new term for me. “It’s about how art opens us to prayerful contemplation as we notice details that stir us, something that comforts or agitates us.” If you look closely you can see movement and emotion in pieces of art. How comforting it is to discover Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. He is acquainted with grief and we can lean on Him for understanding and healing. He can take our suffering and anguish and make it well. Protestants are not usually comfortable with focusing on Jesus “on” the cross but prefer to picture the cross empty, all the focus on the resurrection. But He was on the cross and if we allow ourselves to enter that story it can have profound impact on us. As Brown so well articulated, it is choosing a sorrow that hopes rather than a sorrow that despairs. May we be able to enter in such a solidarity and understanding with compassion. God came for the despised, the rejected, the anguished, the abandoned. Let us learn to enter into and spend time on the journey to the cross so we can better walk alongside those who feel little or no hope. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommended! *by B***R on August 20, 2019* I am a huge fan of Sharon Garlough Brown. I devoured her Sensible Shoes series, loving the fact that they are novels, yet contain such rich spiritual truths. They stretched me and grew me in wonderful ways. So it was with great anticipation that I joined the launch team for Sharon's newest book, Shades of Light. Because I am part of the launch team, I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher in return for my honest review. Shades of Light is not part of the Sensible Shoes series, yet some of the characters from that series appear in the book, much to my delight. This book is more topical than Sharon's other books. This book deals with the mental illness, specifically depression and anxiety. A heavy topic to be sure, but one that most surely touches the life of virtually every reader in one shape or form. Sharon Garlough Brown is a deep thinker and really brings her characters to life, getting inside their heads and hearts. The two main characters in Shades of Light are Wren, a young woman who deals with both depression and anxiety, and Jamie, Wren's mother who has the difficult task of loving a someone who is mentally ill. Sharon helps the reader see the world through the eyes of both daughter and mother. I am quite certain that you will be able to identify with one or the other or perhaps both. If you love someone who struggles with mental illness, you will grow through experiencing life with Wren, who wants to be well but is not. Who wants to trust and believe that God can heal her but has not yet done so. Who wants to be an independent, healthy person but who often needs help from others in order to function. I personally identified most with the mother, Jamie. Jamie struggles with how to best love and support her daughter without enabling her or smothering her. She most definitely does not always understand Wren, but she longs to. Jamie also wrestles with her own guilt: should I have made different choices while raising her? Are her problems my fault? How do I balance helping her while not neglecting the rest of my family? And perhaps the biggest question of all: Why God? Wren is inspired by the art and writings of Vincent VanGogh, so learning about his life was new and fascinating for me. Van Gogh suffered from depression for years, yet he created beauty in his art that has endured the test of time. It was very emotional to view life through his eyes and from Wren's. Mental illness is often misunderstood by the Christian community. That was certainly true in VanGoh's day and sadly is still true today. This book teaches much about suffering and the importance of finding community in suffering. God never wants us to suffer alone, he is always with us, yet he also loves to see us surrounded by others who will walk alongside us in suffering. And that is a beautiful thing, the body of Christ as it is intended to be. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/113871514-shades-of-light](https://www.desertcart.be/products/113871514-shades-of-light) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-08-05*