Pastor Stephanie Lobdell publishes book "Signs of Life"

MVNU’s Campus Pastor, Stephanie Lobdell, recently published her book, Signs of Life, which focuses on the losses and pain that we experience in everyday life, and how God is seen in these.

“[It began when] I was a young pastor and we were having a significant church conflict with some leaders in our church,” Lobdell said, “It didn’t seem like there was a way forward.” One of the church’s leaders came in to help them navigate their conflict, and Lobdell said that he asked a question: “Is the resurrection enough to offer us a way out of this?”

“It planted this idea that the resurrection of Jesus was more than us getting our sins wiped clean,” she said, “that perhaps the resurrection power of God IS at work in our lives right now.”

The book explores this concept through various stories from Lobdell’s life, each focusing on a mini death to her, and connects it to a biblical narrative that mirrored it. As an example, she said, “The story for the death of zeal, the deconstruction of my faith when I was in college and God rebuilding that into something more faithful.

“I integrate that with the story of Saul, who becomes Paul, and how he felt he was serving God 100%, yet at the same time he was pointed in the wrong direction. God reoriented that zeal into a path of faithfulness that was cross shaped.”

Overall, she says that her story is ultimately asking “What does God have to say to the ordinary losses that may seem not even worth mentioning that produce real hurt, pain, regret, and loss within us?”

“I want [readers] to know that no loss, death, or pain experienced is unseen by God” she said, “I also want them to recognize that the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in the life of the believer, in the church, and is breaking into creation.”

Signs of Life is currently available to purchase on Amazon, at the Cougar Corner Bookstore and at an author talk with Lobdell on October 17.