Christine Caine, author and founder of the nonprofit human rights organization The A21 Campaign, knows a lot about resilience, thanks to her own experiences and those of the women she’s helped escape from prostitution, abuse, and trafficking. As a follow-up Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny (Zondervan, 2016), which has sold 150,000 copies, according to the publisher, Caine is exploring ways to face the unknown as well as difficult circumstances in her new book, Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure (Zondervan, May).
“In the last couple of years, so many people [close to me] have encountered unexpected events including natural disasters and the changing landscape around the world,” said Caine, a native Australian who lives with her family in Southern California. “It was stunning to me how many people lost their center, as if believers couldn’t be hit with unexpected events.”
At age 51, she said her life has been a series of unexpected events, including finding out she was adopted and receiving a cancer diagnosis, which triggered memories of her dad dying of cancer when she was 19.
“But in the midst of unexpected things, the character of God is unchanging,” she said in an interview with PW. “I want to offer tools to navigate the world. Instead of dreading the adventure called life, I hope readers learn to embrace it and take risks. God is good and will be in the midst of whatever happens.”
Unexpected looks at the disappointment, fear, and worry that unexpected events can cause, and how a firm faith in God’s plan can help. Chapters include When the Unexpected Interrupts, When the Unexpected Betrays, and When the Unexpected Calls for Change.
As Christians, she writes, “If we are going to keep our hearts open, soft, sensitive, and connected to humanity, then we must realize that we are never going to be bullet-proof to unexpected pain and heartache.”
Sandra VanderZicht, associate publisher and executive editor for Zondervan, said recent events such as the 2016 presidential election and devastating hurricanes are part of what drew her toward Caine’s new book.
“Unexpected is important in the marketplace, now more than ever, because we live in a chaotic world,” she said. “It’s time for us to get good at navigating the unexpected, to understand that the plot twists in life are invitations to trust God no matter what is going on around us.”
With an initial print run of 50,000 copies, marketing and publicity for the book included ad placement in Christian media outlets such as Daystar, TBN, Life Today with James Robison, Simple Grace, and more, as well as podcast interviews on Live Inspire with John O’Leary and Catalyst.
