Unexpected Journeys

Book excerpt: When 28-year-old Paul Perkins, a recent law school grad and White House staffer, leaves his hectic life and travels to the other side of the world, he expects the adventure of a lifetime. Not a head-on collision with his pain-littered past. But with each new adventure, he’s confronted by dark memories and questions of faith—while surfing Bali’s legendary waves, and driving a motor scooter along Thailand’s breathtaking coastline; during a guilt-ridden encounter in a red-light district, and an anguished reunion with his older brother; while teaching a class of veiled girls, and preaching before a crowd of India’s poorest widows; through friendship with unlikely locals and fellow travelers, and the thrill and confusion of romance. Along Paul’s epic journey, he learns to loosen his white-knuckled grip on life as God confounds his expectations, heals his shame, and reveals that redemption is always possible—even when least expected.