About the Book and Author

Now Featured in the Patheos Book Club
Rock-Bottom Blessings
Discovering God's Abundance When All Seems Lost
By Karen Beattie

What does it mean to live an abundant life? Some might say living abundantly means living comfortably, having the family you always dreamed of, receiving accolades from your peers, in short—living a life that is commonly accepted by many as blessed. But what if having an abundant life is more than the "good life"? Can we actually be blessed in the midst of serious disappointments and setbacks?

In Rock-Bottom Blessings, Karen Beattie makes the case that true abundance is found in the transformation that happens when we experience God's presence during periods of grief, loss, and disappointment. With the help of her friends and her newfound Catholic faith, she learns to trust that God's plan is better than hers. Beattie began to see life's challenges as gifts to be accepted like all other gifts: with reverence and gratitude.

Beattie's story makes abundantly clear: it is the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ (the paschal mystery) that can inspire us not only to find blessings in every season of our lives, but to be utterly transformed by God's riches.

About the Author

Karen Beattie has a master's degree in journalism and has written about women's issues, the arts, and spirituality for several publications including Christianity Today, Today's Christian Woman, Bear Deluxe, and Midwest Living. She has taught writing workshops and served as a judge for the ECPA Christian Book Awards®. She currently works as writing director for a digital creative agency. She recently became a Catholic and attends Old St. Patrick's, the second oldest Catholic parish in Chicago. She lives with her husband and daughter on the north side of the Windy City.