All Shall Be Well: Awakening to God’s Presence in His Messy, Abundant World

In this hurried life, we can become so indifferent to and unmoved by God’s glory all around us. We race from here to there, missing the beauty of his works. In All Shall Be Well, Catherine McNiel slows us down and takes us on a journey of seeing and believing. God is found in the beauty and the pain, the flowers and the thistles. His goodness to us is enjoyed by pondering his wonders.

This book has done more than teach me: It has nourished me. All Shall Be Well, rich in imagery, theological depth, and soulful introspection, is exactly the kind of book I like to read and recommend. McNiel grapples insightfully with the paradoxes of being human and loving this beautiful, broken world. I want more and more people to read her valuable work.

All Shall Be Well beautifully and poetically reveals the seasons of life. From the dead of winter to the promise of spring, Catherine McNiel teaches us that our God is present and listening, calling and leading no matter what our circumstances are. She reminds us that our faith is a journey of spiritual formation, a character-shaping relationship with the Creator God. Nature calls; read this book.

With her trademark insight and beautiful writing style, Catherine McNiel leads readers like she’s our personal spiritual director. She invites us to wonder at God’s mysterious presence, while continually pointing her readers to God’s renewal of all things—to the spring in our winters. If you’re longing to connect deeply with God and with his messy, abundant creation, you will find those longings expressed—and met—in these pages.

“Our God is not far off. From the very beginning, Christians have declared that the Creator is not only transcendent but immanent.” With these words, Catherine McNiel plants the foundation for an ingrained display of God’s beauty and goodness among us. While we often wonder where he is amidst the thorns and weeds, All Shall Be Well reminds us that God is still here, tending his garden . . . for us.

If you enjoy Barbara Brown Taylor, you’ll love Catherine McNiel. She awakens us to the cathedral of the everyday, the altar that calls us to worship.

I want to write like Catherine McNiel when I grow up! With rich insight and delicious turn of phrase, this book gently replants the reader’s soul in the seasons. This is a truly helpful work for those of us who don’t know what to do with our anxiety, restlessness, and creative yearnings. McNiel gives us the ground from which to say, “All shall be well,” regardless of the season of soul in which we currently reside.

Grounding, lyrical, and rich with meditation and metaphors, McNiel turns our eyes to the wonders of God all around us and invites us to cultivate simple practices of awareness.

With vibrant and poetic words that touch all the senses, Catherine invites us into an intimate connection with our creator, no matter the season in which we find ourselves—even the dark days of winter. Then, not wanting to leave us without practical tips, she provides simple yet profound disciplines to cultivate life in the Kingdom now. This is a book I’ll return to again and again.

I am the weary traveler McNiel is writing to, and her book is such a tender invitation to trust, to rest, and to embrace whatever season I find myself in. Through prose saturated with kindness and clarity, she provides a much-needed reminder that the life I’m seeking is not found in the busyness, or the chaos, or the things that overwhelm me, but in the beauty of nature and the goodness of God. The “Cultivating” sections at the end of each chapter provide practical steps that feel less like a to-do list and more like mile-markers on a path to the divine.

Catherine McNiel’s prose is, itself, further evidence of the abounding beauty of a world touched by God’s presence. All Shall Be Well will open your eyes to the lush and lively wonder of his redemption in every season and every situation.

Catherine’s writing is more than beautiful. It is transcendent. Seen through her eyes, the everydayness of living bursts forth with abundance, spiritual meaning, and God himself. Catherine is a wise soul, and her readers will enjoy this journey with her through the spiritual seasons of life. I greatly appreciate and highly recommend this book.