In Following the Red Bird, Kate Rademacher describes how she came to embrace a relationship with God after maintaining a pick-and-choose approach to spirituality for many years. Raised in a staunchly secular, liberal community, Christianity was never a path she had seriously considered. Married to a devout Buddhist, Rademacher was sitting on a cushion at her husband’s meditation center one day when Jesus appeared unexpectedly in her consciousness and called her to follow him. She was baptized a year later to the day.

Part memoir and part meditation on Christian teachings, Following the Red Bird explores not only the why of Christianity, but also the how. How do we learn to listen for God’s voice? How do we apply Christian teachings to everyday life? How do we develop and sustain a relationship with Jesus? The image from the book’s title becomes a metaphor for the ways Rademacher slowly discovers answers to these questions as she stumbles into a new life in the church. Both the searcher and the long-time believer will benefit from her experience and insight.