Christopher and Hilda Talley were living what they thought was the American dream. They had two beautiful and healthy daughters, a comfortable home, cars, clothes, food on the table, a wonderful faith community, and two terrific jobs they loved. They played at life just as hard as they worked for their lifestyle, traveling in the United States and to foreign lands as often as possible.

But in 1999, that all came crashing down. Hilda went from a happy and healthy person to someone who struggles for every breath she takes, after an inadequately trained pesticide tech came into her office. Two minutes after he left, she was fighting for her life. The chemical permanently damaged her lungs and vocal cords and led to two debilitating diseases: reactive airways dysfunction syndrome and vocal cord dysfunction. Their family life changed instantly.

In God in the Midst of Thorns, Christopher and Hilda share their story, a story intertwined with the testament of God’s love and the power of Christian community, as they began their journey of learning to live a new normal. The Talleys discuss how, in their struggle for understanding, they both found a new and deeper relationship with God.