Shadowlands And Songs Of Light

The Bible tells Christians not to grieve as the world grieves and to rejoice in their sufferings.

Yet when Christian author Kevin Ott lost his mother unexpectedly in 2010, he sank into a wintry depression. When life seemed the darkest, something surprising happened: while exploring eighteen C.S. Lewis books and thirteen U2 albums, he experienced tremendous “stabs of joy”-the unusual heaven-birthed joy that Lewis wrote about -in the midst of grief. This revelation not only pulled Kevin out of depression, it forever changed the way he experienced the love and joy of Christ. Discover Lewis’s unique definition of joy, understand how to apply his revelations about joy to suffering, and learn to recognize and cooperate with God’s strategic use of joy.

Learn fascinating biographical details about C.S. Lewis collected from some of the best Lewis biographies and see how Lewis encountered joy in suffering.

Enjoy a grand tour of U2’s discography, with a special emphasis on their exploration of joy and suffering.

Clearly understand, from the perspective of music theory explained in layperson terms, why the music of U2 is so emotionally powerful and how it serves as a perfect analogy for Lewis’s concepts of joy and the Christian ability to rejoice in suffering.

Find inspiration from the personal stories of U2, especially the tragedies that engulfed their youth in Dublin, and see how they worked through that grief and discovered a joy that has kept the band together for 35 years.