And Still She Laughs

Defiant Joy in the Depths of Suffering

By: Kate Merrick

Narrated by: Kate Rudd

Kate Merrick examines the Bible's gritty stories of resilient women as well as her own experience of losing a child - a journey followed by more than a million people on prayfordaisy.com - to reveal the reality of surprising joy and deep hope even in the midst of heartache.

Kate Merrick faced the crippling grief that life can bring when her five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Three and a half years of suffering followed, accompanied by fervent prayer, hospital stays, emotional agony, and teeth-grinding fear. And in the end, her baby girl was gone.

How was Kate to believe again, to hope again? To find out, she turned to stories in the Bible of real women who dealt with pain and survived. How did Sarah, after 25 years of achingly empty arms, learn in the end to laugh without bitterness? How did Bathsheba, defiled by the king who then had her husband killed, come to walk in strength and dignity, to smile without fear of the future?

In And Still She Laughs, Merrick writes poignantly and transparently about finding joy in sorrow and shows how we - just like the ordinary women seen in the Bible - can rise above unbearable circumstances and live fully. In the middle of whatever hardships we face, we can smile, cry, and come away full - laughing without fear and eagerly looking for what is to come.

©2017 Kate Merrick (P)2017 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Great book

This is a wonderful read. You will need tissues. I laughed and cried. Even if you know the Bible front to back it’s good to be reminded of Gods place in your life. If it matters to you it matters to God. I listened to the entire book in one sitting. Will probably listen to this book again.

Growing Faith

i Love this little Gem I found through an unrelated search. Thank you for sharing your pain and joy! My faith grew!

Heartbreakingly beautiful

I got through the entire book in 1 day. It was so touching and real. I couldn't listening. My heat broke and was filled with joy at the same time. I loved it!

So good. I'll be listening again.

This book was beautifully illustrated. The way the author writes is so real and genuine. I listened to this book during a time when our family was going through suffering. It has been nourishing for my soul.

Deep

I had a hard time listening to parts of this, and I haven’t lost a child—mine only had heart surgery. Whatever trials you’re facing or have faced, listening to this book will hand you the key to escape bondage to sadness and misery and let you into the garden of truth and hope.

Even if Kate’s style isn’t your own, I think only if you haven’t faced deep trials will you find this book abrasive or offensive. Confession that the narrator wasn’t my favorite, but I got past that by the last few chapters.

Finding my joy

I picked up this book after reading an excerpt of it in a devotional, this was months before I had an early rupture and eventual premature birth and death of my son. I didn't see the subtitle when I was purchasing it, and when i first saw the subtitle, I remember saying oh no Lord, i don't want to suffer! Yes, I had some things going on with fertility, I had no idea what the holy spirit was preparing me for. This book has been a source of revelation, and reminder that God is not unaware of all we are going through and has helped immensely through my grief. such a blessing!

I love Kate Merrick!

I sat at the table holding this book out at arms length and said to my husband, "I love Kate Merrick, she's my friend." He got a quirky grin on his face and said "is she?" At which I gave a hearty resounding "Yes!" Even though I've never met Kate, and she doesn't know me, she has been my friend through this book - walking me out of bitterness back into a place of laughing with joy. And even though my loss was not as great as hers, my bitterness was probably more (I'm petty like that). But Kate had me at "you can throw this book across the room if you want too" (sorry Beth Moore, I admit I have chunked a book or two) - but Kate said it best - "but go pick it back up, because Jesus is worth it." Yes. He is. And I'm glad I picked it back up (I picked yours back up too Beth), and kept reading and kept going, because that's what faith is really all about - keeping going even when it seems ridiculous to do so. Thank you Kate for the gift of laughter and for opening your story and reaching out your hand and saying come along girl, there's joy to find! (ps, I have both the print copy and the audio version, and have also gifted quite a few copies - I love the way Kate writes and her story is both tragic and beautiful and she is so gracious to let us into those places and share how she walked through grief to the other side.)

A must read for those who suffer and fight for FAITH

I want to shout from the rooftops about what a gift this book is to the community of faith and beyond. I am a pediatric oncology nurse and have a good friend whose daughter, Allistaire, passed away at age 6. Allistaire was my friend too. Kate is incredibly honest about grief. She does not brush over it but vulnerably shares the process of her heart. But she doesn’t stop there. She reaches beyond the pain to the one who meets her in the pain, Jesus. She puts words to faith in Him that is nothing short of miraculous.

The reading of the book starts out choppy but it begins to flow very quickly. Thank you Kate Rudd for reading it.