One translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy opens with the words, "Midway along the journey of our life, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off from the straight path." Many of us can identify with this confession. We might be pressing on bravely in the search for paradise, but the truth is that we are lost.

In Searching for Home, M. Craig Barnes draws on Dante’s pilgrimage as a parallel to our own search for paradise. Never sidestepping the difficult truth of our situation, Barnes begins with the disconcerting news that paradise is lost and we can’t go home again. Our great comfort and hope, however, is that we are never lost to God; in fact, he travels with us in our sojourning, and all roads belong to him. Barnes, seasoned by more than twenty years as a pastor, discusses the importance of confession, worship, and grace in our search for home. He offers advice about how we can move from being transient nomads "too frightened to be grateful" to pilgrims who are at home with God, guided by our pleasure in him.

The hope is that readers will be able to echo Dante’s declaration at the close of the Divine Comedy: "I felt my will and my desire impelled by the Love that moves the sun and the other stars."

This book was written for both Christians and seekers who are still looking for a sense of belonging or "home."

Every person searches for meaning and direction in this life–and beyond. In Searching for Home, Craig Barnes tells not only of his personal experiences, but also sets inspirational guideposts for us all.–Senator John Glenn

Here is a theological witness to the Christian message that is deeply personal, insightful, accessible, moving, and redemptive. I highly commend it to a wide reading audience.–Thomas Gillespie, Princeton Theological Seminary