The Wilderness Detour: How the Roads We Didn't Choose Become the Roads That Change Us

Life has a way of rerouting us without warning. One moment you are moving toward the life you imagined — and then something happens. A diagnosis. A betrayal. A loss. A door that closes with a finality that takes your breath away. Suddenly you are somewhere you never intended to be, on a road you never would have chosen.That is the wilderness. And if you are honest, you have been there. Or you are there right now.The Wilderness Detour is an honest companion for the unexpected road. Written by a missionary, pastor, and father who has navigated the wilderness of personal loss, institutional betrayal, life-threatening situations, and seasons of devastating doubt, this book does not offer easy answers. It offers something more useful: the truth that the roads we did not choose are often the very roads that change us most.Drawing on Scripture, hard-won personal experience, and pastoral wisdom from decades on the mission field in Nicaragua and Guatemala, each chapter explores a different dimension of the wilderness journey — from the paralyzing grip of fear to the surprising power of creativity, from the viciousness of victimhood to the firmness of faith when everything feels uncertain.The Wilderness Detour speaks honestly to two kinds of readers: those whose wilderness was handed to them without warning, and those who — if they are really honest — took a wrong turn themselves. Both will find grace here. Both will find a way forward.Whether you are in the middle of the hardest season of your life, walking alongside someone who is, or simply want to be ready for the road ahead — this book was written for you.The wilderness has an exit. The detour has a destination. And the roads we didn't choose may yet become the roads we would not trade.