• Even in Our Darkness

  • A Story of Beauty in a Broken Life
  • By: Jack S. Deere
  • Narrated by: Jack Deere
  • Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (259 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Even in Our Darkness  By  cover art

Even in Our Darkness

By: Jack S. Deere
Narrated by: Jack Deere
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.79

Buy for $19.79

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

"I am the descendant of drinkers and drifters better at passing on their love for the bottle than family history...". Prepare yourself for an unvarnished, harrowing look at one Christian's life.

A powerful memoir of knowing and being known by God through the pain of loss, tragedy, and brokenness - Even in Our Darkness explores what it means to fend off doubt and despair, even in the most painful trials.

Jack Deere tells the true story of his life growing up near Fort Worth, Texas in the 1950's and the disintegration of his family following his father's suicide. Despite his difficult childhood and an inclination toward the depression that had crushed his parents, Deere describes how he began to wrestle with Christianity and how "God was...slipping in through the crack of an open wound".

In his mid-20's, Jack rose to fame and success as a leading scholar, popular speaker, and best-selling author. But despite being rescued and exalted, Jack was devastated in the years that followed, losing his troubled son to suicide and his wife to alcoholism. Only then did he fully face his own addictions, surrender control, and experience true healing.

An authentic story of the Christian life, Even in Our Darkness is like following an experienced guide through a barren country. Like many believers, Deere has had experiences that nearly destroyed him, and he was shown, by grace, how to overcome life's disappointments and learn to hear God speak in unbelievable ways, despite the darkness that surrounds us.

©2018 Jack S. Deere (P)2018 Zondervan

Critic reviews

"Unmasked, unsettling, and unforgettable...this will change the landscape of your soul." (Ann Voskamp, best-selling author of The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts)

What listeners say about Even in Our Darkness

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    224
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    194
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    195
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Even in Our Darkness is a must read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As I mature there are fewer and fewer books that I feel I can safely recommend to a friend without giving them a disclaimer. Even in Our Darkness is NOT one of those books. Jack has done a remarkable job in opening up and sharing what an authentic Christian life looks like - without all the socially acceptable facades that are so common in most Christian books these days.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jack showed that being a friend of Jesus, even in the midst of difficult life situations is not only possible, it is necessary.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved how Jack opened up and shared his struggles and even his failures, and how God walked with him through it all.

Any additional comments?

Jack's writings, his integrity, his teaching, and his example literally transformed who I am, how I think, and how I live. His previous three books, Surprised by the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, and The Beginner's Guide to the Gift of Prophecy are on my list of must read books. Even in Our Darkness has been added to this list. In an age where so many Christians have retreated behind the mask of socially acceptable Christianity, it is so refreshing to hear one of the leading ministers in the Body of Christ lay down the mask and tell it like it is, warts and all. Even in the Darkness is honest, real, and gives hope to anyone who has a desire to know Jesus, to love Jesus and to be a friend of Jesus. God bless you, Jack!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Moving, Unsettling, and Familiar

If you are looking for a good Christian book on suffering that has strained out all the awkwardness, embarrassment, and humiliation, so many sufferers experience, this isn’t it.
I truly appreciated the way Jack represented him self with transparency—many times stopping just short of my putting down the book. What I mean is, Jack’s willingness to be so honest exposed my own unwillingness to be so. I saw myself and my family in his story and it nearly flattened me at times.
Thank you, Jack, for your courage. You show us we don’t have to be perfect to be part of God’s kingdom… To be recklessly loved by Him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Best

Any additional comments?

I have over 1,200 books in my Audible Library. This book transcends several genres and is the single best book in my library.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Sorry, I just don’t like the guy.

I listened and also read on my Kindle this story of what I perceive to be a covert narcissist. He just couldn’t help himself to let me know how smart, at times funny, successful and popular he was in his rise to becoming a, what we might now term, a “celebrity” pastor.
I didn’t experience his self reflection as truly authentic remorse or repentance. His sentence structure and chapter breaks were attempting to leave you on a cliffhanger- making you want to keep turning the pages. His writing style and narration were at times stiff and devoid of inflection. I simply continued to the end to find out what happened.

This story in the hands of a better writer might have been compelling and heartfelt, but for me, Jack Deere narrating his story generated a “D” on my grading scale.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This is a FANTASTIC book.

I found myself walking alongside these folks hanging onto every word in each of their stories. The content is hard, but full of hope. Heart wrenching, yet beautiful. If you’re a Christian, this book is for you. If you’re not, this book is also for you. It’s a raw and honest conversation about very hard things. My heart felt both destroyed and encouraged by this personal account from so many different points of view. Each person represented in it is someone you can relate to in one way or another. For me it is a beautiful story about horrible things and I am grateful for having stumbled upon it. Thank you Jack and Lisa for letting us into your world to walk with you through this story of hope.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Impactful

This audio book kept me riveted. It is among the most impactful books I have ever read or listened too. And I have read many books as a pastor for over 20 years. The honest reflections, the triumphs, the failures, the sadness the trauma and redemptive love of God pulse through it. Thanks for writing it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

Thank you Jack for being create us enough to bring us into your world and show us how we can go through pain and still follow Jesus. What incredible witness to the grace of God despite our feelings are ego and are evil. You will be challenged as you read this one in the best of ways and how to trust God even in our darkness because one thing is for sure we all experience darkness in the question is how will we come through it to the other side

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A staggeringly honest account

Jack's memoir will take you on a ride that will steal your breath and return it at seemingly the last possible moment. You may laugh, you will probably cry, and the Lord God will be praised as you read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Answered prayer

Masterpiece beautifully written and such breath of fresh air for the soul of the believers. We do need to take our masks off and let the Lord display power through our brokenness. Thanks to Mr Deere also for shedding light to the dogmas/doctrines raising against the reality and power of the Holy Spirit. I am not Pentecostal but do find author's approach to the matter truthful and balanced.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • KN
  • 07-07-20

Transparent life story with God's presence

Listening to the narrator's was like listening to a friend share their life story. I appreciated the transparency and details of Jack and Lisa God story of their life. God is so faithful and good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!