Facing one’s mortality is daunting, yet brings into sharp focus questions of life, death, and after life. Are you wondering if there is anything beyond our physical world? Are you wondering if any good can come of suffering? If so, you will want to read this inspiring story of a woman’s journey from skepticism to faith while living and even beyond. Facing multiple cancer treatments for two separate cancers, including one that is so rare only a handful of people are diagnosed worldwide, the author recounts her journey into recognizing a spiritual world that sustains. Join the author as she brings to life the blessings bestowed on her from when she first opened her heart to the possibility of the existence of a spiritual world that lies beyond the seen. Miraculously, not once but several times, the author’s cancers went into remission, returned, went into remission, returned, went into remission and so on. It was during these unchartered waters of uncertainty (am I living or dying?) that God met her in her doubts, fears and skepticism. It was during these times of uncertainty that He lavished His love, always with the focus on her spiritual growth. As her physical world constricts due to treatment and its side effects, her spiritual world expands and is enriched, bringing her peace in the uncertainty that once unsettled her. Told in a conversational style, you will spend an afternoon glimpsing into the unseen spiritual world and experience the overflowing of God’s unmerited grace.
Faith is the substance of things unseen, but during times of suffering, faith in an unseen God can seem practically impossible. In Beyond the Seen, Dawn graciously opens the window of her life and allows us to peek inside. What we find is a remarkably honest account of one woman’s journey to believe in a God who, though unseen, can be experienced in unimaginable ways – a God who sticks closer than a brother, who sustains us in all circumstances, and is worthy of our trust. I implore you to read Beyond the Seen. Your heart will thank you!
-Laura Seifert, Founder, Yes. Ministries
In this deeply personal journey, Dawn invites us into her most intimate experience that she refers to as “living while dying.” Facing multiple cancer treatments and remissions and now a cancer so rare that there are only a handful of people diagnosed worldwide, she faces uncharted treatment and dim prospects for cure. Her honesty regarding the torment of the cancer treatments, her concern for her family, and her wrestling with her faith is a gift to those facing desperate health situations, family and friends who stand by with a sense of helplessness, and caregivers who want to offer true help. Challenged by a doctor to “live large,” Dawn has not allowed her disease to restrict or define her. In one account she describes an afterlife experience. It gave her a perspective to see herself from above…that is where hope is found. Through all the uncertainty, disappointments, and suffering she gives us a perspective that cannot be found in research or theological books. It’s a story of faith live while living and even beyond.
-Bill Heston, D. Min
Beyond the Seen is a beautifully written journey of God’s pursuit towards us and His promises to remain with us in the midst of life’s struggles. Dawn gives a personal, raw and honest account of her walk with metastatic cancer and courageously demonstrates the importance of being honest with our emotions, questions, and doubts. Her reflections about her cancer journey leave us remembering God’s abundant grace and faithfulness to be with us in all circumstances.
-Lija Shah, Director, Caring Ministry, First Presbyterian Church Houston
