Be Still and Know

A warm-hearted comedy of village life, anxious vicars, and the unexpected ways God heals the mind.
Reverend Thomas Hayes is the newly appointed Vicar of St Botolph’s. In the sleepy—yet surprisingly combative—village of Lower Pelham, Thomas is hiding a secret: crippling panic attacks. He is terrified of his own mind, and even more terrified that his relentless anxiety is a spiritual failure.
It certainly doesn't help that his new flock is completely out of his control. There is George, the stubbornly compassionate verger who bakes too much communion bread and secretly breaks the law. There is Jeddiah, a rigid sidesman who sees the devil’s work in every modern convenience. And then there is Nebuchadnezzar, a chaotic, mangy church cat with a taste for altar lilies and a highly personal vendetta against the Vicar.
With the church roof leaking, the congregation dwindling, and a menacing Archdeacon demanding results, Thomas is nearing his breaking point. Enter Dr. Joseph Miller, a new arrival in the village who happens to be a Christian hypnotherapist. For Thomas, the clinic is both a desperate temptation and a theological nightmare. Is seeking treatment for the mind a dangerous spiritual backdoor, or the stewardship God requires?
Caught between Jeddiah’s warnings and George’s blunt wisdom, Thomas must finally stop running from his own fears. To save his parish—and himself.
Perfect for fans of the gentle, village-centered charm of Jan Karon’s Mitford series and the warm observations of James Herriot, Be Still And Know is a delightful, wise, and funny exploration of grace, grief, and the quiet miracles of a renewed mind.