This Little Fire of Mine: How Flickers of Doubt Can Spark a Bolder, Brighter Faith

Influencer Mariah chronicles in her intimate debut guide how she found her way to a faith that embraces doubt. As a young girl, Mariah studiously followed the rigid rules of her Southern Christian culture, but doubts set in as she began noticing the contradictions inherent in religious life. She recalls, as a third grader, sitting in on a church budget meeting in which the amount of money spent on decorations caused her to publicly question the church’s values. Speaking up in the meeting, she writes, “sparked something in me” that fueled a life of “challeng[ing] the status quo” in ways that have enriched her faith and carried her through such personal trials as handling her infant daughter’s medical emergency when her husband was deployed in Iraq. With a series of probing questions, she aims to help readers uncover their own faith values—rather than the ones modeled for them—to guide their spiritual growth. Drawing candidly from her life, Mariah convincingly frames “friction” points as uncomfortable but fruitful opportunities to push beyond old beliefs as God “reestablishes us for something even better.” The result is an impassioned challenge to a church culture rooted in compliance. (Feb.)