Send Out Your Light: The Illuminating Power of Scripture and Song

“This is a book of hard-won wisdom and achingly lovely prose that provides much to ponder. Sandra’s courage is such an inspiration, and she writes beautifully from a grace-softened heart that invites us to drink deeply from the same well.”

“Sandra McCracken’s voice and words have been a companion to my faith for nearly twenty years. Honest, searching, at times lamenting, but always hopeful, she has resisted the temptation of much of Christian art to fall into sentimentality and clichés. In Send Out Your Light, she invites us more deeply into her songs and into her life. In reading along, we see how immersing our lives in the words of the Scriptures can birth a spiritually alive imagination, more able to love God, love others, and see him alive and at work in holy moments that appear subtly but regularly in our lives.”

“Send Out Your Light is filled with enthralling stories, glorious and insightful reflections on the Lord’s grace and love, and invitations to stop, rest, and reflect. It was like a breath of fresh air. Be ready to be refreshed, inspired, and reminded of God’s unending love.”

“Sandra’s songs have always felt like a balm for my soul and a shelter in the storm. Now she’s written a book that sings with story, Scripture, and the kind of raw authenticity that beckons you to come as you are into the light of Christ, and warm your hands by the embers of His love. You’re holding a lantern, my friend. Enjoy the journey.”

“Digging deeper into Sandra’s own songwriting and personal story, Send Out Your Light reads like a conversation with a friend. Through Scripture and lyrics, she offers up an authentic picture of gospel hope through songs, stories, and personal reflections.”

“Part memoir, part midrash, Sandra McCracken’s beautiful book is a testament to the faithfulness of God, rooted in the sounds and stories of the psalms, and a reminder that, no matter how broken or inadequate we may feel, we are all by grace living epistles of Christ, emblems of God’s steadfast love. This is a hopeful book—and one that many of us desperately need!”

“Send Out Your Light is wise, engaging, and nourishing—just like a conversation with Sandra over tea. Not surprisingly, her writing voice is as beautiful as the poetry of her songs, inviting us into the honest stories of her life. Scripture is laced throughout the narrative as naturally as it weaves through her days. With hands held open to God, we receive grace from what Sandra has received—beauty, gentleness, strength, and hope. As Sandra’s life is a gift, so is this rich and satisfying book.”

“There are many books I nibble, content with only a taste, while others awaken a voracious soul hunger. I read Sandra McCracken’s Send Out Your Light with highlighter in hand, inhaling gospel hope with every mouthful, eager to exhale it to others. Her words are lyrical and redemptive, refracting eternal light through temporal tears, guiding the reader to the Author of life.”

“n the frenetic chaos of our lives, we experience a sort of numbing that slowly strips meaning from our day-to-day. Sandra’s potent retelling of her own story inspires us to slow down and be attentive to the beautiful arc of a hope-filled narrative distinctively discerned through Scripture and song.”

“Sandra has given us a truly illuminating book. Like a rich conversation at a mountain cabin or around a breakfast table, Sandra’s catalog of music, old hymns and the Psalms, shed light on all things called “life.” She is that trusted voice you would want in whatever the season you are in, she is sharing the light of hope. I believe I will return to these pages over and over again, culling wisdom of a transfigured friend.”

“Send Out Your Light reads like a sound track, spotlighting God’s illumination through Sandra’s story and songs. It’s a hopeful invitation to see the light God has given each of us, and a timely call to send that light back out.”