CALEDONIA, MI (March 14, 2013) – Sales of an Evangelical Covenant Church pastor’s book, Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey, climbed into Amazon’s top 100 list just 24 hours after Kathie Lee Gifford mentioned it as her “favorite thing” of the week on the Monday installment of her NBC show, Today: Kathie Lee & Hoda.

Author Sharon Garlough Brown said the book also broke into the top five for Christian titles. – the book is available through CovBooks.com. Brown is co-pastor of Redeemer Covenant Church in Dutton, Michigan. She also is a spiritual director for the denomination and a featured speaker at the upcoming Triennial XIV in San Diego, California.

Brown initially self-published the book, which was picked up by InterVarsity Press.
“The book has taken flight in ways I never could have anticipated,” Brown said. “I’ve prayed for God to take it wherever he wants and to accomplish all of his purposes for it. I just didn’t expect the Today Show to be part of the plan!”

During Monday’s installment, Gifford said, “If you’re a spiritually inclined person, I think you’ll really love it. It’s about four women, every one of them coming from a different place spiritually. But all of them in need of a new, fresh cup of mercy, if you know what I mean. So it’s terrific. I highly recommend it.”

Brown was surprised that the host even knew of the book. “Two weeks ago I received a phone call from someone who had gotten my contact information from a church where I’ll be leading a retreat in April,” Brown said. “The woman said she had read and enjoyed Sensible Shoes and that she had been enthusiastically sharing it with friends. She then said that one particular friend of hers had just finished reading it and wanted to speak about it on national television. The friend was Kathie Lee Gifford. It’s amazing how the word-of-mouth connections work.”

The book tells the story of four women who embark on a journey of spiritual formation. It grew out of her own experiences with a group of women that came to be called the Sensible Shoes Club.

“None of the characters represent real people,” Brown said. “But they do wrestle with real issues: letting go of control, trusting God, people pleasing, perfectionism, hiding behind roles and busyness, fear, regret, guilt and shame. Though the details are different, their stories are our stories of healing and redemption.”

For women wanting to read the book as a group, a 12-week companion guide will be available as a free download April 1 at SensibleShoesClub.com. Click here to purchase a copy online.