Most "I came back to church" stories skip the hard part-the long, awkward walk from the parking lot to the pew, the quiet reception that feels like nothing, the shame that lingers long after forgiveness. Grace For the Runaways is a field manual for people who are trying again-tired, wary, and still a little allergic to churchy stagecraft.

D. Michael Gross writes with pastoral grit and clean theology: grace before performance, welcome before improvement, honesty before optics. You won't find spiritual shortcuts here-no toxic positivity, no "twelve steps to feel holy by Friday." You'll get candid guidance on re-entry: how to pray again when you've forgotten how, how to worship without faking it, how to tell nostalgia to sit down, and how to choose (or build) a church that makes room for people in process. Along the way, Scripture is handled with reverence and plain sense, not weaponized as a vibe.

If you've slipped in late and hoped no one noticed, if you want Jesus but flinch at church, if you're done starting over yet still somehow not done with grace-this book is your permission slip. The door isn't locked. The table isn't full. You don't have to earn a chair. Take the next small step. That's how people like us come home.