Dr. Brian M. Virtue releases “When It Takes More Faith to Come Back” via Kharis Publishing, featuring 40 devotionals to help cross-cultural workers navigate re-entry.

AURORA, Ill. – September 26, 2026 – Each year thousands of people cross cultures to serve — in missions, the military, the marketplace, and the nonprofit world — and each year thousands come home to a season almost no one prepared them for. The going takes courage. But the coming back, it turns out, can take even more faith. Cross-cultural “re-entry” is a hidden wilderness of grief, anxiety, disorientation, and quiet loneliness: home has changed, the people have changed, and so have they. When It Takes More Faith to Come Back: Trusting God During Re-entry, the new book by Dr. Brian M. Virtue released today by Kharis Publishing, is a spiritual companion written for exactly this unspoken season.

The problem the book addresses is one that is profoundly underestimated and rarely discussed. Returning workers are transformed by their experiences overseas, only to encounter confusion, profound grief, family upheaval, and — for many — depression, anxiety, and the weight of unprocessed vicarious trauma, all of it largely invisible to those who stayed behind. The people who should understand often can’t, and the returning servant is left wondering why the “easy” part feels so hard, and whether something is wrong with their faith. That silence is where the damage compounds.

When It Takes More Faith to Come Back solves that problem not with quick fixes but with faithful companionship. Drawing on Scripture, decades of teaching in leadership and spiritual formation, and his own sudden, difficult return after nearly a decade serving in Asia, Dr. Virtue offers forty devotionals that meet readers in the honest, in-between work of reintegration. Each entry pairs a short reading with reflection and journaling questions, a guided prayer, and a “Talk with a Friend” prompt designed for mentors, couples, families, and small groups — so no one has to process the journey alone.

The reader’s journey is gentle but real. It begins by naming what so often goes unnamed — the grief, lament, and disorientation of return — and giving readers permission to feel it. It moves through the genuine spiritual and emotional work reintegration requires: reconnecting with one’s home country, reclaiming one’s spiritual narrative, discovering where God is now at work, and honestly assessing one’s emotional and relational well-being. And it lands on grounding truth about who they are and where they belong — in Christ, and in the life that still lies ahead. Readers finish feeling seen, validated, less alone, and quietly hopeful that the adventure with God isn’t over; it’s simply taking a new form.

The book arrives with strong endorsements from leaders across missions, theology, and clinical psychology. “Brian Virtue is a wise and steady guide for those navigating the complex terrain of re-entry. Rooted in Scripture and seasoned with experience, each entry speaks directly to the hidden strains and unexpected gifts of returning,” writes Stephen T. Pardue, Ph.D., Director of ThM/PhD in Theological Studies at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and author of Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church. Clinical psychologist Kevin Van Lant, Ph.D., of Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, adds that Virtue “addresses this critical gap with both pastoral wisdom and biblical insight… I believe readers will find themselves seen, validated, and less alone in their re-entry process.” Dr. Tom M. Roxas, President Emeritus of the International Graduate School of Leadership, calls it “the re-entry companion I wish I had during my own re-entry — a must-read for long-term workers, short-termers, and their families.”

Brian M. Virtue, Ph.D., is a leadership-development specialist and author who teaches leadership, peacemaking, and spiritual formation at the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL) in Manila, Philippines. His passion is the formation, equipping, and care of leaders in transition — a calling deepened by his own hard-won journey home. He writes not from theory but from the road he has walked, offering fellow travelers the map he wishes he’d had.

When It Takes More Faith to Come Back is published by Kharis Publishing, an imprint of Kharis Media LLC, an independent publisher committed to books that inform, inspire, and transform. The 230-page book is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover through major retailers worldwide, with quantity discounts available for sending churches, member-care teams, agencies, and small groups — making it a natural bulk resource for organizations that send and receive cross-cultural workers.

To mark the launch, the Kindle/eBook edition is available for just $0.99 from September 25 through October 2, 2026 — a low-barrier way for returning workers, families, and sending churches to put this companion into as many hands as possible before the offer ends.

You made it back. Now let this book help you find your footing. Read When It Takes More Faith to Come Back, share it with someone re-entering, and rediscover that God is still at work — in you, and in the life ahead.


About Kharis Publishing:

Kharis Publishing, an imprint of Kharis Media LLC, is an independent publisher of nonfiction and fiction dedicated to giving voice to authors whose stories and ideas inform, inspire, and transform readers. Kharis products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, and educational needs.

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