507: How to Get through the Crisis
with Susy Flory Author of Sanctuary
Kathi Lipp is here today with her very good friend, Susy Flory for a special conversation about crisis. Have you ever found yourself surrounded by crises and it causes you to feel stuck? Join Kathi and Susy as they talk about Susy’s new book Sanctuary, a story about a man from a tiny village in Ireland who grew up on a donkey sanctuary. When Patrick Barrett left the donkey sanctuary to find his own path, he found himself living through one crisis after another. Listen in as Susy shares the lessons she learned from Patrick including:
- Reach out when you need to
- Get outside and into nature
- Adopt a meaningful morning ritual
If you are feeling stressed out and stuck in crisis mode, you won’t want to miss this episode; and you can get your own copy of Sanctuary here.
For decades, his family rescued lost and forgotten donkeys in the Irish countryside. He had no idea that one day, the donkeys would rescue him.
Patrick Barrett grew up on the back of a donkey. In the small village of Liscarroll, the young boy helped his family run a sanctuary for abandoned and abused donkeys. Struggling in school, Patrick only felt truly accepted in the presence of these funny, fuzzy, touching animals. It was like magic, how he and the donkeys understood each other. He became a true “donkey whisperer”—reading their body language, communicating with them in ways they could understand, and teaching himself how to “speak” in their distinctive calls.
But when Patrick was of age, he shipped out with the Irish Army and encountered unimaginable wartime horrors in Lebanon and Kosovo. In the aftermath, he returned home a broken man, sinking into the depths of PTSD and addictions. He believed nothing could save him. But he hadn’t counted on the donkeys.
Sanctuary is the remarkable true story of how faith turned one lost man’s life around with the help of the rescue animals who loved him. It’s an antidote to despair and a call to hope, revealing the beauty and wonder of Ireland as you’ve never seen it before.
You can Purchase Sanctuary Here
Links Mentioned:
Meet Our Guest
Susy Flory
Susy Flory is the New York Times bestselling author or co-author of sixteen books. She directs West Coast Christian Writers, is founder of Everything Memoir, and is in the final year of an MA in New Testament from Northern Seminary. Her book, The Unbreakable Boy, has been adapted for the screen and will release March, 2022, starring Patricia Heaton and Zachary Levi. Her most recent book. Sanctuary (Tyndale), co-authored with Patrick Barrett, is the true story of an Irish village, a man who lost his way, and the rescue donkeys that led him home, and launches March 15, 2022
For more from Susy, connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
Download the first two chapters of Sanctuary
Listen to the first two chapters of Sanctuary
Transcript
More Posts
Getting Out the Door Busy Morning Breakfast Guide
Do you have breakfast on the go, or do you go without breakfast? I am guessing most of us, or if you do not skip breakfast than you might fall into the "eat the granola bar with your coffee as you walk into work or drive the kiddos around" category. Let’s face it our...
Getting Out the Door: It’s All About the Night Before
I am not what you would call a "morning person". I don't function well first thing, but also don't have a ton of time to become fully alert. That's why I think the most important thing about getting out the door is getting ready the night before, (or in the early...
Why I Write this Blog for all My Friends with a Secret Idetity
One of the big reasons I started this blog, (or write books, or speak at events,) is because we all struggle, and I find in sharing our struggle, and working beyond it, we grow in strength. The best sentence a friend can say to another friend is "Me too!" When...
- #688 – Declutter Your Books in 15 Minutes a Shelf: Forever Shelf vs Flow Shelf for a Peaceful Library - September 23, 2025
- #687 – What’s Lurking Under Your Bed? Declutter the Forgotten Zone for Good - September 16, 2025
- #686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back - September 9, 2025
Thank you again for a timely topic! Came home the other day to find that my 3rd neighbor since December had passed away suddenly. He was the 8th person in our circles to die recently. The following day I went to another funeral for a woman who had been in my Bible Study. In the meantime, my good friend from childhood is barely keeping her head above water as her husband is struggling with mental illness and recently added delusional disorder to his litany of ailments. Needless to say, the concept of sanctuary is very appealing. I Surrender All and Sovereign Over Us are high on my playlist.