John Richard King | Author & Speaker

A Story Unfolding

I never planned to write about pain.
But sometimes the stories we need to tell are the ones we never expected to live.

I am living from inside a story that did not go the way I expected — a story shaped by loss, obedience, and redemption — what I have come to call the severe mercy of God.

Not the mercy that soothes.
The mercy that closes doors we would have walked through forever.

This is not content created after the fact.
It is language forged while the work is still being done.

Read the Work About the Book

Here you'll find writings drawn from formation under pressure — essays, reflections, and witness shaped by responsibility, restraint, and obedience to Christ when outcomes were unclear and the cost was real.

Some pieces come from the road behind me.
Others are being written in real time.

This is not a platform for quick fixes, inspiration, or spiritual shortcuts.

If you are looking for relief that avoids the work, this may feel unfamiliar.

But if you are walking through loss, transition, or the dismantling of a life you thought was settled — you are welcome here.

The Work

These writings were not produced on schedule.
They were produced under pressure.

They come from seasons where clarity arrived slowly, obedience cost more than expected, and formation preceded understanding.

This is not a collection of thoughts.
It is a record of work done under authority.

Begin Here

People arrive here from different places.

Some are steady.
Some are disoriented.
Some are carrying pressure they didn't choose.

If you are navigating boundaries, responsibility, or restraint —

Begin with:
Presence Without Assignment Becomes Intrusion

If obedience has cost you something you didn't expect to lose —

Begin with:
Withdraw When Restraint Is No Longer Enough

If you are discerning between what is good and what is truly called —

Begin with:
Good Isn't the Same as Called

These writings are grouped by condition rather than chronology, because formation means we often revisit the same ground at different depths.

Pressure · Obedience · Authority · Restraint · Loss & Mercy · Formation · Building Without Applause · Witness

Featured Work

All Writings

Others prefer to read by condition or simply begin with what is most recent.

Presence Without Assignment Becomes Intrusion — Restraint, Authority Withdraw When Restraint Is No Longer Enough — Obedience, Authority Good Isn't the Same as Called — Obedience, Authority The Weight of What We Carry Forward — Formation, Loss & Mercy Building Without Applause — Formation, Witness

If you are reading from inside pressure, take your time.

If context helps, you can read About to understand the road that shaped this work.
If you choose to stay, you're welcome to Join the Journey.

Nothing here requires urgency.

A Memoir

A Severe
Act of
Mercy

John Richard King

A Severe Act of Mercy

This book was not written to explain suffering.
It was written from inside it.

A Severe Act of Mercy tells the story of what happens when obedience to God costs more than expected — and when mercy arrives not as comfort, but as discipline that dismantles what cannot be carried forward.

This is not a how-to guide, a recovery manual, or a story with tidy outcomes.

It is a witness — shaped by Scripture, formed through loss, and written with restraint — about what God does when He loves us enough to remove what we would have protected forever.

Why This Book Exists

I wrote this book because I kept meeting people carrying pain they could not name — men and women walking through divorce, loss, displacement, and spiritual confusion without language sturdy enough to hold what they were experiencing.

Scripture calls this kind of love discipline.
I have come to recognize it as severe mercy — the costly kindness of God that wounds in order to heal, closes doors in order to save lives, and refuses to leave us unchanged.

This book may be for you if:

— You have lost something you thought God had promised
— Obedience has cost you more than you expected
— Your faith has been tested by outcomes you didn't choose
— You need language for suffering that doesn't bypass responsibility

This book is not for you if:

— You are looking for quick answers or guaranteed restoration
— You want pain explained away rather than taken seriously
— You expect obedience to function as a transaction with God

What to Expect

The story unfolds slowly.

There are no heroes, no villains, and no formulas.
There is Scripture, presence, endurance, and the long work of alignment under God's authority.

Some chapters will feel restrained.
Others will feel uncomfortably honest.

The goal is not catharsis.
The goal is clarity.

A Severe Act of Mercy is currently being written and prepared for publication.
When released, it will be available wherever books are sold.

Available Soon

Join the journey to receive updates as the book moves toward publication.

Prefer to begin with shorter writings? You can start with The Work.

If context helps, you can read About.

Pastoral · Accessible · Relational

Devotionals

Short, meaningful reflections on faith, redemption, and finding hope in hard places. A lower threshold entry point — still secondary to The Work, but accessible for church, family, friends, colleagues, and new connections.

Voice Devotionals

Listen on Instagram

Hear John share his heart in short audio reflections. Perfect for your morning commute, quiet moments, or whenever you need encouragement.

Listen on Instagram

Written Devotionals

Read on Substack

Deeper written reflections delivered to your inbox. Each devotional explores themes of grace, growth, and finding God in the hard places.

Coming Soon on Substack

Recent Reflections

Grace in the Breaking

Sometimes God's mercy looks like an ending. It's in the breaking that we discover we were never meant to carry it all alone...

The Gift of Necessary Endings

Not every closed door is a rejection. Some are divine redirections toward the life you were always meant to live...

Finding Peace in Transition

The space between who you were and who you're becoming is holy ground. Stand there with courage...

About

A Story Still Being Written

I never planned to write about pain.
But sometimes the stories that shape us most are the ones we never expected to live.

After walking through divorce and the disorientation of starting over, I came to understand something Scripture has always said but I had never fully known:

God's mercy does not always arrive as rescue.

Sometimes it arrives as release.
Sometimes the kindest thing God does is close a door we would have walked through forever.

What followed was not clarity all at once, but formation — learned slowly, under pressure, through obedience when outcomes were uncertain and the cost was real.

This site exists because I began writing from inside that process.

Not to explain suffering.
Not to tidy it up.
But to give language to what it looks like to remain faithful when life dismantles what once felt settled.

Some of what you'll find here reflects seasons already behind me.
Other pieces are being written in real time, as the story continues to unfold.

If you're looking for a polished testimony, this may not be what you expect.

But if you are navigating loss, transition, or the long work of alignment under God's authority, you're welcome to read alongside me.

You can begin with The Work, where the writings live.

Or, if you're here because of the book, you can learn more about A Severe Act of Mercy.

Nothing here requires urgency.
You're free to move at your own pace.

Join the Journey

An Invitation, Not an Obligation

This work is unfolding slowly.

A Severe Act of Mercy is still being written.
New essays and devotionals continue to emerge from seasons of formation, obedience, and real cost.

Some people choose to stay connected as the story develops — not to keep up with everything, but to remain within reach as the work takes shape.

If that would be helpful to you, you're welcome to join the journey.

What Joining Means

Joining the journey simply means:

— You'll receive occasional updates as the book moves toward publication
— You'll be notified when new writings or devotionals are released
— You'll hear from me only when there is something worth sharing

There is no schedule to follow. No content obligation. No expectation to respond.

This is not a program or a community platform.
It's a quiet way of staying connected.

If you're walking through loss, transition, or a season where obedience is costing more than you expected…

If you're reading alongside this work and finding language for what you're carrying…

If you simply want to stay informed as the book moves toward release…

You're welcome to join the journey.

Prefer to read without subscribing? You can continue with The Work or learn more About this project.