Review: Stay: Discovering Grace, Freedom and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking

by Anjuli Paschall
Published by Bethany House Genres: Christian, inspirational, Nonfiction
Source: NetGalley

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All of my opinions are my own!

Stay: Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking by Anjuli Paschall
Published by Bethany House on March 31, 2020
Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, inspirational
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Book Details

As women, we are exhausted. Our hearts are being wrung out to dry--squeezed and yanked in every direction. We take care of everyone but ourselves. We've gotten lost in bedtime routines and our Costco lists. We have lost our voices in the storm of everyday life. We need to be reminded to reach inward and heed the quiet voice whispering, Stay.

This book is for anyone who longs for a connection with God and his people but can't seem to escape the haunting feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, and fear. Through raw, authentic stories, (in)courage writer Anjuli Paschall invites you to stop running from your pain and to recognize that the deep end of your story is the way to intimacy with Christ.

Alongside Anjuli, you will encounter a loving God who invites you to stay with him at the table of your soul, where you are free to spill the milk, to fumble through your words, to embrace the awkwardness and the joy, and to taste and see that he is good.

My Thoughts

I was drawn to this book because I loved the idea of slowing down and soaking in the presence of God. Anjuli Paschall invites readers to meet God in our weakness in Stay. What I didn't expect was the powerful, transparent, and poetic way that Anjuli invites her readers into her story, exposing her flaws and insecurities in a humble and honest way.

Anjuli is a master story teller. She weaves Biblical truths through real experiences that draw out the insanity of some ridiculous ideas our culture tells us about ourselves and then like a master surgeon, she shines light on the dark places that need healing.

Stay in your grief, stay in your anger, stay in your fear, and stay in your guilt so that God can use them as a pathway to healing and freedom. "Remembering our story and retelling it again and again and again until our voices don't shake in vulnerability but resound with unyielding strength."

"Unless the heart is known, it can never be loved. It can never be free." This was a short read, but such a wonderful reminder of God's desire to have a relationship with us and that we are not alone in our feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, and fear.

This would be a great book to read with a group of good friends! Discussion questions included in the back.