Absolutely beautiful. The powerful moments and experiences shared by the various writers draws the reader into reflection and fill the heart with hope. Authentic truth radiates from the pages, lighting up the dark places inside one's heart that have been hidden in shadows for so long. Wonderful, necessary, redemptive book!

Soul BareStories of Redemption by Emily P. Freeman, Sarah Bessey, Trillia Newbell and moreby Cara SextonInterVarsity PressIVP BooksChristian, Biographies & MemoirsPub Date 08 Aug 2016 I was given a copy of Soul Bare through the publisher and their parnership with Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:This book contains stories about Christians baring their souls, imperfections and all. It's about showing others that even Christians make mistakes, but it's also about the

Raw and real, these are not the stories we might expect. Honesty heals and truth transforms in the secure embrace of community. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

I loved this book; each short chapter a sharing of redemptive story from a different author. Some pages will run parallel with a reader's own story and feed hope. Others run across it with differing experiences and feed compassion! A beautiful collection of snapshots which reflect God's healing powerful grace!

The Title says it all. I’m thankful for the men and women who were brave enough to bare their souls in this collection of stories. Their stories offer me the reminder that life is complicated, messy, wild and beautiful and redemption is much bigger and more complicated than we like to present it in the Christian church. I am encouraged by the raw honesty of believers who have and continue to deeply struggled with their pain and suffering. I am keeping this one on my shelf and plan to revisit it

I didn't expect to love this book so much. I thought it would be "all Jesus all the time." The stories were real and raw. I felt as if I knew the people telling the stories. They were people I could know in "real life" and be friends with. It was a beautiful collection.

This review was originally posted on my blog, Rachel Reading. If you'd like more reviews like this, please check it out!Man, this essay collection really just blew me away and I didn't expect it to.I was approached by one of the contributors to see if I'd be interested in a copy of the book and I immediately said yes. Sarah Bessey is one of my favorite writers, so seeing her on the list made me know this would be immediate must read. It became a must read for many reasons beyond that.This book i...

This book is a collection of honest and vulnerable stories. Each author in this book shares with the reader their "soul bare" moments, revealing times of great heart-break and suffering. But in each one there is a thread of hope and joy, sometimes that thread is faint or full of colour, either way that thread leads the reader to Christ each time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I thought each story was unique and gave me a glimpse into some very vulnerable moments that reminded me that we are...

In a series of vulnerable essays, individuals share their 'soul bare' moments. It was a quick read and yet the moments stayed with me. There was a quote from almost every entry that really struck my heart and made me think. This book was a long time in the making, and its interesting to see how these people and their stories have grown and changed since the original submissions were gathered. I also like that each person was able to speak in their particular voice. It wasn't edited to create a s...

One of my consistent struggles with Christianity is that it can feel as though there is no place for those who struggle, for those who doubt. So many Christian books are written from this struggle-free perspective.I remember being acutely aware of this in the wake of my miscarriage. The books I found by Christians were books written from the other side, after a couple's struggle with miscarriage or infertility had been overcome and the rainbow baby delivered.Those books weren't helpful for me.I

This book is a collection of essays, all of which are windows into the struggles and hopes of their authors. Only a few truly resonated with me, but those that did made me feel heard and less alone in my own struggles. I found the first two collections, “Letting Go” and “Leaning In” to hit much closer to home for me than the third, “Hope and Healing”, which perhaps says something about the current state of my spirit. The church so often discourages us from admitting to doubt and discouragement,

This collection of stories will reach you in profoundly personal ways. We've all been in places and situations like these writers - lost, searching, hopeful, hopeless, grasping at reasons to keep putting one foot in front of the other, celebrating the highs and lows of motherhood, career, life, and trying desperately to redeem our own shortcomings. This is a lovely book, and I go back to it time and time again when I want to feel less alone, more connected to women who have felt the same way I h...

What a truly lovely collection of essays dealing with life, love, loss, and healing. This book hasn't received anywhere close to the press that some of the "major" christian authors receive, but it's content ranks up there with the best of them. I found myself reading several essays many times - so much thoughtful, honest writing inside this volume. Do yourself a favor and seek this one out.

Soul Bare presents stories from living saints who are committed to vulnerable honesty about the mud in their life, but who also know redemption is coming for them even before the light has dawned. These authors are pastor’s wives, ministry leaders, christian bloggers and writers (mostly women, but a few men as well)—the “chosen ones” we look up to as having it all together. Rather than playing the part, these saints have discovered that freedom is not found in pretense but transparency. Therefor...

Full disclosure: I received a free e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Ms. Sexton wrote her own story and collaborated with several authors for their own redemptive stories. Some of the authors include: Sarah Bessey, Emily P. Freeman, Seth Haines, Holley Gerth, and Jennifer Dukes Lee. There are 3 sections: letting to, leaning in, and hope and healing. Many will identify with their accounts. Ms. Sexton did an excellent job in pulling together the varied