What do you think?
Rate this book
Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the minister with the baby carriage. In this collection of interrelated personal essays, Katherine Willis Pershey chronicles the story of her life as a young pastor, mother, and wife. At turns hilarious and harrowing, deeply moving and gently instructive, Pershey's reflections will strike a chord with anyone who has ever rocked a newborn, loved an alcoholic, prayed for the redemption of a troubled relationship, or groped in the dark for the living God.
Part of The Young Clergy Women Project series
Part of The Young Clergy Women Project series
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Willis Pershey
5 books154 followersKatherine Willis Pershey is a pastor in Wisconsin and has previously served churches in Illinois and California. She has a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. She is the author of Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family and Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity. Katherine and her husband, Ben, have been married since 2002 and are raising two teenage children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 16, 2012
I am not a mother. Nor am I a Christian. And yet I found ample beauty and insight in this book. Honestly, Katherine is so adept at crafting language that she could render any topic fascinating. The artful prose in her book unwraps observations relevant to mothers and pastors, to be sure--and to all people.
May 27, 2012
It is a tiny bit disconcerting to read a memoir in which you've lived a different angle of some of the components by nature of being related to the author, and wonderful to be able to put some of those puzzle pieces together to create a larger image of family. This does not preclude non-family members from connecting to the author and her stories in any way, however; the gift of this book is that you don't have to be a minister or a female or a mother or a wife to be touched by the storytelling—it is the best of memoir, in that it has the power to bridge differences between the author and reader comfortably, as if you're sharing tales with your oldest friend. The only complaint: that it wasn't twice the length, because you are left wanting to read more, more, more.
Read
April 4, 2015Eloquent, honest, authentic. Loved this book almost as much as I enjoy conversations with the author who is (full disclosure) one I am proud to call friend.
January 31, 2014
I loved this collection of personal essays.
August 25, 2019
I didn't read every word. I decided I am no longer the target audience for a memoir like this one. Stories of childbirth, lactation, ear infections are no longer my world. Good thoughts about faith and doubt and ministry however.
May 30, 2018
Enjoyed doing a book study with my church ladies.
February 7, 2019
Wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it since it was a "school book" but it turned out to be quite interesting. 😁
September 25, 2024
Really loved these reflections on parenting and faith
June 8, 2015
First a disclaimer… I use my Good Reads reviews as personal reactions – kind of a journal entry of sorts that others just so happen to be able to read as well. They are for me more so than anyone else, though I admit I enjoy reading reviews my friends post, and I might imagine there are those who might enjoy what I have to say as well. That being said, I have struggled a lot in terms of what to say about Any Day a Beautiful Change. Katherine is an acquaintance – we met at a Young Clergy Women gathering. I have since aged out of the group – but to be honest, I don’t know that I ever found the group the safe haven or oasis that it clearly is for so many. To each her own. I often wish I knew Katherine better than I do, because she seems to be a very dynamic and thoughtful person. She is certainly a talented writer. There are passages of this book which are very beautiful, beyond a doubt, and very insightful.
But… Of course there is a but, right? It took me a long time to get around to reading this book. I followed Katherine’s blog, so it would stand to reason that I should have been eager to immerse myself in this title. But… Again, this is personal. As a reader, we bring “stuff” to a text. It is inevitable. Some of the stuff I brought to “Any Day a Beautiful Change” – right around the time the book was published, my college chaplaincy position was eliminated. It was the second time in a five year period that found me unemployed, with no clear prospects on the horizon. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Again. At this point, I should probably say that I have a love/hate relationship with Face Book. I love being able to keep up with folks easily – particularly those with whom I might otherwise lose touch. But… this particular day I was scrolling through my newsfeed and Katherine shared her frustration that there had been some kind of glitch at the publisher and her book would not be rolling out exactly as expected. A valid frustration, I imagine. What I couldn’t handle – the replies this status generated. “Oh, I am SO SORRY!” “How terrible that you have to deal with this!” Really? Again, I say, REALLY? Granted, I have never had a book published, so I don’t know how I would feel in that circumstance. But I do know that I couldn’t handle the outpouring of empathy for what to me seemed a minor bump in the road. After all, I was worrying about my own constellation of issues, all of which were by far more pressing to me, if to no one else. So, for a long time, right or wrong, I allowed this to keep me from reading the book. I am not saying it was mature. I am saying it was an honest inclination.
For whatever reason, I decided now was the time. And as I said earlier, Katherine is undeniably a wonderful writer. And I appreciated a good many of her insights. But, there were a number of things that I guess I would say were troubling to me.
I am not married, nor am I in a relationship. I am not a mother. As a result, there are huge pieces of Katherine’s reflections with which I have difficulty identifying. I am okay with that. But there were times when I felt myself becoming rather defensive, and that just isn’t something I enjoy. The end of the chapter entitled “Saved by the Childbearing” is a case in point. Katherine glosses over the sermon that she preached, and I guess I would have appreciated the opportunity to read or somehow share in that text. I walk away from that chapter feeling wanting a bit more commentary, or consideration about what this feels like for women who have not given birth. And I realize that Katherine is not necessarily the person to provide that commentary, but I nevertheless want to know that tension is somewhat acknowledged.
Another example – the chapter entitled “The Beautiful Changes” does quite a bit with issues of identity, and how one’s ministry is influenced by the additional roles one holds. Katherine comments somewhat offhandedly that there are those who contend single pastors are preferable to those married with children because of their relative freedom to respond at the drop of a hat with no concern for family obligations. I certainly understand her inclination to refute that claim. But I question the way she goes about doing so. She writes, “There is something to be said for life experience.” True enough. And those of us who are single, those of us who do not have children, have life experience as well. Our experience is different. One is not better than the other.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say about this book, if I wanted to say anything at all. I was just about ready to give it a more than respectable 4 stars and leave it at that. And perhaps that is what I should have done, but instead I decided that a mark of taking another’s writing seriously has to be a willingness to enter in and engage the text in real ways – even if only in the review feature of Good Reads.
But… Of course there is a but, right? It took me a long time to get around to reading this book. I followed Katherine’s blog, so it would stand to reason that I should have been eager to immerse myself in this title. But… Again, this is personal. As a reader, we bring “stuff” to a text. It is inevitable. Some of the stuff I brought to “Any Day a Beautiful Change” – right around the time the book was published, my college chaplaincy position was eliminated. It was the second time in a five year period that found me unemployed, with no clear prospects on the horizon. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Again. At this point, I should probably say that I have a love/hate relationship with Face Book. I love being able to keep up with folks easily – particularly those with whom I might otherwise lose touch. But… this particular day I was scrolling through my newsfeed and Katherine shared her frustration that there had been some kind of glitch at the publisher and her book would not be rolling out exactly as expected. A valid frustration, I imagine. What I couldn’t handle – the replies this status generated. “Oh, I am SO SORRY!” “How terrible that you have to deal with this!” Really? Again, I say, REALLY? Granted, I have never had a book published, so I don’t know how I would feel in that circumstance. But I do know that I couldn’t handle the outpouring of empathy for what to me seemed a minor bump in the road. After all, I was worrying about my own constellation of issues, all of which were by far more pressing to me, if to no one else. So, for a long time, right or wrong, I allowed this to keep me from reading the book. I am not saying it was mature. I am saying it was an honest inclination.
For whatever reason, I decided now was the time. And as I said earlier, Katherine is undeniably a wonderful writer. And I appreciated a good many of her insights. But, there were a number of things that I guess I would say were troubling to me.
I am not married, nor am I in a relationship. I am not a mother. As a result, there are huge pieces of Katherine’s reflections with which I have difficulty identifying. I am okay with that. But there were times when I felt myself becoming rather defensive, and that just isn’t something I enjoy. The end of the chapter entitled “Saved by the Childbearing” is a case in point. Katherine glosses over the sermon that she preached, and I guess I would have appreciated the opportunity to read or somehow share in that text. I walk away from that chapter feeling wanting a bit more commentary, or consideration about what this feels like for women who have not given birth. And I realize that Katherine is not necessarily the person to provide that commentary, but I nevertheless want to know that tension is somewhat acknowledged.
Another example – the chapter entitled “The Beautiful Changes” does quite a bit with issues of identity, and how one’s ministry is influenced by the additional roles one holds. Katherine comments somewhat offhandedly that there are those who contend single pastors are preferable to those married with children because of their relative freedom to respond at the drop of a hat with no concern for family obligations. I certainly understand her inclination to refute that claim. But I question the way she goes about doing so. She writes, “There is something to be said for life experience.” True enough. And those of us who are single, those of us who do not have children, have life experience as well. Our experience is different. One is not better than the other.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to say about this book, if I wanted to say anything at all. I was just about ready to give it a more than respectable 4 stars and leave it at that. And perhaps that is what I should have done, but instead I decided that a mark of taking another’s writing seriously has to be a willingness to enter in and engage the text in real ways – even if only in the review feature of Good Reads.
March 30, 2012
(This review was first published in Fidelia's Sisters, an online journal for young clergy women, www.youngclergywomen.org)
In a preaching class, I was once told that a number of historic pulpits have a verse from John 12 carved into them: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” This was meant as a reminder that, when you’re the preacher, it’s not about you. It’s about Jesus.
While I mostly agree with that idea, I also hold it in tension with the idea that ministry is incarnational. As pastors, we live out our faith in the community of our churches. Our presence as pastors is not just spiritual or intellectual. It is physical, as well: the sound of the voice; the handshake at the door; the gentle touch when visiting the sick. And sometimes, even the protrusion of a growing belly into your ministry.
This is where Katherine Willis Pershey’s book, Any Day A Beautiful Change, begins: the reality of being a pregnant pastor, a wife and a mother, alongside, and intertwined with her life in ministry.
The catalyst for the book is Pershey’s entrance into motherhood: the arrival of her first child, Juliette. One of the brilliant things that Pershey does is weave together honest, vulnerable accounts of the beauty, difficulty, and humor of mothering, along side of profound theological reflection. She doesn’t shy away from the physicality of having a baby. Take, for instance, a section on nursing. There’s open admission that nursing wasn’t easy; a hilarious account of a trip to a breastfeeding clinic accompanied by the chair of the church board; and solid theological reflection on the connection between breastfeeding an infant and serving communion to a congregation.
This is not just a book about a mother and a baby, though. It’s about a family. Katherine (and her husband, Benjamin) are brave for laying open their relationship and revealing that marriage is hard work. And they ought to be called blessed by pastors and their partners everywhere for giving an account that is honest, but also hopeful, about how becoming a family can heal a relationship.
Juliette’s arrival in their lives forces Katherine and Benjamin to confront parts of their marriage that were easier to ignore when there were just two of them. A new baby means a new kind of togetherness for them when Benjamin becomes the part time church administrative assistant. It seems like a perfect set up: two parents working together in a place where the baby can be cared for by both. It lands them in a therapist’s office. And without being self-indulgent, Katherine manages to figure out just how wide a crack of that office door to leave open so that we can witness what’s gone wrong in their marriage and how they make it right.
The struggles Pershey reveals, both in becoming a mother and in repairing a marriage, could come off as sensational, but instead are the backdrop for a good story about God acting in people’s lives. It’s not a tell-all book. It’s not a confession. It’s testimony.
And while it’s a very personal story, it is also universal. This is a book for ministers, and for church people. For married people, partnered people, and single people. Sometimes memoirs resonate with us because of some way in which we identify with the author. Sometimes we are fascinated because the story and experience are so unique. The strength of this memoir is in it’s place as testimony, though. It’s a model of incarnational Christian living. As Pershey writes in the introduction:
“Ultimately, I am not merely telling my story. I am participating in the timeworn tradition of testimony, pointing to God’s work in the world, starting with God’s work in my life.”
Our lives mirror the redemptive move God made by becoming human in Jesus Christ. That mind-boggling theological idea is at the core of our faith. Jesus came to get involved in the messy details. We need to remind ourselves and our congregations that testimony means telling the story, even when it’s messy. Any Day a Beautiful Change gives us a model, and permission, to tell the story.
In a preaching class, I was once told that a number of historic pulpits have a verse from John 12 carved into them: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” This was meant as a reminder that, when you’re the preacher, it’s not about you. It’s about Jesus.
While I mostly agree with that idea, I also hold it in tension with the idea that ministry is incarnational. As pastors, we live out our faith in the community of our churches. Our presence as pastors is not just spiritual or intellectual. It is physical, as well: the sound of the voice; the handshake at the door; the gentle touch when visiting the sick. And sometimes, even the protrusion of a growing belly into your ministry.
This is where Katherine Willis Pershey’s book, Any Day A Beautiful Change, begins: the reality of being a pregnant pastor, a wife and a mother, alongside, and intertwined with her life in ministry.
The catalyst for the book is Pershey’s entrance into motherhood: the arrival of her first child, Juliette. One of the brilliant things that Pershey does is weave together honest, vulnerable accounts of the beauty, difficulty, and humor of mothering, along side of profound theological reflection. She doesn’t shy away from the physicality of having a baby. Take, for instance, a section on nursing. There’s open admission that nursing wasn’t easy; a hilarious account of a trip to a breastfeeding clinic accompanied by the chair of the church board; and solid theological reflection on the connection between breastfeeding an infant and serving communion to a congregation.
This is not just a book about a mother and a baby, though. It’s about a family. Katherine (and her husband, Benjamin) are brave for laying open their relationship and revealing that marriage is hard work. And they ought to be called blessed by pastors and their partners everywhere for giving an account that is honest, but also hopeful, about how becoming a family can heal a relationship.
Juliette’s arrival in their lives forces Katherine and Benjamin to confront parts of their marriage that were easier to ignore when there were just two of them. A new baby means a new kind of togetherness for them when Benjamin becomes the part time church administrative assistant. It seems like a perfect set up: two parents working together in a place where the baby can be cared for by both. It lands them in a therapist’s office. And without being self-indulgent, Katherine manages to figure out just how wide a crack of that office door to leave open so that we can witness what’s gone wrong in their marriage and how they make it right.
The struggles Pershey reveals, both in becoming a mother and in repairing a marriage, could come off as sensational, but instead are the backdrop for a good story about God acting in people’s lives. It’s not a tell-all book. It’s not a confession. It’s testimony.
And while it’s a very personal story, it is also universal. This is a book for ministers, and for church people. For married people, partnered people, and single people. Sometimes memoirs resonate with us because of some way in which we identify with the author. Sometimes we are fascinated because the story and experience are so unique. The strength of this memoir is in it’s place as testimony, though. It’s a model of incarnational Christian living. As Pershey writes in the introduction:
“Ultimately, I am not merely telling my story. I am participating in the timeworn tradition of testimony, pointing to God’s work in the world, starting with God’s work in my life.”
Our lives mirror the redemptive move God made by becoming human in Jesus Christ. That mind-boggling theological idea is at the core of our faith. Jesus came to get involved in the messy details. We need to remind ourselves and our congregations that testimony means telling the story, even when it’s messy. Any Day a Beautiful Change gives us a model, and permission, to tell the story.
October 26, 2011
You know those books you read and think,”Wow, someone wrote this just for me!” I felt that way when I read my first “real” book, The Secret Garden, and again when I was 12 and read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and a handful of times since then. I only know Katherine Willis Pershey from her writing, online and now from this book, but her memoir of the early years of her marriage, motherhood, and ministry felt like reuniting with an old friend to discuss all the meaty topics casual friendship avoids.
Some of the connections are coincidental---I too married right out of college to the boy I started dating my senior year, and the beautiful Western Springs she describes is only 8 miles from Elmhurst, where I grew up. I’m fascinated by female ministry---probably connected to my announcement to my 2nd grade class that I wanted to be a priest when I grew up (I had just seen The Bells of St Mary and desperately wanted to be Bing Crosby and say, “Just dial O for O’Malley”). This did not go over well with Sr. Jean, my teacher at Immaculate Conception grade school, nor did the condolence prize she offered me: “But girls can become nuns.” I adored the Sisters of St Agnes who ran our school, but I was no fool---they did all the work in our parish and the priests had all the power (I had, after all, just seen Ingrid Bergman’s silent obedience when Fr. O’Malley reassigns her).
That was the power of this rather short paperback---Pershey’s insights and stories made me think of my own and the book took twice as long to read as it should have because it made me reflect on my own stories or because I became engulfed in an imaginary conversation with Pershey (such as the one in which I tried to convince her to use a sharpie rather than pencil when it comes to divine omnipotence and ended up realizing I’m of two minds myself).
I felt envious when Pershey described the young mothers discussion group she leads as a “community marked by authenticity, respect and grace, where the message is always you’re a great mother even as we’re inhaling wisdom from one another on how to become better mothers.” I read that thinking how nice, how novel, it would be to belong to a parish with other mothers of young children (most of the women in ours are over 70), and then immediately felt grateful for my friends and our informal sangha group that fits that description so well.
Pershey began the group with the question: “How has becoming a mother changed your spiritual life?” In writing this book and sharing her personal journey with us, she has invited us all into an authentic, grace-filled conversation, at times hilarious and painful, on that very topic.
November 25, 2016
This is one of a series called 'The Young Clergy Women Project', which intrigues me—what else is out there? In a lot of ways this is a good fit for me; Pershey's of a generation and...background? I'm not sure...that gives her room to write about being a person as well as a pastor here, and as somebody who can be a bit skittish about religion, that mix makes it an easier read for me.
To contradict myself somewhat, that's also sort of where it doesn't work as well for me—in a different life Pershey might have been a mommyblogger, and while I have been known to read a couple of those that amuse me (despite, you know, being happily childless), Pershey's style would not lend itself to the sort of blogging that I gravitate towards. (Is this review becoming perplexing mush? It might be, seeing as I'm now trying to explain my reservations based on something the author does not—to the best of my knowledge—write.) That's not meant as a reflection on her, or on her writing, but just that...I'm not of the 'this baby is a precious adorable smart miracle' bent (far too cynical—though who knows; my attitude might change if I ever have kids).
I do love the relatability factor here, even if there are some big places where I personally cannot relate (see: cynicism). I'm curious about the choice to structure this as linked essays rather than a single narrative, and I wonder if part of that came down to the way sermons are structured—as short, standalone entities. There are also some fascinating, if not fully explored, threads: that Pershey's husband, for a time a stay-at-home dad, was the 'fun one' intrigues me and suggests that there was still a fair amount of traditional gender dynamicking (totally a word) going on; my impression has always been that the parent who spends less time with the kid(s) usually gets the 'fun' role. (Again: not a critique of the relationship here! Just something I was curious about and that might lend itself to some analysis of the sort that this narrative isn't really made for.)
I hope the Young Clergy Women Project carries on; I'd be interested to see what else it comes up with.
To contradict myself somewhat, that's also sort of where it doesn't work as well for me—in a different life Pershey might have been a mommyblogger, and while I have been known to read a couple of those that amuse me (despite, you know, being happily childless), Pershey's style would not lend itself to the sort of blogging that I gravitate towards. (Is this review becoming perplexing mush? It might be, seeing as I'm now trying to explain my reservations based on something the author does not—to the best of my knowledge—write.) That's not meant as a reflection on her, or on her writing, but just that...I'm not of the 'this baby is a precious adorable smart miracle' bent (far too cynical—though who knows; my attitude might change if I ever have kids).
I do love the relatability factor here, even if there are some big places where I personally cannot relate (see: cynicism). I'm curious about the choice to structure this as linked essays rather than a single narrative, and I wonder if part of that came down to the way sermons are structured—as short, standalone entities. There are also some fascinating, if not fully explored, threads: that Pershey's husband, for a time a stay-at-home dad, was the 'fun one' intrigues me and suggests that there was still a fair amount of traditional gender dynamicking (totally a word) going on; my impression has always been that the parent who spends less time with the kid(s) usually gets the 'fun' role. (Again: not a critique of the relationship here! Just something I was curious about and that might lend itself to some analysis of the sort that this narrative isn't really made for.)
I hope the Young Clergy Women Project carries on; I'd be interested to see what else it comes up with.
February 18, 2016
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed are mine.
I subscribe to a newsletter circulated by Ed Cyzewski, Author & Freelance Writer. A few months back Ed mentioned this book in his newsletter and offered to pass along your name to the author if you were interested in reading and reviewing. I was and I did.
Never have I been so glad I requested a book. Katherine Willis Pershey has taken the details of her life–wife, pastor, pregnant wife, new mom–and written about them in such a way we can all learn from her words on the page. In
In Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family, Pershey shares the struggles, triumphs, tears, frustrations, warmth and love of a congregation and in each of these the reader, or at least I did, sees his or her life at some point in time.
A good memoir includes not only the difficulties but also the funny times–a balance, if you will. And I expect a pastor, male or female, writing a memoir to share some Godly wisdom and goodness. However, I never once expected this memoir to forcibly keep turning the pages for me. Yes, it was that good!
Pershey possesses a unique wit and shares it as though it were an expensive seasoning for tonight’s salad–sparingly so it isn’t overspiced but in sufficiency to bring out the best in the salad’s ingredients.
And then she exposes herself to be this ordinary woman struggling like the rest of us with life’s passions, the worries of parenting, the heartache involved in relationships, and day-to-day frustrations of balancing it all out. In so doing, Pershey shows us the pathway to reconciliation and wholeness.
Christian or not, parent or not yet, in a relationship or just out of one, whatever your situation, Pershey has written a book you need to read. Never preachy, always like your best friend over coffee, she writes for the common man and woman and their individual good. Find a link below and go buy yourself a copy! You’ll be glad you did.
I subscribe to a newsletter circulated by Ed Cyzewski, Author & Freelance Writer. A few months back Ed mentioned this book in his newsletter and offered to pass along your name to the author if you were interested in reading and reviewing. I was and I did.
Never have I been so glad I requested a book. Katherine Willis Pershey has taken the details of her life–wife, pastor, pregnant wife, new mom–and written about them in such a way we can all learn from her words on the page. In
In Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family, Pershey shares the struggles, triumphs, tears, frustrations, warmth and love of a congregation and in each of these the reader, or at least I did, sees his or her life at some point in time.
A good memoir includes not only the difficulties but also the funny times–a balance, if you will. And I expect a pastor, male or female, writing a memoir to share some Godly wisdom and goodness. However, I never once expected this memoir to forcibly keep turning the pages for me. Yes, it was that good!
Pershey possesses a unique wit and shares it as though it were an expensive seasoning for tonight’s salad–sparingly so it isn’t overspiced but in sufficiency to bring out the best in the salad’s ingredients.
And then she exposes herself to be this ordinary woman struggling like the rest of us with life’s passions, the worries of parenting, the heartache involved in relationships, and day-to-day frustrations of balancing it all out. In so doing, Pershey shows us the pathway to reconciliation and wholeness.
Christian or not, parent or not yet, in a relationship or just out of one, whatever your situation, Pershey has written a book you need to read. Never preachy, always like your best friend over coffee, she writes for the common man and woman and their individual good. Find a link below and go buy yourself a copy! You’ll be glad you did.
February 20, 2012
You can't expect an unbiased review from me, but here's what some pastors and writers had to say.
“I expect a good memoir to be wise and funny. A good pastoral memoir should bear witness to God’s goodness. I don’t normally expect one chapter to force me to read another, or to care so passionately about characters. The glory of this one, in particular, is its incarnationally-shaped bodiliness. We have a new writer to whom we must pay attention.”
Jason Byassee, author of The Gifts of the Small Church, senior pastor of Boone United Methodist Church, and Fellow in Theology & Leadership, Duke Divinity School.
“Pershey writes beautifully about hard things. This is not so much a book about ministry as it is about life. She examines her motherhood, her marriage and her ministry as they are all unfolding, in their tender beginnings, all three, works in progress. Despite being a memoir of faith, this honest book is a sanctimony-free zone.”
Lillian Daniel, author of This Odd and Wondrous Calling and senior pastor of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn.
"The experiences of women as ministers are relatively new in the 2,000 years of Christian history. In Any Day A Beautiful Change, Pershey shows us with candor and grace how motherhood, the chaos and delights of family, marriage, and our bodies enrich our interpretations of ministry, scripture and liturgy. I’m especially grateful for this memoir as a woman who has experienced pregnancy in the pulpit, but it is a gift for anyone who longs to reflect deeply on life and the church. It’s funny and honest and wise."
Debbie Blue, author of Sensual Orthodoxy and From Stone to Living Word and Founding Pastor, House of Mercy
“I expect a good memoir to be wise and funny. A good pastoral memoir should bear witness to God’s goodness. I don’t normally expect one chapter to force me to read another, or to care so passionately about characters. The glory of this one, in particular, is its incarnationally-shaped bodiliness. We have a new writer to whom we must pay attention.”
Jason Byassee, author of The Gifts of the Small Church, senior pastor of Boone United Methodist Church, and Fellow in Theology & Leadership, Duke Divinity School.
“Pershey writes beautifully about hard things. This is not so much a book about ministry as it is about life. She examines her motherhood, her marriage and her ministry as they are all unfolding, in their tender beginnings, all three, works in progress. Despite being a memoir of faith, this honest book is a sanctimony-free zone.”
Lillian Daniel, author of This Odd and Wondrous Calling and senior pastor of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn.
"The experiences of women as ministers are relatively new in the 2,000 years of Christian history. In Any Day A Beautiful Change, Pershey shows us with candor and grace how motherhood, the chaos and delights of family, marriage, and our bodies enrich our interpretations of ministry, scripture and liturgy. I’m especially grateful for this memoir as a woman who has experienced pregnancy in the pulpit, but it is a gift for anyone who longs to reflect deeply on life and the church. It’s funny and honest and wise."
Debbie Blue, author of Sensual Orthodoxy and From Stone to Living Word and Founding Pastor, House of Mercy
May 17, 2012
I read this book very nearly in one sitting, because putting it down was too much to contemplate. The prose is beautiful and perfect, the story simultaneously heart-filling and heart-wrenching. The life-snapshots offer a glimpse of grace in real life, of the reality of God's presence even in dark moments, and the gorgeous hope that practicing resurrection can bring to an individual, a family, and a community. In the telling of their family story, Katherine offers us all a peek at what a life of authentic discipleship looks like. The way scripture weaves in and out of the narrative, the images so beautifully offered, and the perfection in capturing emotion make this a book I will recommend repeatedly--as I was reading, I was already making a mental list of people who need to read it!
I admit that in the chapter on realizing what sobriety is and is not, and working toward true sobriety rather than codependent enmeshment, I wished for more--the transition from realizing there was a problem to living a solution surprised me with its quickness, for I know that it can't have been as easy as it sounds.
Overall, this is an incredible book written by an incredible person and pastor. Thank you, Katherine and Ben, for sharing your story with us, even if it did make this single girl wish for a partner and family more than ever. :-P
I admit that in the chapter on realizing what sobriety is and is not, and working toward true sobriety rather than codependent enmeshment, I wished for more--the transition from realizing there was a problem to living a solution surprised me with its quickness, for I know that it can't have been as easy as it sounds.
Overall, this is an incredible book written by an incredible person and pastor. Thank you, Katherine and Ben, for sharing your story with us, even if it did make this single girl wish for a partner and family more than ever. :-P
May 25, 2012
You have to be a really good writer to keep someone engaged with your story, if the reader is a fifty-plus male clergy member, and the story is about pregnancy and child birth, attachment parenting and even being a woman pastor. It was clear at several points that I'm not, necessarily, the intended audience, and yet Katherine's story of her life, her marriage, her ordination, her ministry, and becoming parent drew me in. Though I have to say -- as one who lived in Southern California for half my life, and somewhere on the West Coast for the vast majority of my life before moving easter, I can't understand her desire to leave behind California!
I think it draw in many others, even 50+ males!
Thanks Katherine.
I should note that Katherine and I once served as Disciples pastors at the same time in Southern California.
I think it draw in many others, even 50+ males!
Thanks Katherine.
I should note that Katherine and I once served as Disciples pastors at the same time in Southern California.
April 20, 2012
Pershey has written an absolutely beautiful book about her life as a pastor, wife, and mother. She looks head on at her life, unflinchingly, but is able to see the goodness and grace in even her most difficult circumstances. She writes exquisitely. I was interested enough in her narrative to want to tear through the book, but her sentences were so wonderfully crafted I kept slowing myself down, so I wouldn't miss anything. In the end, I read the book in three days, and wish I had savored it more. At least I can always start again! I don't think you need to be a pastor or a mother to enjoy this book. At its heart this book is about the larger questions of life--identity, love, brokenness, healing.
December 28, 2012
I've wanted to read my friend Katherine's memoir since it came out and so I finally did. I could barely put it down. I found Katherine's account to be mesmerizing, authentic, and often poignant in ways I didn't expect. Even though there's a fair amount related to parenting, I didn't care. This isn't a mama memoir and yet it is. More than that, it's a tale of a marriage restored, as well as a glimpse into the life of a woman who happens to preach. I loved the connections she made.
May 8, 2012
I think of this as a collection of essays, rather than a narrative, partly because what the reader sees are slices of time. These slices reveal the parts that make up a life, particularly the life at the intersection of marriage, professional life, and children. Perhaps what I like best is that the text is reflective, one cannot read it without thinking about it in the context of one's own experiences.
November 17, 2012
Katherine and I have been online friends for many years, so I was of course excited to read her book. It is personal, poetic, and vulnerable. It's also slim and readable, I finished it in one lazy Sunday.
My favorite chapter compared pregnancy and knowing God in a way I found profound and illuminating, despite never having experienced pregnancy. I also loved a narrative about serving communion and feeling unqualified.
My mother liked this book a lot too.
My favorite chapter compared pregnancy and knowing God in a way I found profound and illuminating, despite never having experienced pregnancy. I also loved a narrative about serving communion and feeling unqualified.
My mother liked this book a lot too.
February 9, 2017
This was a real and honest memoir of a minister and her life, love, ministry and family.
This book felt a bit stream of consciousness style - one thought led to the next and I was unsure of the development of structure. I didn't feel the book leading anywhere, it just took me through snippets of life and meditation. And occasionally, I felt she stopped short of truly getting to the heart of the matter.
Some good little thoughts and pieces in here. A nice read.
This book felt a bit stream of consciousness style - one thought led to the next and I was unsure of the development of structure. I didn't feel the book leading anywhere, it just took me through snippets of life and meditation. And occasionally, I felt she stopped short of truly getting to the heart of the matter.
Some good little thoughts and pieces in here. A nice read.
April 2, 2015
I picked this book up after reading a few of Pershey's articles over at the now (sadly) defunct Deeper Story. I appreciate her honest and her ability to craft words. This collection of essays, written mostly about the intersection of faith and pregnancy/early motherhood, did not disappoint. She's a deep thinker and there's a sparse elegance to her writing that moves me. (This would be a great shower gift BTW!) I look forward to more of her work.
May 12, 2012
I really liked this book, but felt wistful about her thoughts on motherhood and being a pastor. I still struggle with not being able to have children.
But she really captures the joys and the messiness in navigating personal life and calling.
I will be writing a review for the Revgalblogpals blog in a couple of weeks.
But she really captures the joys and the messiness in navigating personal life and calling.
I will be writing a review for the Revgalblogpals blog in a couple of weeks.
April 22, 2012
I am so proud of my friend Katherine for writing this book. I admit to being apprehensive about reading it - I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relate to it since our respective lives have evolved into such different, different animals. However, I found it to be illuminating and educational and deeply thought-provoking. Many congratulations, Katherine. You've made it!
April 23, 2012
Wow! This is a very personal book. The strength it took to share such gritty details is inspiring. I only wish I was a wordsmith half as eloquent as Katherine so that I can express how well written and painfully honest i found ADaBC to be.
Currently reading
April 15, 2012Loving the book so far. Only on chapter 3. Beautifully written. It is a book any wife/mother can relate to and I admire the strength it took for Katherine to write it. I'm looking forward to continuing to read the book.
May 6, 2012
I know and love Katherine, so it's hard to be unbiased. But having seen this in draft form, and been impressed then, I was floored by how lovely the finished product was. I wish there was more Christian writing that is both lovely and candid.
August 11, 2012
Neat book. So much resonated with my experience of being a first-time mom. It was a little eerie how much the author's daughter sounded like my daughter, ear infections and all. The theological reflection in the book was lovely.
July 26, 2015
She's outside the box, which I loved, is a great writer and had some great nuggets, but with that said I personally had a hard time connecting with her, her story and as an author, which obviously flavors my rating.
May 24, 2012
Well done, Katherine. I savored this like I did LIFT. A gem, thought-provoking, honest, funny. Just wonderful to read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews