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His Face like Mine: Finding God's Love in Our Wounds
Have you ever tasted true freedom?
Russell Joyce was born with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome, where the left side of his face was not formed. Years of patchwork surgeries made him more outwardly presentable, but not without deep pain and physical and emotional scars. But a life-changing encounter broke through to him with a power he never thought possible, in the very place he never thought to look—his broken face.
This set Russell on a journey to understand what was hindering him and others from experiencing the power of God's grace and being truly set free. During a season of starting a new church in Brooklyn, New York, he learned how the broken places of our lives can be transformed when Jesus meets us in the realities of our woundedness. God doesn't love us despite our wounds but through those very wounds. By his scars we are healed, and we can find new depths of freedom in Christ, scars and all.
A this journey will not be easy. A it will be well worth the risk.
Russell Joyce was born with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome, where the left side of his face was not formed. Years of patchwork surgeries made him more outwardly presentable, but not without deep pain and physical and emotional scars. But a life-changing encounter broke through to him with a power he never thought possible, in the very place he never thought to look—his broken face.
This set Russell on a journey to understand what was hindering him and others from experiencing the power of God's grace and being truly set free. During a season of starting a new church in Brooklyn, New York, he learned how the broken places of our lives can be transformed when Jesus meets us in the realities of our woundedness. God doesn't love us despite our wounds but through those very wounds. By his scars we are healed, and we can find new depths of freedom in Christ, scars and all.
A this journey will not be easy. A it will be well worth the risk.
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 16, 2024
81 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 8, 2025
A beautifully written and integrated take on the simplicity and goodness of believing in Jesus, the Man who suffers with and for us. Russell Joyce beautifully reflects on the importance and beauty of our wounds, the strength of our scars, and the glory that pours forth in this, and how Jesus reflects this perfectly. Joyce shares his testimony and builds his story in a way that is intriguing and is a must keep reading style. I’ve loved and read a lot on the suffering part of Jesus and His nature, but the way that Joyce writes and shares his heart and belief in Jesus made me sit and reflect in new ways in this. As a Catholic there was some theology I didn’t fully agree with, but it moved my heart to see the newest and beauty of the universality of following Jesus and how we as humans are beautifully broken and being perfectly mended by the Divine Physician.
August 23, 2024
I always love to read how God can use our own stories to reveal truths for others. Russell’s journey through his physical scars and the scars of church planting in New York City help us find our own strength through our own scars. Chapters 4 and 6 were especially impactful to me. Great read!
October 23, 2024
Born with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome, the left side of Joyce’s face and parts of his body were badly broken. He lost track of the number of reparative surgeries he had to endure as doctors attempted to rebuild a left ear or create a jaw bone from a piece of transplanted rib.
His story included years of feeling incomplete, of being rejected by peers. The struggle to be whole in spirit despite his physical wounds has left him uniquely qualified to write about the soul wounds we all carry. His arrival at the conclusion that he is “broken but not ugly” has everything to do with finding his acceptance in the love of God.
His healing process also blazes a trail for readers in the struggle to relate well in marriage and to curate a healthy relationship with work and success. I appreciated the deep soul work that took him into the writings of historical Christians on our suffering and our union with Christ:
George MacDonald convinced Joyce that our suffering is never pointless: “Jesus suffered unto death not that men might not suffer, but that their suffering might be like his, and lead them up to his perfection.”
Augustine pushed back against his unfounded feelings of isolation: “God, you are more in me than I am in me.”
C.S. Lewis provided context for the often insensitive responses aimed at those who suffer: “They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backward and turn even that agony into glory.”
Digging into scripture, Joyce discovered God as the one who “invites us to remove the veil.” Accepting the invitation to “contemplate the Lord’s glory, [to be] transformed into his image,” he experienced the love of a Savior who knows what it is to bear the scars that come with life in a broken world. His work leaves a trail toward restoration and hope for others who need healing.
His story included years of feeling incomplete, of being rejected by peers. The struggle to be whole in spirit despite his physical wounds has left him uniquely qualified to write about the soul wounds we all carry. His arrival at the conclusion that he is “broken but not ugly” has everything to do with finding his acceptance in the love of God.
His healing process also blazes a trail for readers in the struggle to relate well in marriage and to curate a healthy relationship with work and success. I appreciated the deep soul work that took him into the writings of historical Christians on our suffering and our union with Christ:
George MacDonald convinced Joyce that our suffering is never pointless: “Jesus suffered unto death not that men might not suffer, but that their suffering might be like his, and lead them up to his perfection.”
Augustine pushed back against his unfounded feelings of isolation: “God, you are more in me than I am in me.”
C.S. Lewis provided context for the often insensitive responses aimed at those who suffer: “They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backward and turn even that agony into glory.”
Digging into scripture, Joyce discovered God as the one who “invites us to remove the veil.” Accepting the invitation to “contemplate the Lord’s glory, [to be] transformed into his image,” he experienced the love of a Savior who knows what it is to bear the scars that come with life in a broken world. His work leaves a trail toward restoration and hope for others who need healing.
January 24, 2025
This was a solid Christian nonfiction read, full of personal anecdotes and the truth of the love of God. Joyce clearly has an appreciation for authors like Lewis and Nouwen and this shines through his own writing. I thought his stories were shared with authenticity, and more than once, I shed a tear or two relating to the author's experiences especially in performance and people-pleasing. I liked the main idea of God working through our wounds. There were a couple times when I felt that stories could have used a little more closure or ideas about Jesus's character could have been tied together more closely with the stories, but overall, this was a book I'm glad I read and would recommend.
November 18, 2024
I think everyone longs for wholeness, and maybe none more than those who are physically broken. Author Russell Joyce was born with a rare disorder, which, even after multiple surgeries, did not erase the effects of the condition. That is the say, he carried his wounds on his face and hid them inside his heart. This beautifully told story follows Joyce’s personal journey in faith and encourages readers to let the glory of Jesus shine through their scars.
September 6, 2024
Love this book! A powerful, personal, and very honest about how God shows up in, and ultimately redeems our pain. Highly recommended!
October 11, 2025
Joyce is raw, authentic, and lays things out simultaneously simple and elegant. What a joy it is to be loved by Jesus.
November 7, 2025
Loved It. So many moments swept me off my feet into a beautiful dance with memories
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews