Restored: Partnering with God in Transforming Our Broken Places

by Meshali Mitchell

Every one of us has broken places inside. Places in our souls where the dust gathers or the wind whistles through. Every one of us needs restoration. Photographer and portrait artist Meshali Mitchell is no different. Though, in her case, she also had a farmhouse to restore to its former glory.

In this beautiful, full-color book, Meshali shares the inspiring story of how the Lord drew her out from behind the camera to embark on an unlikely home renovation in the midst of her own difficult journey to healing. As she handed God the keys to every room in her heart, Meshali learned lessons of patience, perseverance, and self-forgiveness that paralleled the physical restoration of the building around her. With lyrical prose steeped in Scripture and practical tools, she shows you how to apply those same discoveries to your own life as you ask God to heal, restore, and empower you to live abundantly.

Genres: Christianity, Faith

224 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

Reviews

[John Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comfort from Gods Word and the testimony of the restoration He accomplishes

[Angie Hyche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Restored

This is a beautiful book, literally and figuratively. Meshali has created a work that is so inspiring. I started the book and got about a third of the way through, then realized I needed to be taking notes because there was so much depth I wanted to hang onto. I ended up starting over and taking pages of notes, in addition to completing the practical steps at the end of each chapter called Restoration Practices. Meshali’s lovely photographs are a crowning touch to the book’s beauty.

Here is just a small sampling of some of the points I want to remember:

* None of us can avoid pain in this broken world, but what we do with it and who we take it to matters.
* The path to being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” runs straight through hard times. 
* Jesus longs to be invited into the broken spaces of our lives. He longs to be our Master Carpenter, our Master Fixer, to care for our deepest needs and fill our needy spaces with himself. These rooms and parts of ourselves we want to hide from him or others are often the areas where he does his most miraculous, transformative work.
* Binding ourselves to God is not like a baby carried around in a papoose, not like God is a genie in a bottle, but like we’re in a 3-legged race, tethering ourselves to Him, moving, stopping, and pivoting with God. We place all our weight upon him, a stable force in an unstable world. 
* Our idols grow in the soil of our wounds. 
* We work with him not to get the life we dreamed of but the life he would like to give us.
* We need to listen to what our soul is trying to tell us. When our bodies feel exhausted, when we feel overwhelmed in life, when we feel anxious or troubled but we continue to push through, we might be causing further damage to our inner lives and maybe even to the people around us. 
* Shame dies when stories are told in safe places.

[A B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, Fellow Men: Restoration Isn’t Weakness—It’s Strength!

Restored is a book that speaks to both men and women. As a man, I found a depth here that’s often missing in conversations around healing and restoration. Meshali shares her story with a kind of strength and sincerity that invites you in and then gently challenges you to take a hard, honest look at your own life.

Her journey of restoring an old farmhouse is more than a creative project, it’s a powerful metaphor for what God wants to do in each of us: take the broken, neglected places we tend to hide and rebuild them with purpose and grace. For men who are used to pushing through pain or carrying it quietly, this book offers something different: permission to process, space to be honest, and a clear call back to wholeness in Christ.

This isn’t a book of shallow advice or spiritual clichés. It’s real, grounded in Scripture, and filled with hard-won wisdom. Meshali doesn’t gloss over suffering, she faces it, grieves it, and then shows how God meets us in it with unfailing kindness.

If you’re a man navigating brokenness, loss, transition, or just trying to live with more integrity and clarity, Restored will resonate. It’s an important reminder that restoration isn’t weakness but the work of a God who rebuilds with care. I’m grateful for this book.

Thank you, Meshali, for your obedience and your voice. This book is a gift to the whole Church and one men especially need in this season in our culture.

[Melody T · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I absolutely loved this book! Meshali’s honesty and vulnerability throughout her story really touched me. The way she shared her personal journey of restoration and healing in God felt so real and relatable. I appreciated how she didn’t shy away from the hard parts of her story but instead used them to show how powerful God’s redemption truly is. It’s such a beautiful reminder that restoration doesn’t just happen overnight—it’s a process where God lovingly rebuilds us from the inside out.

What stood out to me most was how she tied her personal experiences to Scripture and invited readers to reflect on their own walk with God. I love how she emphasized letting God do the restoring, not trying to fix everything on our own. It challenged me to look at areas in my life where I need to let Him work more deeply.

My only regret is not buying the physical copy, because I would have loved to go through the “homework” sections and journal my reflections along the way. Listening to Meshali narrate her own story made the audiobook feel even more personal, like she was sitting down and sharing her heart over coffee. Overall, Restored is a beautiful, faith-filled journey that reminds us that God’s restoration is always possible—and always worth it.

[Jessica Hefley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to Meshali tell her story in her own voice made the experience feel real and personal. She doesn’t sugarcoat the pain or the process. She talks about seasons of waiting, uncertainty, and having to trust God when nothing seems to make sense. It’s the kind of message a lot of us need but don’t always hear.

The parallels between restoring a house and restoring a life were powerful. It reminded me that sometimes God has to strip things down to the studs to rebuild something stronger. And that the waiting is part of the work.

As a man, I appreciated her vulnerability without it feeling overly sentimental. It was grounded, faith-filled, and authentic. If you're walking through a season where you feel stuck, worn down, or like you’ve been sidelined, this book has something to say to you. The Audible version brings it to life in a really compelling way.

[Hannah Chavira-Sheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He has leveled the ruins of my life and erected beauty in its place. He has strengthened me with his love and restored my lost hope.”

This book made me cry so much and the Lord loved my heart in so many ways it’s hard to count. As someone who had been hurt by the church and by people this book helped me see that the Lord will restore me from that hurt. All the years I lost to the enemy the Lord will restore but in double portion. The way meshali is so beautifully vulnerable and graceful in her speech made it easier to receive what the Lord has been speaking to me for the past year. Everything I have felt the Lord speak over me was within this book and I have unwavering faith that the Lord will finish what he started and I will continue to believe in the restoration of the ruins that once ruled my life.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s so many people I could recommend this book to, but I’d highly recommend it to the person who is trying so hard to make everything perfect. The bad news is you never will, but the good news is that’s okay because God does not call us to be perfect. He doesn’t care if we have it all together. He loves us where we are and how we are. On the outside, we think that other Christians have it all together, but on the inside we all long for restoration over certain parts of our life and this book is a story of that. This book also helps guide you in finding restoration. What makes this book stand out is the pure and raw openness from the author. Relating all of her own restoration to the restoration of her home really kept me engaged as I loved hearing the story of both!

[Kaylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are drawn to the redemptive story of restoration, aren’t we? Something in us aches for broken things to be made new, even in our own hurts.

For the woman who is burned out, overcome with disappointment, and yearning for the Lords complete restoration of the broken places in her life, “Restored” outlines Meshali’s restoration process with the Lord through the purchase of an 1800s farmhouse, but also invites you into your own restoration with Him. A beautiful book with an even more beautiful message - that our God is a God who restores His people ❤️

If you’re in need of that reminder, pick up a copy and join in the unique restoration process Christ has for you!

[Grace Kenganzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful reminder of how God restores when we choose to abide in Him. I loved how Meshali weaved the analogy of restoring a house to tell the story of how God restores us — why we cannot bypass some of the hard parts and the strength that builds when we endure them.

The curious (more like nosy) side of me would have loved to know the details of some of the stories she shared. But I understand how that may not be possible, especially when other people are involved.

Even without those details, the message of the book is clear. God is more than able to restore us when we trust Him, and do the inner work He asks of us.

[Matthew B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and thought-provoking book with the central theme of restoration through Jesus and restoration of a home. The author brings in anecdotes and what I call ‘spiritual nuggets’ that help drive points home and expand conventional thinking.
The main reasons for my reviewing being 3 stars is that it wasn’t entertaining as I am probably not the target demographic. In my opinion, some anecdotes and name-dropping was forced and unnecessary.
Overall, I am glad I read it. It offered some different takes on scriptures that I had not come across and I am thankful for that.

[Samalee Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never when I ordered my #RESTOREDbook written by Meshali Mitchell did I expect her story, the depth of emotional and spiritual healing she experienced nor how I would relate to her brokenness mended.
As Meshali RESTORED an 1886 Texas farmhouse, restoration came to her soul room by room. Each chapter ends with a gentle invitation to a Restoration Practice.
If you feel there are rooms in your own life easier to avoid than repair, order RESTORED to begin transforming your broken places.

[Kayla Hollatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a beautiful form of personal storytelling! I liked the author's choice of photographs, which were woven intricately into the narrative. The stories centered around her farmhouse renovations made such an impact, but Meshali jumped between many subjects without much notice. With some more editing, refocusing, and paring down, this book could really sing.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with lovely photos and gentle guidance for healing. It was a treat to read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars