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The Art of Being Broken
What if everything isn't fine?
What if there is life outside of our shells?
What if there is beauty underneath our masks?
What if there is healing beyond our brokenness?
What if we could see the image of God in ourselves?
What if God's best art is made from our broken pieces?
In The Art of Being Broken, Aaron Mark Reimer opens up an authentic, sometimes awkward, occasionally hilarious, one-way conversation about our brokenness, the things we use to cover it, and the healing that can come through exposing it.
What if there is life outside of our shells?
What if there is beauty underneath our masks?
What if there is healing beyond our brokenness?
What if we could see the image of God in ourselves?
What if God's best art is made from our broken pieces?
In The Art of Being Broken, Aaron Mark Reimer opens up an authentic, sometimes awkward, occasionally hilarious, one-way conversation about our brokenness, the things we use to cover it, and the healing that can come through exposing it.
- GenresChristianNonfiction
210 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2015
9 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Mark Reimer
3 books7 followersAaron Mark Reimer was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1980, and his parents promptly moved him west to Ontario. He is a pastor, a writer, a speaker, a musician, and a bit of a geek. Works include The Art of Being Broken, Worshipping Through John: A Devotional For Praise Teams, and a short story about going to Jupiter with his dad that he wrote when he was seven. He has one wife (Vanessa), two sons (Dúnadan and Taliesin), and many cats.
If you are interested in contacting Aaron or booking him for a speaking engagement, you can connect with him at www.theartofbeingbroken.com.
If you are interested in contacting Aaron or booking him for a speaking engagement, you can connect with him at www.theartofbeingbroken.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 21, 2015
A few years ago there seemed to be a paradigm shift in many churches. Preachers got away from wearing suits and ties and started untucking their shirts and wearing jeans. Choirs left the robes in the closet and starting singing newer songs, eschewing traditional gospel hymns and hosting mini-concerts on Sunday morning.
Coffee bars opened in the lobby, and mega-churches moved into abandoned malls.
At the vanguard of this movement were writers like Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Jim Palmer and Brian McLaren. The dominant theme seemed to be a renewed focus on authenticity and a stripped down, lean and hungry seeking for God that tried to distance itself from a divisive and judgmental theology. The stuffy and overtly fundamentalist conservatism was replaced with an arms wide open acceptance and unconditional invitations to all in the community.
And for the most part this was a good thing.
Canadian pastor Aaron Mark Reimer published The Art of Being Broken in 2015, took up many of the themes present in books like Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality and Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and makes a fine contribution to this genre. Reimer discusses our flawed cultural biases and what keeps most folks from a deeper and truer understanding of themselves and obstacles in the way of greater spirituality.
Reimer is self-deprecating, witty and often funny. His anecdotes and illustrations are spot on and help to cast his message in an approachable light. Finally he is clearly an erudite Biblical scholar and his millennial way of describing parables is not just informative but frequently entertaining. For those seeking a down to earth guide to heavenly matters, this is a good book.
Coffee bars opened in the lobby, and mega-churches moved into abandoned malls.
At the vanguard of this movement were writers like Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Jim Palmer and Brian McLaren. The dominant theme seemed to be a renewed focus on authenticity and a stripped down, lean and hungry seeking for God that tried to distance itself from a divisive and judgmental theology. The stuffy and overtly fundamentalist conservatism was replaced with an arms wide open acceptance and unconditional invitations to all in the community.
And for the most part this was a good thing.
Canadian pastor Aaron Mark Reimer published The Art of Being Broken in 2015, took up many of the themes present in books like Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality and Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and makes a fine contribution to this genre. Reimer discusses our flawed cultural biases and what keeps most folks from a deeper and truer understanding of themselves and obstacles in the way of greater spirituality.
Reimer is self-deprecating, witty and often funny. His anecdotes and illustrations are spot on and help to cast his message in an approachable light. Finally he is clearly an erudite Biblical scholar and his millennial way of describing parables is not just informative but frequently entertaining. For those seeking a down to earth guide to heavenly matters, this is a good book.
May 1, 2015
Aaron Reimer does an excellent job at creating an atmosphere for the reader to be comfortable and challenged in the same moment.
"The Art of Being Broken" reminds us that we are all broken. We all mess up. We all make mistakes. No one is perfect even though that is how we try to present ourselves in society. Aaron challenges us to remove our fake self from society and be real, especially among other Christians. Only then can true transformation happen.
Each chapter opens up with a small story/snippet to grab out attention. These were wonderful as they helped build anticipation for the rest of the chapter. Also, I must commend Aaron on his use of footnotes. They would often hold funny tidbits to keep the reader engaged. Reminded me of Kyle Idleman!
Overall, I loved this book. It was a great reminder to me of my own brokenness and how I need to be real. I sincerely believe all Christians need to read this book so they can be reminded too. I will be passing it along to people in my church to read so they can encounter the art of being broken.
"The Art of Being Broken" reminds us that we are all broken. We all mess up. We all make mistakes. No one is perfect even though that is how we try to present ourselves in society. Aaron challenges us to remove our fake self from society and be real, especially among other Christians. Only then can true transformation happen.
Each chapter opens up with a small story/snippet to grab out attention. These were wonderful as they helped build anticipation for the rest of the chapter. Also, I must commend Aaron on his use of footnotes. They would often hold funny tidbits to keep the reader engaged. Reminded me of Kyle Idleman!
Overall, I loved this book. It was a great reminder to me of my own brokenness and how I need to be real. I sincerely believe all Christians need to read this book so they can be reminded too. I will be passing it along to people in my church to read so they can encounter the art of being broken.
May 8, 2015
MY REVIEW
There are some sparkling gems of wisdom in this book. Reimer has a beautiful way of telling his stories in a style that is truly down to earth, and very human, and very open about his brokenness. You can tell that some of life's kicks bruised him deeply, but he is positive about how God is the great Healer.
This book would have been much better if it had an introduction telling the reader where he was going, and what his purpose was for writing the book. You don't get a feel for the purpose until you are almost finished reading. Each chapter does have a purpose. But if you are like me, you rarely read the chapter headings, so you miss the purpose of the chapter. I don't have to have things spelled out for me, so I figured out that the book is basically an autopsy of brokenness, or maybe a better term would be anatomy of brokenness. The fact that every person is broken because every person is human is discussed thoroughly. The fact that God heals brokenness when the person is willing to allow Him to, is also explored thoroughly. This goes without saying, but so many people never acknowledge the truth humans are broken and need God to be healthy souls.
This book would be great for small group discussion (and only a 14-week length if you take a chapter each week). You may be able to study 2 chapters a week because the first chapter Fine is followed by Broken Things Are Broken, which is a natural flow. I would suggest highlighting those things that strike your heart with a true resonance, and then discuss those things.
You can't read this book fast, because each chapter needs to be savored as well as pondered. However, you can read it on many different levels. As a devotional type reading a chapter a day, or on a much deeper level if you really want to learn something that will stick with you for longer than a month. I strongly urge youth pastors to consider using this book as a summer study for youth groups. The wisdom imparted here is priceless if you learn it earlier rather than later.
For adults there is a lot of humor, tongue-in-cheek, and tremendous amount of honesty that begs the reader to be honest with himself or herself. So reader beware.
I have to tell you that the book is a bit wordy and takes a little while to get to the point. The chapters do not have a thesis statement at the beginning nor do they have a conclusion statement at the end, so it is a bit difficult to key in on the author's points unless you dig for them. Because of this, I give it 4 of 5 stars.
ABOUT THE BOOK
What if everything isn't fine?
What if there is life outside of our shells?
What if there is beauty underneath our masks?
What if there is healing beyond our brokenness?
What if we could see the image of God in ourselves?
What if God's best art is made from our broken pieces?
In The Art of Being Broken, Aaron Mark Reimer opens up an authentic, sometimes awkward, occasionally hilarious, one-way conversation about our brokenness, the things we use to cover it, and the healing that can come through exposing it.
There are some sparkling gems of wisdom in this book. Reimer has a beautiful way of telling his stories in a style that is truly down to earth, and very human, and very open about his brokenness. You can tell that some of life's kicks bruised him deeply, but he is positive about how God is the great Healer.
This book would have been much better if it had an introduction telling the reader where he was going, and what his purpose was for writing the book. You don't get a feel for the purpose until you are almost finished reading. Each chapter does have a purpose. But if you are like me, you rarely read the chapter headings, so you miss the purpose of the chapter. I don't have to have things spelled out for me, so I figured out that the book is basically an autopsy of brokenness, or maybe a better term would be anatomy of brokenness. The fact that every person is broken because every person is human is discussed thoroughly. The fact that God heals brokenness when the person is willing to allow Him to, is also explored thoroughly. This goes without saying, but so many people never acknowledge the truth humans are broken and need God to be healthy souls.
This book would be great for small group discussion (and only a 14-week length if you take a chapter each week). You may be able to study 2 chapters a week because the first chapter Fine is followed by Broken Things Are Broken, which is a natural flow. I would suggest highlighting those things that strike your heart with a true resonance, and then discuss those things.
You can't read this book fast, because each chapter needs to be savored as well as pondered. However, you can read it on many different levels. As a devotional type reading a chapter a day, or on a much deeper level if you really want to learn something that will stick with you for longer than a month. I strongly urge youth pastors to consider using this book as a summer study for youth groups. The wisdom imparted here is priceless if you learn it earlier rather than later.
For adults there is a lot of humor, tongue-in-cheek, and tremendous amount of honesty that begs the reader to be honest with himself or herself. So reader beware.
I have to tell you that the book is a bit wordy and takes a little while to get to the point. The chapters do not have a thesis statement at the beginning nor do they have a conclusion statement at the end, so it is a bit difficult to key in on the author's points unless you dig for them. Because of this, I give it 4 of 5 stars.
ABOUT THE BOOK
What if everything isn't fine?
What if there is life outside of our shells?
What if there is beauty underneath our masks?
What if there is healing beyond our brokenness?
What if we could see the image of God in ourselves?
What if God's best art is made from our broken pieces?
In The Art of Being Broken, Aaron Mark Reimer opens up an authentic, sometimes awkward, occasionally hilarious, one-way conversation about our brokenness, the things we use to cover it, and the healing that can come through exposing it.
January 8, 2024
DNF
Not my cup of tea. The book started off with the author name dropping different people and institutions praising him, his bravery and yada yada. Then went on to talk about his experience being depressed and suicidal and that if he could get through it, then readers should be able to do it as well.
Then he dedicate a big part of the book to his career as a TED Talker/motivational speech giver or story teller. Everything felt quite surface level. It felt as if that since he is one of the 36 or 39 people who survived the Golden Gate Bridge jump he became so cocky and made it his entire personality. He mentioned how people came to him and asked him how he was able to make TED Talk his career and his response was, I just do it! With confidence! I was like what?
Blog: http://literaturesandmovies.com
Not my cup of tea. The book started off with the author name dropping different people and institutions praising him, his bravery and yada yada. Then went on to talk about his experience being depressed and suicidal and that if he could get through it, then readers should be able to do it as well.
Then he dedicate a big part of the book to his career as a TED Talker/motivational speech giver or story teller. Everything felt quite surface level. It felt as if that since he is one of the 36 or 39 people who survived the Golden Gate Bridge jump he became so cocky and made it his entire personality. He mentioned how people came to him and asked him how he was able to make TED Talk his career and his response was, I just do it! With confidence! I was like what?
Blog: http://literaturesandmovies.com
July 21, 2015
The Art of Being Broken is a book worth reading. The author, Aaron Reimer, comes across as a person who has experienced loss and heartache, and yet kept a sense of humor and found God’s healing through it all. The book is authentic, and it calls for us to be authentic as well.
Aaron shares that the way to find healing is to first recognize that we are broken. He said, “Our self-image is broken. Our ability to relate to others is broken. Our abilities to trust, to have real intimacy, to authentically care are broken. Our conscience is very, very broken.” All of this is a result of the Fall, as sin entered in the world, and each of us have been further scarred by our own sin, the sins of others, and by simply living in a fallen world.
The answer to healing is recognizing our brokenness, sharing it with God and others in order to experience God’s healing. Aaron said that the Gospel in seven words would be this, “He would see them made whole again.” God wants to make us whole again—he wants to restore us to his own image. Amen!
For me, the book started off a little slow, but soon I could feel my heartstrings being pulled, as I could remember times of special brokenness in my own life. I really enjoyed reading the book. Aaron is an articulate storyteller. He shares many real life stories from the loss of his father, to struggles in school, to ministering to kids in his youth group. All the stories were rich and helped keep you interested in what he had to say.
Personally, I wish there was more use of Scripture. Aaron continually points to God, but using more Scripture would have helped in that aim. Also, I would differ on a minor point of theology with Aaron. Many struggle with God’s sovereignty over all the evils in this world and the things that happen to us. For many, the recognition that it was not God’s will for us to experience harsh or evil events is a necessary conclusion to receive healing. However, to me, God being all wise and all sovereign is one of the greatest comforts and avenues of healing in our brokenness.
For example, with Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, when confronting them, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20). He saw God in control of his brothers’ cruel act. When Job lost his children and his business, he said, “God gives and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Though Satan was the one who attacked Job, Job saw God as ultimately sovereign over it all. In fact, Satan had to get permission to touch Job. That is a tremendous comfort to me, and I believe it is one of the greatest truths that heal broken people as seen with Joseph and Job. Satan is not in control, evil men are not in control, and we are not in control. God is. He uses everything for our good (Rom 8:28), and “all things” work according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11). In fact, he uses trials to create perseverance, character, and hope in his people (cf. Rom 5:3-4, James 1:2-4).
With all that said, this is a hard doctrine, and I understand why others come to different conclusions than my own. I think Aaron’s honesty and wrestling with this doctrine makes the book even more genuine and worth reading. I’m thankful for Aaron’s prophetic call to the church for transparency before God and others. We need to come from behind our fig leaves to receive true healing from our brokenness. We are broken, and we need Jesus to fix us!
Aaron shares that the way to find healing is to first recognize that we are broken. He said, “Our self-image is broken. Our ability to relate to others is broken. Our abilities to trust, to have real intimacy, to authentically care are broken. Our conscience is very, very broken.” All of this is a result of the Fall, as sin entered in the world, and each of us have been further scarred by our own sin, the sins of others, and by simply living in a fallen world.
The answer to healing is recognizing our brokenness, sharing it with God and others in order to experience God’s healing. Aaron said that the Gospel in seven words would be this, “He would see them made whole again.” God wants to make us whole again—he wants to restore us to his own image. Amen!
For me, the book started off a little slow, but soon I could feel my heartstrings being pulled, as I could remember times of special brokenness in my own life. I really enjoyed reading the book. Aaron is an articulate storyteller. He shares many real life stories from the loss of his father, to struggles in school, to ministering to kids in his youth group. All the stories were rich and helped keep you interested in what he had to say.
Personally, I wish there was more use of Scripture. Aaron continually points to God, but using more Scripture would have helped in that aim. Also, I would differ on a minor point of theology with Aaron. Many struggle with God’s sovereignty over all the evils in this world and the things that happen to us. For many, the recognition that it was not God’s will for us to experience harsh or evil events is a necessary conclusion to receive healing. However, to me, God being all wise and all sovereign is one of the greatest comforts and avenues of healing in our brokenness.
For example, with Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, when confronting them, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20). He saw God in control of his brothers’ cruel act. When Job lost his children and his business, he said, “God gives and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Though Satan was the one who attacked Job, Job saw God as ultimately sovereign over it all. In fact, Satan had to get permission to touch Job. That is a tremendous comfort to me, and I believe it is one of the greatest truths that heal broken people as seen with Joseph and Job. Satan is not in control, evil men are not in control, and we are not in control. God is. He uses everything for our good (Rom 8:28), and “all things” work according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11). In fact, he uses trials to create perseverance, character, and hope in his people (cf. Rom 5:3-4, James 1:2-4).
With all that said, this is a hard doctrine, and I understand why others come to different conclusions than my own. I think Aaron’s honesty and wrestling with this doctrine makes the book even more genuine and worth reading. I’m thankful for Aaron’s prophetic call to the church for transparency before God and others. We need to come from behind our fig leaves to receive true healing from our brokenness. We are broken, and we need Jesus to fix us!
April 13, 2016
Ok, in honesty, my husband wrote this book. So, you can totally dismiss my review if you want, but here's the thing - it's good. It really is. I've read it twice now (draft and finished version), and each time it's prodded me to think deeper, to question again, and to seek God more. It prompts me to be honest with myself and the broken crap inside, to judge whether I'm holding it too tightly and letting the pain define me, or letting God use it to create something beautiful. It reminds me again and again of God's grace for all the times my pain lashes out and hurts those close to me, showing me how treasured I am even when I choose to hold onto the broken hurts.
The book is full of stories, metaphors, and witticisms that together paint of picture of God's unending grace for all the ways we're broken, and how, if we let it, that grace can transform our brokenness into beautiful art.
The book is full of stories, metaphors, and witticisms that together paint of picture of God's unending grace for all the ways we're broken, and how, if we let it, that grace can transform our brokenness into beautiful art.
May 5, 2015
God is perfect…we are not. What does that mean? By the very nature of the human condition, we break.
Aaron Reimer explores this possibility in the Art of Being Broken through banter-style monologues and anecdotes which entertain and make the reader think. He shows how the Lord not only can heal our brokenness but be made manifest within in it.
This message's one which is important for people to hear. However, the rambling style of the writing, especially in the first half of the book, makes it hard to follow and distracts from the jewels of wisdom within the pages. It does get better but not until the last few chapters. Still, I recommend it for its importance, but can only give it three stars.
Aaron Reimer explores this possibility in the Art of Being Broken through banter-style monologues and anecdotes which entertain and make the reader think. He shows how the Lord not only can heal our brokenness but be made manifest within in it.
This message's one which is important for people to hear. However, the rambling style of the writing, especially in the first half of the book, makes it hard to follow and distracts from the jewels of wisdom within the pages. It does get better but not until the last few chapters. Still, I recommend it for its importance, but can only give it three stars.
January 22, 2016
A meaningful and true title.
All of us are broken to a greater or lesser degree, it's just whether we realize it or not. This book perhaps helps you to realize your brokenness, but does little more. The author likes an abundance of words, and goes into many stories
All of us are broken to a greater or lesser degree, it's just whether we realize it or not. This book perhaps helps you to realize your brokenness, but does little more. The author likes an abundance of words, and goes into many stories
January 29, 2017
This book helped me process through my emotional hurdles in a way that pointed me back to God instead of away and instead of looking into myself for answers. Honest, candid, and sometimes humorous, yet still very, very insightful.
June 10, 2015
nobody is perfect. This book can make you better
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews