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Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted
“Shannan’s story feels at once familiar and spectacular, ordinary and exceptional. You will discover that at the same time her words make you squirm, you will wish you lived next door to her. You will want her wisdom and you will want her pickles.” —Jen Hatmaker (from the foreword)
Shannan Martin had the perfect life: a cute farmhouse on six rambling acres, a loving husband, three adorable kids, money, friends, a close-knit church—a safe, happy existence.
But when the bottom dropped out through a series of shocking changes and ordinary inconveniences, the Martins followed God’s call to something radically different: a small house on the other side of the urban tracks, a shoestring income, a challenged public school, and the harshness of a county jail (where her husband is now chaplain). And yet the family’s plunge from “safety” was the best thing that could have happened to them.
Falling Free charts their pilgrimage from the self-focused wisdom of the world to the topsy-turvy life of God’s more being found in less. Martin’s practical, sweetly subversive book invites us to rethink assumptions about faith and the good life, push past insecurity and fear, and look beyond comfortable, middle-class Christianity toward a deeper, richer, and ultimately more fulfilling life.
Shannan Martin had the perfect life: a cute farmhouse on six rambling acres, a loving husband, three adorable kids, money, friends, a close-knit church—a safe, happy existence.
But when the bottom dropped out through a series of shocking changes and ordinary inconveniences, the Martins followed God’s call to something radically different: a small house on the other side of the urban tracks, a shoestring income, a challenged public school, and the harshness of a county jail (where her husband is now chaplain). And yet the family’s plunge from “safety” was the best thing that could have happened to them.
Falling Free charts their pilgrimage from the self-focused wisdom of the world to the topsy-turvy life of God’s more being found in less. Martin’s practical, sweetly subversive book invites us to rethink assumptions about faith and the good life, push past insecurity and fear, and look beyond comfortable, middle-class Christianity toward a deeper, richer, and ultimately more fulfilling life.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2016
168 people are currently reading
2200 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
August 8, 2016
In my opinion, one measure of a non-fiction book's quality is the extent to which it prompts me to examine my own life. (Actually, more and more I notice that I evaluate fiction books on this spectrum, too.) Earlier this year, I read and reviewed a book that made me reevaluate how I plan my days, weeks, and even my year. It helped me to grab hold of a better understanding of efficiency as it relates to life priorities. That was a good book.
Shannan Martin's Falling Free is also a good book, especially in terms of heart-level examination.
As my eyes moved from page to page, I found my soul praying for the Lord to search my heart...to know me...to show me the ways in which I need to change how I live and love for Him. Because Falling Free is the catalyst for discussions that bring real soul and heart care (and hopefully change), it is the best kind of book.
If roughly 200 pages can make me start to ponder things of consequence--things like the priorities I set, how generous my heart actually is, and my expectations about community --I will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Such is the case with Shannan Martin’s Falling Free.
Get it. Read it. Let the truths learned through her experience percolate in your mind, take root in your heart, and change your perspective for the better.
Shannan Martin's Falling Free is also a good book, especially in terms of heart-level examination.
As my eyes moved from page to page, I found my soul praying for the Lord to search my heart...to know me...to show me the ways in which I need to change how I live and love for Him. Because Falling Free is the catalyst for discussions that bring real soul and heart care (and hopefully change), it is the best kind of book.
If roughly 200 pages can make me start to ponder things of consequence--things like the priorities I set, how generous my heart actually is, and my expectations about community --I will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Such is the case with Shannan Martin’s Falling Free.
Get it. Read it. Let the truths learned through her experience percolate in your mind, take root in your heart, and change your perspective for the better.
August 13, 2016
Wow. I was so pleasantly surprised by Falling Free. I enjoyed Shannan's blog and already knew some parts of her story, but I was blown away by this book. For starters, Shannan is a brilliant writer. She is not a blogger who writes or a speaker who writes, she is truly a WRITER. And beyond that, her life journey and her ways of rethinking God and our practice of Christ-following are challenging and thought-provoking in so many ways. I would easily rank this as my favorite book of the year, and will be high on my list of all-time favorites. Highly, highly recommend!
March 25, 2017
I really expected to like this book. I have read the rave reviews, and was looking forward to reading it. If the author had stuck to sharing her story, I would have found her book far more useful, inspiring, and enjoyable. However, I felt like the author made too many assumptions that everyone who shared her outer life before her move also shared her inner thoughts and motivations and should make the same changes she and her family have made. I felt like she spent too much time worrying about externals. I also felt like she interpreted the Bible in weird ways at times. She spent much of the book telling us how great her new life makes her feel, but I don't know if her new lifestyle has had any lasting changes for anyone else. Overall, I found the book more preachy than inspiring.
March 25, 2017
I am smitten with Shannan Martin's writing, story and general presence. This ain't no cheesy Christian memoir, y'all.
February 25, 2017
4.5 stars: Made me think about my expectations of life, and how they might differ from what God expects me to do with my life.
I've been a reader of Shannon's blog for several years now. I appreciate her honesty, her wit, and the way she's figuring out what her walk with God should look like. She's got 4 adopted children of various ethnicities and ages. This is the story of how she and her husband thought they had made it--they were living The Dream. They had the farmhouse down a sunny lane, with room for the kids to roam, and a close-knit community of believers surrounding them.
Then, little by little, their dream was dismantled, and they realized that they were being called to live in the city, in the midst of poverty and crack houses. To send their kids to the local public school, rather than to a private Christian school. To invite their neighbors and their neighbor's kids into their lives, despite their own preferences for hanging back and introversion. It was a painful transition, but ultimately has been a redeeming one.
* * * * *
First things first: I don't think she's saying that everyone has to move to the 'hood to do God's work. Also, she's certainly not claiming to "save" her neighbors. On the contrary. If anything, she talks about how the people she associates with now have thrown her failings into sharp relief and inspired her to do better. Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way...
Though we don't share all the same ideas about God, I related to Shannon's struggles and triumphs. This book made me think very deeply about the things I take for granted. It inspired me to seek God's purpose for my life more deeply.
She raised several points that I'm still mulling over. How can we expect to do God's work if we are surrounded by people who look and think essentially the same way we do? Feeling uncomfortable reaching out to our neighbors does not excuse us from doing it. If God has given me material or financial success, what am I doing to use it to His glory rather than my own?
I appreciated her ideas about supporting the places you are. For instance: pulling your kids out of the struggling public school to put them into a selective private school doesn't do anything to build your community. I also thought it was beautiful how she and her family have found the most acceptance and love they've ever known at the humble church right down the street.
Again, she's not saying that her choices should be your choices. I think what she's saying is that following the spirit of God can lead you to uncomfortable, hard, and unexpected places, but it will bring you right up close to Him. That other people--even other Christians--may not understand you or why you're doing what you're doing, but following Jesus is still the right choice. If you are living in a mostly like-minded community, what work does God have for you to do there? Don't be afraid to pursue it.
I blog at: www.ofbooksandblooms.com
I've been a reader of Shannon's blog for several years now. I appreciate her honesty, her wit, and the way she's figuring out what her walk with God should look like. She's got 4 adopted children of various ethnicities and ages. This is the story of how she and her husband thought they had made it--they were living The Dream. They had the farmhouse down a sunny lane, with room for the kids to roam, and a close-knit community of believers surrounding them.
Then, little by little, their dream was dismantled, and they realized that they were being called to live in the city, in the midst of poverty and crack houses. To send their kids to the local public school, rather than to a private Christian school. To invite their neighbors and their neighbor's kids into their lives, despite their own preferences for hanging back and introversion. It was a painful transition, but ultimately has been a redeeming one.
* * * * *
First things first: I don't think she's saying that everyone has to move to the 'hood to do God's work. Also, she's certainly not claiming to "save" her neighbors. On the contrary. If anything, she talks about how the people she associates with now have thrown her failings into sharp relief and inspired her to do better. Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way...
Though we don't share all the same ideas about God, I related to Shannon's struggles and triumphs. This book made me think very deeply about the things I take for granted. It inspired me to seek God's purpose for my life more deeply.
She raised several points that I'm still mulling over. How can we expect to do God's work if we are surrounded by people who look and think essentially the same way we do? Feeling uncomfortable reaching out to our neighbors does not excuse us from doing it. If God has given me material or financial success, what am I doing to use it to His glory rather than my own?
I appreciated her ideas about supporting the places you are. For instance: pulling your kids out of the struggling public school to put them into a selective private school doesn't do anything to build your community. I also thought it was beautiful how she and her family have found the most acceptance and love they've ever known at the humble church right down the street.
Again, she's not saying that her choices should be your choices. I think what she's saying is that following the spirit of God can lead you to uncomfortable, hard, and unexpected places, but it will bring you right up close to Him. That other people--even other Christians--may not understand you or why you're doing what you're doing, but following Jesus is still the right choice. If you are living in a mostly like-minded community, what work does God have for you to do there? Don't be afraid to pursue it.
I blog at: www.ofbooksandblooms.com
July 8, 2017
There are a lot of people out there who would like to be published writers. And many of those people actually succeed in writing and getting their book published. I think this was one book that should have been halted. What sounded like a great story, an interesting premise- a woman and her family who achieve their dream life on a farm and then end up in the city with all the accompanying city problems- ended up instead a long blog-like ramble. I could tell right away this woman writes a blog. (not all blogs are bad but many are, IMHO) And the woman who wrote the foreword is guilty of the same sensationalist, perky, unwitty style.
From the description of the book, I was expecting a story of how Mrs. Martin came around to selling her farm house, how she came to accept her new life, her new family, her husband's new job, etc. But Martin chooses instead to give little snippets here and there and then weave in little sermonettes, abound with "insights" everyone's heard before, then another little detail of her story with more tangents after. I don't mind a writing style that goes back and forth in this way, but it has to be done right, convincingly and without preachy, threadbare christian platitudes. Martin likes to reword what Jesus says in the Bible, with paraphrases like "Dude, if you thought that was impressive, you'd better go ahead and tighten up those sandal straps.". Ugh. She also likes vapid expressions, like "been there, done that, bought the shirt" .. Seriously? How does this get overlooked by an editor I wonder?
What I can only guess is that as I get older, as I see endless blogs and vlogs and you tube videos of people pontificating, and news stations airing Facebook comments and calling it news, standards are blurred, perhaps even obliterated, and so as a result, we end up with a fluffernutter like this book.
From the description of the book, I was expecting a story of how Mrs. Martin came around to selling her farm house, how she came to accept her new life, her new family, her husband's new job, etc. But Martin chooses instead to give little snippets here and there and then weave in little sermonettes, abound with "insights" everyone's heard before, then another little detail of her story with more tangents after. I don't mind a writing style that goes back and forth in this way, but it has to be done right, convincingly and without preachy, threadbare christian platitudes. Martin likes to reword what Jesus says in the Bible, with paraphrases like "Dude, if you thought that was impressive, you'd better go ahead and tighten up those sandal straps.". Ugh. She also likes vapid expressions, like "been there, done that, bought the shirt" .. Seriously? How does this get overlooked by an editor I wonder?
What I can only guess is that as I get older, as I see endless blogs and vlogs and you tube videos of people pontificating, and news stations airing Facebook comments and calling it news, standards are blurred, perhaps even obliterated, and so as a result, we end up with a fluffernutter like this book.
August 11, 2016
Shannan's words will hit you to the core of your heart, they will challenge you and also encourage you. You'll find yourself so engaged in the story of how God turned her life upside down that you'll not know whether to laugh, cry of allow the conviction of your heart to flow out. I couldn't stop once I started, I felt like Shannan was an old (0r new friend) that had invited me over for a coffee date and to share the nitty-gritty of life. Having been an avid-reader of her blog, I was especially excited to read her book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a true glimpse of what it means to surrender your life to the life Jesus plans for you. Shannan's writing is so inviting you really do feel as if though you are there!
Be prepared to laugh, to cry, to question your own life and to get down on your face before Jesus, it's that good!
Be prepared to laugh, to cry, to question your own life and to get down on your face before Jesus, it's that good!
September 7, 2018
I started this book when it came out. And then our house flooded, and many book lives were lost. Then I joined her launch team for her new book and decided I better finish this one first. So I ordered another copy, and I have to say I am so glad I got interrupted because for many reasons, now was a much better time for me to read this than if I had gotten past the first four chapters a year ago.
I wish every single person of (the Christian) faith would read this and internalize it. And I wish every person not of (the Christian) faith would read this to know we don’t all suck.
I wish every single person of (the Christian) faith would read this and internalize it. And I wish every person not of (the Christian) faith would read this to know we don’t all suck.
April 3, 2024
Very convicting book which explores what it looks like to love your neighbor, and not just your white middle class neighbor.
August 14, 2016
In Falling Free , Shannan Martin tells her story with vulnerability, honesty and humility. Many who grew up in conservative, Evangelical culture will relate to this book. We were taught the Gospel, studied the life of Jesus and then were instructed to live safe, steady lives that don't look much like what we see in the Bible leaving us wondering if there is something we are missing.
I think anyone who resonated with Crazy Love by Francis Chan will like this book. The great thing about Shannan's story is that it is told with humility. You are not going to read it and walk away feeling guilty. This is not a step-by-step instruction manual. It is a call to a deeper, richer faith.
I'm so glad to have been able to follow Shannan's story. This is a book I will go back to again.
I think anyone who resonated with Crazy Love by Francis Chan will like this book. The great thing about Shannan's story is that it is told with humility. You are not going to read it and walk away feeling guilty. This is not a step-by-step instruction manual. It is a call to a deeper, richer faith.
I'm so glad to have been able to follow Shannan's story. This is a book I will go back to again.
September 9, 2016
I have been looking forward to this book for months! Ever since I started hearing rumors of Shannan writing a book, I knew it would be one I would want to have in my hands the minute it was released. From her instagram pictures and writing on her blog, Shannan has been challenging and inspiring me for years. This book was no exception. In fact, being able to understand the whole story about her unique experience of moving from her dream home into her very unlikely dream home and the ways God has challenged her and her family to live a life that honors him was beautiful while being incredibly difficult. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a challenging, compelling reflection of one woman's experience of her dreams being radically altered and finding that she really wanted she least expected.
November 4, 2016
I've been following Shannan's family on social media, via her blog and even some mutual friends for a while. The base of her story wasn't new to me, but the insights about how her family and children all interacted and worked through the change was fresh. The most valuable and heartwarming parts of this book were the interactions she had with her children--I loved the story about Ruby giving away her barbies. For some reason that will stick with me and make the ground under my feet stronger. I think one of the biggest questions we all have when our minds and hearts are being challenge to change is WHAT WILL THIS DO TO MY FAMILY? I loved hearing that part of Shannan and Cory's story.
May 2, 2016
This book is so elegantly written while baring the ugly of our sin-sick souls--a paradox I really dig. I suspect based on the last chapter that the author has a sense that this book (with its innocuous green cover and postmodern font) is going to Start Something Rad and I cannot wait to see our little altars around Dave Ramsey-Certified Financial Freedom come crumbling down. This book reaffirmed my view of social justice but reminded me that it's worthless as a philosophy and necessary as a lifestyle if we are who we say we are as Christ-followers.
I received an ARC of this book.
I received an ARC of this book.
February 7, 2017
I had no idea one book could change me and my life so much. Shannan's writing was deep, poetic, descriptive, and concise. Her topic and subject matter was compelling and convicting.
I know it's only January, but I have a feeling this book is in line for my favorite of 2017.
I know it's only January, but I have a feeling this book is in line for my favorite of 2017.
June 19, 2020
I picked this book up because the back synopsis intrigued me. I've long been searching for the homestead life (you know, like since I was 9 and read Little House on the Prairie), and to see how someone gave it all up so they could share Jesus, in the United States, intrigued me.
"When we tie our view of God to our view of a fallen world. The result is neither holy nor revelent."
Shannan Martin really wrote a book that strips away all the pharisaical, white-washed gospel that we Christian's clothe ourselves in and goes straight to the heart, "what if everyone in [my] circle already knows God? What's the point of living parallel lives, absent the messy crosshatches and scribbles, that happen when cultures and social strata and worldview blend?" (PP. 114-15).
For about 3/4 of the book, outside of sometimes cringing with the wording she used to describe the deity of Christ, I applaud this and thought it was terrific. I loved how she points out what our job is as Christians! To help those in need, not just live comfortable lives attending Church every Sunday.
But, we then got to this one section; she is watching this man with his full of flaws past, shoveling her driveway in the wee hours. And she is crying because he has taught her so much in that moment about giving. She then makes a great statement that I underlined and placed !!! next too, "Jesus tells us that inviting the marginalized is important, among other reasons, because they cannot repay us (Luke 14: 12-14)." Yup yup yup! But the she goes on to say,
"I see his point, *but this is one area where we"ll have to agree to disagree."
Wait, what? We dont get that option. We do NOT say to Christ, "you are all knowing, all wise, all GOD ALMIGHTY, but in this case, my wisdom means I'll disagree with you." You cannot bargain GOD on "agreeing to disagree." She goes on to explain why she "disgarees" and I agree with what she says next, but it's not a agree to disagree. It was horrible wording on the authors part and I had all kinds of red flags after this. Again, I had some opinions about some of the things she said before hand but this was red flags galore. I could see it as one of those poor choice of words things that we all do, but as I read further I did highlight and underline other sections but there almost seemed a shift in her writing. Now she almost shifts into her feelings and uses scripture to back that up, rather than the reverse.
Near the end, Shannan Martin talks about the section in the Gospels where Christ says "whatever you do for the least of these " and Martin asserts, "Confession: I have always secretly struggled with referring to anyone as the 'least of these.' *I'm sorry, Jesus. It bugs me.* "
Again, it's one of these things that if you step back and think about it, there are some things I genuinely dont understand; like, why a whole family or community has to be wiped out so that there is no polluting the Israelites. I think it was another case of unfortunate wording, but because the whole context is based on how we feel about this, rather than the Truth that trumps how we feel, it just bugs me even more.
So, would I recommend reading this? Yes! I think we need to be reminded that, this world is not our home, and we need to follow what God has called us to do. That glorifies Him and let's souls know that they were made by a Creator for His glory. Our job is not to save, that is His, but we do need to think a little closely about what our job is and what we need to do to accomplish this.
"When we tie our view of God to our view of a fallen world. The result is neither holy nor revelent."
Shannan Martin really wrote a book that strips away all the pharisaical, white-washed gospel that we Christian's clothe ourselves in and goes straight to the heart, "what if everyone in [my] circle already knows God? What's the point of living parallel lives, absent the messy crosshatches and scribbles, that happen when cultures and social strata and worldview blend?" (PP. 114-15).
For about 3/4 of the book, outside of sometimes cringing with the wording she used to describe the deity of Christ, I applaud this and thought it was terrific. I loved how she points out what our job is as Christians! To help those in need, not just live comfortable lives attending Church every Sunday.
But, we then got to this one section; she is watching this man with his full of flaws past, shoveling her driveway in the wee hours. And she is crying because he has taught her so much in that moment about giving. She then makes a great statement that I underlined and placed !!! next too, "Jesus tells us that inviting the marginalized is important, among other reasons, because they cannot repay us (Luke 14: 12-14)." Yup yup yup! But the she goes on to say,
"I see his point, *but this is one area where we"ll have to agree to disagree."
Wait, what? We dont get that option. We do NOT say to Christ, "you are all knowing, all wise, all GOD ALMIGHTY, but in this case, my wisdom means I'll disagree with you." You cannot bargain GOD on "agreeing to disagree." She goes on to explain why she "disgarees" and I agree with what she says next, but it's not a agree to disagree. It was horrible wording on the authors part and I had all kinds of red flags after this. Again, I had some opinions about some of the things she said before hand but this was red flags galore. I could see it as one of those poor choice of words things that we all do, but as I read further I did highlight and underline other sections but there almost seemed a shift in her writing. Now she almost shifts into her feelings and uses scripture to back that up, rather than the reverse.
Near the end, Shannan Martin talks about the section in the Gospels where Christ says "whatever you do for the least of these " and Martin asserts, "Confession: I have always secretly struggled with referring to anyone as the 'least of these.' *I'm sorry, Jesus. It bugs me.* "
Again, it's one of these things that if you step back and think about it, there are some things I genuinely dont understand; like, why a whole family or community has to be wiped out so that there is no polluting the Israelites. I think it was another case of unfortunate wording, but because the whole context is based on how we feel about this, rather than the Truth that trumps how we feel, it just bugs me even more.
So, would I recommend reading this? Yes! I think we need to be reminded that, this world is not our home, and we need to follow what God has called us to do. That glorifies Him and let's souls know that they were made by a Creator for His glory. Our job is not to save, that is His, but we do need to think a little closely about what our job is and what we need to do to accomplish this.
March 30, 2017
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Shannan's story is powerful and convicting, and she is super funny. I laughed out loud at a few parts. The last couple chapters are really wonderful.
Every time I read a book that was born out of a blog, though, I have this same frustration--like, this book would have been so good if there had been some more heavy-handed editing. It seems like bloggers get a little bit of a free-pass, because they've been self-publishing for so long and have already developed a style. Even if that style is distracting or just generally isn't good writing. These books are usually episodic, like a blog, so that I end up feeling like I've just sat and read a blog for a very long time. Maybe I've just developed a personal preference, so I should stop reading them.
I'll say the same thing about this book that I say about Ann Voskamp--really great content, distracting and idiosyncratic writing style.
Every time I read a book that was born out of a blog, though, I have this same frustration--like, this book would have been so good if there had been some more heavy-handed editing. It seems like bloggers get a little bit of a free-pass, because they've been self-publishing for so long and have already developed a style. Even if that style is distracting or just generally isn't good writing. These books are usually episodic, like a blog, so that I end up feeling like I've just sat and read a blog for a very long time. Maybe I've just developed a personal preference, so I should stop reading them.
I'll say the same thing about this book that I say about Ann Voskamp--really great content, distracting and idiosyncratic writing style.
August 9, 2017
Any time it takes me two months to read a memoir, that's not a great sign. The concepts Martin discusses and is living out are to be applauded, but the (lack of) structure of this book made it hard for me to read. It meandered A LOT. Still, there are some notable quotes I will be chewing on for a while after.
July 30, 2018
Profound!
A stimulating read that challenges me to escape the bondage of the “things of this world” that distract me from “things that have meaning and purpose.”
A stimulating read that challenges me to escape the bondage of the “things of this world” that distract me from “things that have meaning and purpose.”
February 12, 2020
Shannan Martin speaks the language of my soul. I love the way she writes and lives. It is beautiful and I am changed by it.
December 24, 2023
One of my favorites of the year. ❤️
February 19, 2017
I sometimes got hung up on the writing style, but the message is challenging and a great reminder to not get caught up in what our culture tells us is good, right, and normal. The book is a challenge to live in ways that challenge us and shake us up, but that allow us to be used by God where he wants us.
Shannan Martin's writing style is not my favorite. Often I wasn't really sure what she was getting at. For example, she is talking about how we need to be like the woman at the well, drop our water jars, and run to tell people about Jesus. She writes, "Once that jar hit the dirt, the gates swung open and the razor wire lost its sharp edges." Ummmm, is this called mixing metaphors? In another place she is thanking her blog readers and she writes, "On one of my hardest days, you baked loaf after loaf of warm, virtual banana bread and I've never felt more sustained by imaginary food." What does she even mean?
But then the book is full of challenges and quotable lines and so I love the book after all. Warning, if you are living the American dream and don't want to have your toes stepped on, you might not want to read this book! Mrs. Martin steps ever so gently, but believe me, you will be challenged to move from your comfortable life.
Mrs. Martin and her husband had high-powered Washington DC jobs, lived on their dream farm in Indiana, spent huge amounts of time worrying about their investments and accounts, enrolled their kids in the best schooling possible, and attended church with people who looked just like them. Little by little God unraveled that life. They moved into the city, got involved with their neighbors, most of who had prison records, were drug addicts, or in abusive situations. Their kids went to the public school down the road and they started attending church with people whose lives were messy. Her husband took a job as county jail chaplain, they lost their big income, and they learned to live simply.
Subjects she covers are adoption, choosing to have less, letting God un-plan and re-plan your well-planned life, being willing to live simply and smaller, being involved in community life, showing hospitality, letting God be the one to protect your kids, involving yourself in a local church where people can come with their lives in a mess, and giving generously.
As I said, Mrs. Martin's writing style may not have been my favorite, but here are some quotes I LOVED. "We elevate our families above God's divine plan to heal humanity through his glory, but we are fooling ourselves when we believe we can rubber-stamp a guarantee of protection and provision across their lives, prioritizing their perceived safety above our call to go swiftly to hard places." "Without even catching my mistake, I had idealized 'church' into a temple created to fit perfectly around the shape of my precious soul. I was fine. I was great. I wasn't looking to be changed by the communion of its fellowship. I clearly wasn't searching for Jesus." "Quite bluntly, we have lost our way. Rather than being reclaimed by the alliance of our poverty, we've learned to endure a false community of the proud polite. We've sworn membership to our fell-good Sunday club where the real troublemakers are outside our walls, and we're honestly a bit suspicious when one straggles in. We maintain the illusion of 'family' despite not even truly knowing one another. But hey, that's what boundaries are for -- separation of church and life and all that jazz."
Can I encourage you to pick up this book and allow it to challenge your thinking?
Shannan Martin's writing style is not my favorite. Often I wasn't really sure what she was getting at. For example, she is talking about how we need to be like the woman at the well, drop our water jars, and run to tell people about Jesus. She writes, "Once that jar hit the dirt, the gates swung open and the razor wire lost its sharp edges." Ummmm, is this called mixing metaphors? In another place she is thanking her blog readers and she writes, "On one of my hardest days, you baked loaf after loaf of warm, virtual banana bread and I've never felt more sustained by imaginary food." What does she even mean?
But then the book is full of challenges and quotable lines and so I love the book after all. Warning, if you are living the American dream and don't want to have your toes stepped on, you might not want to read this book! Mrs. Martin steps ever so gently, but believe me, you will be challenged to move from your comfortable life.
Mrs. Martin and her husband had high-powered Washington DC jobs, lived on their dream farm in Indiana, spent huge amounts of time worrying about their investments and accounts, enrolled their kids in the best schooling possible, and attended church with people who looked just like them. Little by little God unraveled that life. They moved into the city, got involved with their neighbors, most of who had prison records, were drug addicts, or in abusive situations. Their kids went to the public school down the road and they started attending church with people whose lives were messy. Her husband took a job as county jail chaplain, they lost their big income, and they learned to live simply.
Subjects she covers are adoption, choosing to have less, letting God un-plan and re-plan your well-planned life, being willing to live simply and smaller, being involved in community life, showing hospitality, letting God be the one to protect your kids, involving yourself in a local church where people can come with their lives in a mess, and giving generously.
As I said, Mrs. Martin's writing style may not have been my favorite, but here are some quotes I LOVED. "We elevate our families above God's divine plan to heal humanity through his glory, but we are fooling ourselves when we believe we can rubber-stamp a guarantee of protection and provision across their lives, prioritizing their perceived safety above our call to go swiftly to hard places." "Without even catching my mistake, I had idealized 'church' into a temple created to fit perfectly around the shape of my precious soul. I was fine. I was great. I wasn't looking to be changed by the communion of its fellowship. I clearly wasn't searching for Jesus." "Quite bluntly, we have lost our way. Rather than being reclaimed by the alliance of our poverty, we've learned to endure a false community of the proud polite. We've sworn membership to our fell-good Sunday club where the real troublemakers are outside our walls, and we're honestly a bit suspicious when one straggles in. We maintain the illusion of 'family' despite not even truly knowing one another. But hey, that's what boundaries are for -- separation of church and life and all that jazz."
Can I encourage you to pick up this book and allow it to challenge your thinking?
February 4, 2017
Just a few pages in, I was questioning whether or not I wanted to continue. This book was going to step on my toes and open up my eyes to some hard truths about myself, but I forged on and it was well worth it. Yes, I was squirming the whole way through but I don't want to soon forget any of Shannan's (biblically based) words and insights. No, I want to do something about them. "The world we're in might choose to disengage and circle in, but we are not of that mindset. We will walk toward the pain of another."
January 7, 2017
Full review published here: https://5171milesbookblog.wordpress.c...
If I took one message from Falling Free by Shannan Martin, it is to wholeheartedly embrace the brokenness of humanity. This book made me examine my own life, a key component for the Non-Fiction genre in my eyes. It taught me things I haven’t considered before. God’s plans for our lives could be well beyond our comfort zones, if we only relinquish a bit of our “control”.
“Aren’t we all looking for the same exact things, to be accepted and loved in our brokenness?”
Falling Free is the debut novel of author and long-time blogger, Shannan Martin. She shares her story about losing the comfort of her middle class lifestyle, and the struggle and freedom that came with it when her husband accepted the position of a jailhouse chaplain.
For most of us, we imagine constantly moving forward in life. We want more money, bigger homes, nicer cars and a size-able retirement. This is what the American Dream teaches us, after all. Now imagine willingly going backwards and having a graceful attitude about it. This is exactly what Shannan and her growing family did, in God’s name. Hard to imagine? I know, me too.
“For all of our adult lives, our radar had been locked on one goal; to ensure our own safety and security. We were hardwired to focus on solving our own problems and applauded by the church when we constructed a life that pointed directly at the American Dream, with a side of Jesus.”
“…it’s hard to pine for heaven when you already believe you’re there”
Shannan uses her experiences to open readers hearts to living with less, and being happy about it. God put us here to love our neighbor as ourselves. What better way to do that, than by stripping life down and getting into the nitty-gritty with our neighbors? Even if those neighbors live in what we would consider a sketchy neighborhood. Falling Free forces us to examine if we are really loving others the way Jesus did in his time on Earth. He ate with sinners, he touched and healed the lepers, he loved the woman at the well. While we know the stories and know Christ loved others, do we truly love the same way, or even try to? I know I’m guilty of judging others based on their lifestyles or even their clothes, as if I am somehow better than they are. What would happen if instead of seeing their sometimes rough exterior, we simply loved and welcomed them to a meal in our homes? Readers are challenged to be generous, to love deeply, to give up our ideas about what life should be and instead allow God to show us where he needs us. And to teach our children to do the same.
Falling Free opens the heart, applies the Bible to now, and wrecks everything we think we know about being “a good Christian”. Once we have let this book into our hearts and minds, there is no going back to the ignorance we once enjoyed. Be prepared for cold hard conviction.
If I took one message from Falling Free by Shannan Martin, it is to wholeheartedly embrace the brokenness of humanity. This book made me examine my own life, a key component for the Non-Fiction genre in my eyes. It taught me things I haven’t considered before. God’s plans for our lives could be well beyond our comfort zones, if we only relinquish a bit of our “control”.
“Aren’t we all looking for the same exact things, to be accepted and loved in our brokenness?”
Falling Free is the debut novel of author and long-time blogger, Shannan Martin. She shares her story about losing the comfort of her middle class lifestyle, and the struggle and freedom that came with it when her husband accepted the position of a jailhouse chaplain.
For most of us, we imagine constantly moving forward in life. We want more money, bigger homes, nicer cars and a size-able retirement. This is what the American Dream teaches us, after all. Now imagine willingly going backwards and having a graceful attitude about it. This is exactly what Shannan and her growing family did, in God’s name. Hard to imagine? I know, me too.
“For all of our adult lives, our radar had been locked on one goal; to ensure our own safety and security. We were hardwired to focus on solving our own problems and applauded by the church when we constructed a life that pointed directly at the American Dream, with a side of Jesus.”
“…it’s hard to pine for heaven when you already believe you’re there”
Shannan uses her experiences to open readers hearts to living with less, and being happy about it. God put us here to love our neighbor as ourselves. What better way to do that, than by stripping life down and getting into the nitty-gritty with our neighbors? Even if those neighbors live in what we would consider a sketchy neighborhood. Falling Free forces us to examine if we are really loving others the way Jesus did in his time on Earth. He ate with sinners, he touched and healed the lepers, he loved the woman at the well. While we know the stories and know Christ loved others, do we truly love the same way, or even try to? I know I’m guilty of judging others based on their lifestyles or even their clothes, as if I am somehow better than they are. What would happen if instead of seeing their sometimes rough exterior, we simply loved and welcomed them to a meal in our homes? Readers are challenged to be generous, to love deeply, to give up our ideas about what life should be and instead allow God to show us where he needs us. And to teach our children to do the same.
Falling Free opens the heart, applies the Bible to now, and wrecks everything we think we know about being “a good Christian”. Once we have let this book into our hearts and minds, there is no going back to the ignorance we once enjoyed. Be prepared for cold hard conviction.
October 25, 2016
Blogger Shannan Martin wrote a book: Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted. The following are the first two sentences of the final section of the book (don’t worry, no “spoilers” here):
I’m not sure to whom she’s writing because I haven’t been less interested in a book. I can’t even tell you what it’s really about because I found it quite disjointed. Perhaps I’m not the target audience. I didn’t know Martin was a blogger before starting the book, and I likely would not have agreed to review this book if I did. Bloggers tend to write books as if they are larger blog posts, and I’m just not into casual writing like the “here’s me being so vulnerable, but I’m really never going to change” stuff with inside jokes embedded via parenthetical statements. I was actually quite bored getting through this one but do not, however, want to diminish the significance of any shared events of Martin’s life.
There was one moment I really enjoyed: “This is the work of God, part chisel, part cannon. He'll do what it takes to demolish our ‘this is mine’ walls” (144). That’s a brilliant image.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Since I’m you and you’re me and we’re all basically the same person wrapped in different paper, I’m sure some of the words on theses pages are making your heart beat faster. I know this, because I’ve been where you are and, in many ways, still stand right next to you, anxious to imagine what on earth might wait for me just past my line of sight. (207)
I’m not sure to whom she’s writing because I haven’t been less interested in a book. I can’t even tell you what it’s really about because I found it quite disjointed. Perhaps I’m not the target audience. I didn’t know Martin was a blogger before starting the book, and I likely would not have agreed to review this book if I did. Bloggers tend to write books as if they are larger blog posts, and I’m just not into casual writing like the “here’s me being so vulnerable, but I’m really never going to change” stuff with inside jokes embedded via parenthetical statements. I was actually quite bored getting through this one but do not, however, want to diminish the significance of any shared events of Martin’s life.
There was one moment I really enjoyed: “This is the work of God, part chisel, part cannon. He'll do what it takes to demolish our ‘this is mine’ walls” (144). That’s a brilliant image.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
November 17, 2016
Shannan Martin, a blogger from Indiana, poignantly shares the story of her family's journey from comfort and the American Dream to living on "the wrong side of the tracks" in her first book, "Falling Free." The Martin family lived on a quiet, idealistic farm with their three children, but one day, they began to sense God calling them to leave it behind and pursue a greater adventure. They eventually sold their farm and moved to a city neighborhood that, at first glance, didn't offer much for their family. But through their obedience, they began to experience a life like no other, one that only God could create for them.
Martin writes beautifully and shares her family's story and experiences in a way that tugs on your heart strings. She challenges the reader to expand our horizons and see the different ways that God may be calling us to step outside our comfort and security zones in order to make a tangible difference among the least. It's a wonderful story, filled with many thought-provoking and eye-opening statements. I highly recommend this amazing book!
(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)
Martin writes beautifully and shares her family's story and experiences in a way that tugs on your heart strings. She challenges the reader to expand our horizons and see the different ways that God may be calling us to step outside our comfort and security zones in order to make a tangible difference among the least. It's a wonderful story, filled with many thought-provoking and eye-opening statements. I highly recommend this amazing book!
(I’ve received this complimentary book through the BookLook program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)
August 25, 2016
I thought I knew what to expect from this book because I had read quite a bit of Shannon's blog and listened to interviews from Shannon, but this book surprised me in all the best ways. The topics of this book are so in tune with my life right now. The thing is that as I thumbed through the chapter tiles, it all sounded like things I had already struggled through in my head (and in rough days of learning.) I didn't expect to be so challenged. I had to rethink some ideas that I thought I had already pushed so close to Jesus, they had to be right. Shannon's stories draw me even closer to that every pressing goal of thinking, talking, acting, and living more Christlike. She shows the grey, the not easy, in the pressing on and pressing in. All of this idea-wrestling is done with lovely, kind, poetic, beautiful words. Her book is a friend that isn't afraid of the hard days.
Shannon's writing is relatable, kind, interesting, inspiring, and down-right challenging. If you read it, like I did, I know you will love it. I plan on gifting this encouraging book to many friends this holiday season, and I know my copy will get plenty of re-reads.
Shannon's writing is relatable, kind, interesting, inspiring, and down-right challenging. If you read it, like I did, I know you will love it. I plan on gifting this encouraging book to many friends this holiday season, and I know my copy will get plenty of re-reads.
January 8, 2020
Wow. After finishing this book I don't even know where to start!
Shannan simply tells her own story of how God turned her world upside down for the better and invites others to join her in a life of freedom and surrender. She speaks candidly about her struggles and challenges while also cheering all of us on to look past the excuses and let go.
I received a pdf version of this book as part of the launch effort. Honestly, I read the description, thought, "that sounds good," and hoped I would get to enjoy a free book. Boy, did I not know what I was signing up for! Bottom line, read this book. Read it slowly, taking in all that God might be stirring in you as you do. Be ready to consider that what you have always thought to be truth might need a second look. Definitely be ready to get uncomfortable. But read it anyway, knowing that the God we say we trust really is trustworthy with our comfort, our family, our money, and our lives. He is worth it.
Shannan simply tells her own story of how God turned her world upside down for the better and invites others to join her in a life of freedom and surrender. She speaks candidly about her struggles and challenges while also cheering all of us on to look past the excuses and let go.
I received a pdf version of this book as part of the launch effort. Honestly, I read the description, thought, "that sounds good," and hoped I would get to enjoy a free book. Boy, did I not know what I was signing up for! Bottom line, read this book. Read it slowly, taking in all that God might be stirring in you as you do. Be ready to consider that what you have always thought to be truth might need a second look. Definitely be ready to get uncomfortable. But read it anyway, knowing that the God we say we trust really is trustworthy with our comfort, our family, our money, and our lives. He is worth it.
August 29, 2016
This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year, and I could not recommend it more. But be warned: this book will mess with you. Like, really mess with you, in the most hard and beautiful way. There is just no way to read it with an open heart and not walk away changed somehow--whether it’s how you see your neighbor or the poor or the kid who just got out of jail, or how you view your bank account or your role in the Kingdom or your place at the table—this book captivates and inspires as much as it challenges and convicts. Every chapter leaves you wanting to lean in closer to the heart of Jesus and to really know and hear His heartbeat for this broken, busted-up, beautiful world around us.
I’m so thankful Shannan gave us this glimpse into her journey of finding freedom in the falling, and discovering that “weak is strong, small is big, and less has most definitely always been more.” God used her story to stir my heart, and I will definitely be reading it again.
I’m so thankful Shannan gave us this glimpse into her journey of finding freedom in the falling, and discovering that “weak is strong, small is big, and less has most definitely always been more.” God used her story to stir my heart, and I will definitely be reading it again.
July 19, 2017
2.5 stars
Let’s start with the downside. This book has a truckload of “always” and “never” statements. There are no questions. Only purported answers. She spends a lot of time conflating “this worked for me” with “God wants everyone to do the same.” I appreciate her pointing out the American church has a big ‘me first’ and prosperity gospel problem, but that doesn’t mean that her equally prescriptive, dogmatic theology is the solution.
Martin may have given up physical wealth and comfort, but she remains deeply entrenched in the view that her very specific religious views are the only way. She is still in possession of something she is sure every person on earth needs, making her ‘wealthier’ than others.
That said, she’s a very, very good writer. I appreciated her storytelling skills and reading about her life experiences. I copied down many sentences about compassion, love, and sacrifice.
Let’s start with the downside. This book has a truckload of “always” and “never” statements. There are no questions. Only purported answers. She spends a lot of time conflating “this worked for me” with “God wants everyone to do the same.” I appreciate her pointing out the American church has a big ‘me first’ and prosperity gospel problem, but that doesn’t mean that her equally prescriptive, dogmatic theology is the solution.
Martin may have given up physical wealth and comfort, but she remains deeply entrenched in the view that her very specific religious views are the only way. She is still in possession of something she is sure every person on earth needs, making her ‘wealthier’ than others.
That said, she’s a very, very good writer. I appreciated her storytelling skills and reading about her life experiences. I copied down many sentences about compassion, love, and sacrifice.
August 11, 2016
This book will challenge you to look at your own heart in a way that is new and fresh, to step out into this world with a new pair of lenses, taking away the blinders that hide the hurt of this world and show us that hope & love live in all of us. Shannan writes with heart and humour & will have you both crying & laughing! She shows us what Church could be and leads us to not live the life she lives but to live the life we are meant to live with a Jesus vision, its a journey that will take you to vulnerable places! Shannan shows us what relationships are made for & how we truly receive more in the opening of our hearts, our eyes and our lives than we could possibly ever give. She is heartbreakingly honest about being a neighbour, raising kids, boiling pasta & trusting in this life we have been given.
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