Spirited Book Club ~ The Lives We Actually Have

the Spirited Book Club discusses ‘The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days’ by Kate Bowler & Jessica Richie

Warm and witty blessings found within the struggles of our shared humanity, from the New York Times bestselling authors of Good Enough.

BOOK OVERVIEW

Blessed are you, the strange duck.
You with the very intense hobbies.
Or the collection of movies or mugs or sneakers.
You with the hometown or home team that makes you very, very proud.
You, my dear, in all your intricacies . . . are a marvel.

We live in a world that demands relentless perfection. Happy marriages and easy friendships. Bucket list–level adventures and matching family photos. But what if our actual lives don’t feel very #blessed? Might our everyday existence be worthy of a blessing too? Even an average Tuesday?

Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie offer creative, faith-based blessings that center gratitude and hope while acknowledging our real, messy lives. Formatted like a prayer book, The Lives We Actually Have is an oasis and a landing spot for weary souls, with blessings that focus on the full range of human moments: garbage days, lovely days, grief-stricken days, and even (especially) completely ordinary days. These heartfelt blessings are a chance to exhale when we feel everything from careworn to restless, devastated to bored. Let’s have a reminder that we don’t need to wait for perfect lives when we can bless the lives we actually have.

Reviews

“I rarely write customer reviews, but I felt compelled to add a review for this book. It is such a gift… I cannot believe how much peace and insight this book has brought me. I’m in a complicated season of life, both personally and professionally, and it feels like there is a blessing in this book for every experience I’m having. The blessings are insightful and thought-provoking and deeply moving, and I end every blessing feeling seen and known and loved. My most sincere thank yous to Kate and Jessica for bringing this to the world; it’s honestly changed my life.” —Sarah (Amazon)

“I love everything that Kate Bowler writes, and this book of blessings was unsurprisingly no exception. With “The Lives We Actually Have,” Kate and Jessica truly honor the beauty and joy and heartbreak and anxiety of the human experience. The prayers are warm and honest, without a single word feeling trite or cliche. Pick up a copy for yourself and one for a friend.” —The Salmons (Amazon)

About the authors

Kate Bowler is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved), No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear), and Good Enough, as well as Blessed and The Preacher’s Wife. She is the host of the popular podcast Everything Happens. A Duke University professor, she earned a master’s degree in religion from Yale Divinity School and a PhD from Duke University.

Jessica Richie is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Good Enough, the executive director of the Everything Happens Project at Duke Divinity School, and the executive producer of the Everything Happens podcast. She received her MDiv from Duke Divinity School.

CLUB DISCUSSION dates

BOOK CLUB meets Thursday, June 15 @ 2:00 – 3:00 pm AZ (PDT)

++Book discussion facilitated by Sheri Brown