All My Knotted-Up Life

Y'all, I cannot tell you how excited I was to get my ears on All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore!

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

As I mentioned in the Jesus and John Wayne post, once up on a time, I was a hardcore evangelical Christian. And, as I carried my faith into adulthood, I became acquainted with a woman named Beth Moore. Beth was a women's Bible Study creator and teacher who released videos and study guides for Bible study groups and she also taught in person at women's conferences and workshops. And, in my Christian heyday, I adored her.

Basic Summary

From the back of the book:

"An incredibly thoughtful, disarmingly funny, and intensely vulnerable glimpse into the life and ministry of a woman familiar to many but known by few.

New York Times best-selling author, speaker, visionary, and founder of Living Proof Ministries Beth Moore has devoted her whole life to helping women across the globe come to know the transforming power of Jesus. An established writer of many acclaimed books and Bible studies for women on spiritual growth and personal development, Beth now unveils her own story in a much-anticipated debut memoir.

All My Knotted-Up Life is told with surprising candor about some of the personal heartbreaks and behind-the-scenes challenges that have marked Beth’s life. But beyond that, it’s a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed."

First Impressions

This book was narrated by Beth with her adorable southern accent, which was a treat from the beginning. I embarked on this reading with so much anticipation. For years, I sat in small groups watching her teach Bible lessons or in stadiums, listening to her share her story with only veiled reference to some of the struggles she had faced as a mother, a wife, a ministry leader, and a woman. She alluded to sexual abuse in her past, troubles in her marriage, power differentials in ministry, and all sorts of other things that all of us, as women, inherently knew about and experienced. But she never quite gave us details. Just references. Still, we appreciated it, because it made her seem more down-to-earth and human to us, even as she loomed large like a beautiful Christian superhero on stage. We thought, "If Beth understands these hard things, she must be the real deal." And she is. She always has been.

But, in this memoir, she really puts it all out there. No more cagey alluding to things...just out with it. Details, including all her fears and disappointments and life-altering realities. BRAVE is the word I'd use to describe this memoir. Complete and total courage. This book really is all of Beth's knotted-up life, from birth to today. She doesn't leave a single thing out. And, for that, I am so grateful.

Final Thoughts

Yes, Beth was a part of the rise of the evangelical right wing, as referenced in Jesus and John Wayne, but she has always been what I would call "one of the good ones", unknowingly caught up in something far more manipulative and sinister.

I have always believed that her heart was 100% pure and her passion to teach and help women feel the love of God was in no way fake or manufactured. Beth is the real deal, with a heart of gold.

She proved this by stepping away from her church after the rise of Trump and his shameful Access Hollywood leak. When men in leadership in the Church rushed to defend Trump and minimize his complete lack of morals, Beth stood up for the women she had sought to show love to for so many years with her teaching and studies. This was no small thing for her, as her entire identity and career were wrapped up in that male-dominated and led structure. For her to publicly speak against her own church leaders was courageous in a way that few can understand, unless they were a part of this subculture, like I was.

I have always respected and loved Beth Moore. Even after I've largely left my own Christian faith behind, I still respect and love her. And even more so now, after hearing her story in her own words, and in her own voice. What a treasure she is.

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.