Would you like to invite Sharon to chat with your group through Skype, Facebook or even in person? Sharon is open to your ideas. Just send her an email. Book One in the Sensible Shoes Series. The moving story of four strangers who embark together on a journey of spiritual formation. Join Hannah, Meg, Mara, and Charissa as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support, and personal revelation.

There was also a lot about the way culture pushes us to 'achieve' constantly so if we aren't careful we get our identity from 'doing'. And Hannah, in particular, works through that fact that, like so many of us, she was wearing a mask, expending far too much energy trying to keep up the appearance that she felt she ought to. I am passionate about seeing people drop those masks so was thrilled to see that issue dealt with so well here too.

I loved the fact that the four women were wary of each other to begin with as well as the retreat itself and it wasn't until much later in the book that the other three began to understand and connect with Charissa. The snapshots into their thoughts and struggles both during the retreat sessions and in the weeks in between were so insightful. Each time the four women go back to the retreat centre, the reader is provided with the details of the disciplines and exercises they work through in that session. This means you can take time out, if you wish, to work on those yourself — while that could interrupt the flow and I was too keen to find out the next bit of the story, and how the characters coped with the exercises, that I skipped right on to the next part of the narration it also provides an extra dimension that I can see could be really beneficial for those who stop and take the time to utilise them.

The author explains the story behind the book and title on a website dedicated to the book www. As she explains, she had started a women's spiritual formation group thinking they would study a book and learn disciplines. But she soon realised that God wanted them to trust Him and go on a journey of discovery that had no rules or agendas:. We learned to sit with stillness and silence. Our time together became sacred space where we encountered the living God.

The women grew to deeply trust one another, confessing their sins and heartaches so that they might receive God's healing love and power. I can't wait to read the next one! May 31, Sarah rated it really liked it. It was thought provoking and I plan to review and continue to practice the ideas given for spiritual growth.

I highly recommend this for those wanting a unique devotional read.

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Feb 10, Leslie rated it it was amazing. While fiction, the spiritual practices introduced throughout this book have you learning and growing right beside the main characters. Excellent use of flashbacks. Oct 29, Margaret rated it really liked it Shelves: I really enjoyed this book, it had great depth and good storylines.

Jan 04, Paula Vince rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book was wonderful to kick off the year with. It's very unusual, which is why it's ended up on both my contemporary fiction and personal development shelves. Attempts to combine both often seem to result in those try-hard parables thinly disguised as novels with very superficial characters.

This was nothing like those. If you were given a flyer from a local retreat centre inviting you to take a sacred journey and learn the unforced rhythms of grace, would you be tempted to take part? If you This book was wonderful to kick off the year with. If you answer 'no', this book probably won't interest you. Otherwise, it's an invitation to a terrific virtual course, through the eyes and experiences of four very real and complex women.

We're even given the worksheets to make use of too.


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Frequent flashbacks to the worlds of the characters' girlhoods and youth gradually reveal more and more secrets, keeping the story moving and vividly displaying when some of their vulnerabilities and fixed attitudes first formed. Mara is a lady familiar with rejection, first from kids at school, later from her husband and boys who take her for granted. Though she comes across to others as a colourful, confident person, she's nothing of the sort deep down.

Charissa is a beautiful, intelligent, high-achiever who aims to be an English Professor. Her husband, John, dotes on her and does all the cooking.

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Yet she feels very uncomfortable in situations which she can't control, and can't help looking down on people who haven't reached her high standards by their self-effort. Hannah is a burned-out pastor who is forced to take a long sabbatical, yet finds it impossible to rest because being a busy servant, responsible for everyone else, is her whole life. Her part of the story became my favourite.


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What a satisfying ending for her. Meg was hardest for me to deal with, at the start, coming across as too mousy by far. Come on, woman, you're facing a series of workshops, not a firing squad! Yet as her story unraveled, she grew on me and I found myself loving and understanding her. How different they all are, yet how easy to see parts of each of them inside myself. Having a school history like Mara's, I totally understand her not being able to shake off the wounds years later. Like Hannah, I know how easy it is to build a false identity around not wanting to let people down.

Sensible Shoes (Sensible Shoes, book 1) by Sharon Garlough Brown

I get some of Charissa's attitudes too, such as her impatience for unstructured brainstorming, and wanting to be told definite answers to the elusive questions. And after deploring Meg for awhile, I realised that her imagination is just like mine, only my intense fears are in different areas. I was torn reading this book. Part of me wanted to slow down and ponder the revelations deeply, while the other part wanted to gallop on and find out what would happen, or be revealed, next.

Luckily, returning to Katherine's virtual-class worksheets is easy to do. This book was full of pithy quotes, and here are just a few. Hannah - 'Busyness is my socially acceptable addiction. Dr Allen calls it "impression management"' Mara's son, Jeremy - 'I had a mom who loved me. And that's a lot more than some kids get. She had lived in thousands of potential realities over the years, most of which had never materialised. But for years, my sin had been congratulated and affirmed. I was such a good and faithful servant. View all 3 comments. Oct 16, Meggie rated it really liked it.

This is a unique novel. It is one part Christian fiction not a genre I would choose , another part lessons in the spiritual disciplines, another part spiritual exploration. Brown uses this fictional work to teach about spiritual direction and ask hard questions of her readers, similar to how Taste of Many Mountains used a fictional story to explain the coffee trade. This format was quite effective in both cases. While some of the dialog, plot and characters were annoying at times typical of C This is a unique novel.

While some of the dialog, plot and characters were annoying at times typical of Christian fiction , when I got past it, I found myself challenged and encouraged in my own spiritual life.

Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey

I think most women could be reached in some way by reading this. Mar 29, Brent Soderstrum rated it really liked it Shelves: I received this book through GoodReads First Read program. I love seeing God at work in people's lives. Yes, this is fiction but I am pretty sure the book is based on the author's experiences with various women's groups she has been involved in.

I would love to read a book like this about men finding God working in their lives.


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Might be a bit of a stretch since men tend to be more closed off and reluctant to share as the four ladies had to learn to do in this book. Four different ladies meet at a spiritual retreat and learn to overcome many of their personal issues that have developed over the years by giving them to God. Each has their own distinctive set of issues to deal with. Each of the four main characters is very well developed. As the book moves along you learn more and more about their past and what led them to where they were on the day they showed up at the retreat.

I saw bits and pieces of myself in each of the ladies. You also learn to use various methods of having God speak to you and being able to see God active in your life. Now someone needs to write one about guys. I would like to give this a 3. I liked this for the way it brought many spiritual disciplines into the story. This is a great way for women to learn about how to be in deeper relationship with Christ.

I thought, as I first read it, that the characters were a little shallow. However, after finishing the book the characters did stay with me, if only for their stories and the learning they e I would like to give this a 3. However, after finishing the book the characters did stay with me, if only for their stories and the learning they experienced through their spiritual journey.

I am excited for this author to come to our Church, and hopefully having some time to practice some of the disciplines. But, even if the day just makes me slow down and be still with God it will be worth it. I have to say though, I am reaaally hoping for a labyrinth! Dec 09, Charlotte Gunther rated it it was ok.

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It tells what might happen if you undertake a "sacred journey". You, like the 4 women in the story, might experience self-discovery and healing; you might experience the love of Jesus as did they by following certain traditional spiritual disciplines. For me in was too "Greek", too subjective.

It was didactic fiction, an advertisement for the "spiritual formation" movement, where everyone needs a spiritual director. With this story, one can learn how to walk a labyrinth, how to l A clever story. With this story, one can learn how to walk a labyrinth, how to lectio divina, how to pray with the imagination, how to pray the examen, how to root out the trash in your spirit and soul. You may experience the love of Jesus and hear his voice, but you might not get beyond the feel-good and into the character of our heavenly Father.

Introducing me to a Spiritual Journey that leads to my Father's heart! The Lord has met me in ways I have longed for as I read the stories of the characters here, on their spiritual journeys. I could identify so much with most of them, but this did more than that!

It introduced me to a personal loving Father with whom I have had a mostly intellectual experience. To know that His Love means that the flowers are for me, and not only for everyone else is overwhelming! Apr 02, Sandra Strange rated it liked it Shelves: