Permission to Speak Freely: Essays and Art on Fear, Confession, and Grace [Paperback]

 

 

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A couple of years ago, Anne Jackson posed the following question on her blog, flowerdust.net: what is one thing you feel you can't say in church? That post, and the overwhelming response thereto, was the genesis of this book, which features essays and art on fear, confession, and grace.

The basic premise behind Jackson's initial question is that there are certain things which, validly or not, many people do not feel comfortable bringing up within their faith communities. Whether it be a matter of personal doubt and questioning, struggles with addiction or depression, or issues revolving around sexuality, the Church has more often that not been a place of judgment and shame rather than acceptance and support. In posing this question and in writing this book, Jackson gets the ball rolling not only by sharing some of her own struggles, but also by giving the reader permission to share their own stories, encouraging them to engage in the practice of confession and begin down the road to healing and transformation.

Permission To Speak Freely is a quick read, and while the scriptural and theological insights found in its pages are not necessarily anything that you might not have read before, the beauty of this book is the juxtaposition of biblical truth and personal reflection. Jackson's honesty is raw and refreshing, illuminating in a real way what God can do in and through us when we find the courage to express the deep secrets that we are so afraid to let go of. I particularly enjoyed the bits about the concept of the church being a refuge, and the gift of going second.

This is an important, albeit short book that hopefully can inspire people to be genuine with others they trust in regards to their struggles, and also to be open to supporting others in their times of need.

*Note: This book was provided free of charge from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program.

It always amazes me how difficult it can be for Christians to be honest with each other. I know for myself I am always afraid that if I am honest about where I am in my life, I am going to be judged, or told I am wrong, or even worse, be told that so-and-so no longer wants to associate with me because of choices made or situations in my life.

How awful that this has to occur within fellowship amongst Christians, but it happens more than we realize, and what to freely admit! I am so glad that the Church today is realizing that we are human, we sin and we deal with tough issues like abuse, addictions of all kinds, drug abuse and more. Not only are they realizing these issues do exist amongst Christians, but they are finally taking steps to deal with the very issues that even five or ten years ago you just "did not talk about".

Recently I had the opportunity to read and review a book that touches on this very subject. Permission To Speak Freely by Anne Jackson is a honest, open book that will change the way you look at fear, confession and Grace!

I so appreciated the candor and honesty that Anne Jackson wrote with, and the respect with which she told others' stories! The book is full of sound Bible references, beautiful poetry and honest comments from Anne Jackson's blog readers.

There is so much to digest from the honesty portrayed in this book that I really encourage each of you to read this book for yourself. You will be brought to a place in your life you may have been fighting for a long time, and don't want to visit, but you NEED to. Throughout Permission To Speak Freely, Jackson stresses the importance of confessing to one another as a community of believers in Christ. She quotes one of my favorite passages of scripture:

"And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. ANd if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen" (James 5:15-17) (p. 122)

Confession and facing our issues is not an easy task, but Jackson reminds us that we need to do this in order to allow God to work in our lives, regardless of what we are dealing with! Here is what Jackson says about confession:

"Someone once told me that there is a difference between admission and confession, and I think that's important to recognize. Admission is just sharing something that's wrong so you can get it off your chest. Confession, on the other hand, is the beginning of transformation.

When you confess something that's shattered in your life, something that you've kept hidden, you're acknowledging that you need the Cross. You need God's grace, and you're willing to allow it to find you as you seek the truth." (p.123)

I have read and re-read this book a second time, and I am learning so much from it. I will definitely be purchasing more of this book to pass around to those in my life! I have already marked up this book so that I can reference it in the future! Though a Christian book, be warned that Jackson gets very specific about life situations and there is some vulgar language, but none that is out of context.

If you want to be real about your life, despite the warnings from traditional church, you need to read this book!

I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!

I didn't know what to expect from this book when I agreed to review it. I just like the idea behind it and loved the cover. Part of me expected more art in it I guess so when it arrived I was surprised by the text included in the book as well. I grabbed this book one afternoon and it took me about three or four sitting to finish it. I devoured it and enjoyed the writings of Anne Jackson as well as the insights on what people wish they could say in church but don't.

I sense that many in the church these days, don't voice out their troubles or struggles because they are discouraged on the reaction of others in the past or simply fearful of the reaction of the ones around them. True there are people who think they are holier than thou and will make you feel like crap (hey - I'm being TOTALLY honest here... so please don't judge me.) but there is also loving and caring people around you. People who might be going through the same struggles than you and would love to chat and share their views on the subject. So why is it so bad to open up and let the cat out of the bag? I wonder.

In the past, I have experience similar reactions as well as misunderstanding due to my inability to express my thoughts in English properly (you see French is my first language so... sometimes it creates interesting situations or misunderstandings...) . I got misjudge for a comment I said while participating to a 9 months training for leaders, we got hurt by leaders in a church and denomination as well. When we voiced up our concerns it wasn't well received. Conclusion. We were in pain. We had to deal with it ourselves. We had to forgive over time. And God never left us. He was there and still is there. He is ever present.

I find that part of the healing process is to open up. The book of Anne Jackson reminded me that it is important not to fake it and to speak up. Permission to Speak Freely is part of autobiography of the author and part thoughtful insights on her views on faith and real life.

I enjoyed reading through it and will return to it in the future. I am expecting a different reaction from my part when I do so. Why? Because this book doesn't tell you what to do and such. It is simply going to let you ponder about what you read and then you have a decision to make whether to speak up or not. Whether to change or not. Whether to trust or not. It is in your hands - plain and simple. So what's is it going to be?

This review was possible because a copy of the book, Permission to Speak Freely, has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

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