The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love That Reorders a Life

Description

The Book of Waking Up invites you to wake to your coping mechanisms, find the why behind your pain, and walk into the Divine Love of God. The inevitable pain of life gives us many reasons to check out--and many ways to do it. Alcohol, entertainment, pills, shopping, porn, chasing success, cashing checks, and collecting social media "likes"--these and so many other things anesthetize us from the wounds of everyday living. As Seth Haines wrote in his award-winning book, Coming Clean, "We're all drunk on something." In his compelling follow-up, The Book of Waking Up, Seth invites you into the story of healing. He invites you to see your coping mechanisms for what they are--lesser lovers, which cannot bring the peace, freedom, and wholeness you crave. Through guided reflections, sustainable soul practices, and stories from Seth's life and others, The Book of Waking Up points you toward the Divine Love of God that has the power to transform your life. As Seth writes, "Addiction is misplaced adoration." Now, join him on a journey toward the only Love worth adoring, the only Love that cures a soul. Join him on the journey to waking up.

Seth Haines has experienced the grace that comes from a God who lives in mystery, who works through both joy and pain. Seth's first book Coming Clean: A Story of Faith received a Christianity Today Award of Merit in the publication's 2016 book awards. Seth's poetry and prose has been featured in various publications, including In Touch Magazine, Fathom Magazine, Tweetspeak Poetry, and at SethHaines.com. He makes his home in the Ozarks with his wife, Amber Haines, and their four sons.

Seth has lived these words, fought for them, wrestled lies to the ground, and found love on the other side. May we slow down, pay attention, and wake up to the freedom we've been craving all along. * Rebekah Lyons, bestselling author, Rhythms of Renewal and You Are Free * The Book of Waking Up truly is for all of us. In these pages you will not find the dreaded alarm clock, no. This is a glorious song of joy, of honesty, and of wonder-working power. These lyrical, honest, humble words will open eyes, unclench fists, and cause souls to rise up in love. * Sarah Bessey, author, Miracles and Other Reasonable Things and Jesus Feminist * Seth cheerfully challenges the lies all addicts tell themselves to get them through the night, because he knows, by experience, that the truth will set you free. Whether or not you think you're an addict, read this book and learn. * Bishop Greg Brewer, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida * Sobriety is complicated. No one has it all figured out, but no one writes toward it and speaks toward it and leads me toward it like Seth Haines. His writing is a map and a comfort. A lamp and a warm hearth. I trust his words in my joy and in my pain. * Annie F. Downs, bestselling author, 100 Days to Brave and Remember God * Combining prose with poetry, theology with biography, and rapture born of rupture, Seth paves the way for those of us who, having grown tired of our wandering and wavering affections, are trying to figure out how to get back home. I can't recommend this book to you highly enough. * Scott Sauls, senior pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church; author, Jesus Outside the Lines and Irresistible Faith * Years ago, Gerald May's theologically rich and psychologically trustworthy Addiction and Grace became my go-to resource. Today it's The Book of Waking Up. I'm so grateful to Seth for his wisdom and vulnerability in it. * Chuck Degroat, professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality, Western Theological Seminary * Seth Haines does two things in this book: he awakens us to our addictions and reveals himself as a thoughtful, incisive, and skilled writer. This book invites us to dive deep into the condition of our hearts, and offers guidance, hope, and direction for a better way. * Mike Cosper, author, Recapturing the Wonder and Rhythms of Grace; founder, Harbor Media * This book encourages us not merely to wake up from addiction but also to wake up to adoration of the God who loves us and promises to be faithful to us forever. It is most effective when read slowly, reflecting on the challenges offered and allowing God to transform us. * Glenn R. Kreider, professor of theological studies, Dallas Theological Seminary; editor-in-chief, Bibliotheca Sacra * 'Poet Haines, who wrote about his alcoholism and recovery in Coming Clean, addresses the importance of waking up from a life of addiction to a life of delighting in God in this thoughtful memoir.' * Publishers Weekly *