All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir

Beth Moore is such a gift to so many women. Her study on the book of Esther opened the Bible to me, and she opens herself to us in this book. I read it in three days, and have come to respect and admire her even more.

I have been through 3 Beth Moore studies and enjoyed each of them. Of the many women speakers/preachers out there, she has a deep rich understanding of the scriptures more on point with theologians. I knew nothing of her background or story. This book took my respect and appreciation for her to a whole new level. She is shattering the misconceptions we unintentionally hold that our spiritual leaders must be perfect and have a flawless background. Many spiritual leaders would do well to imitate the raw and vulnerable tone here and share how they have been challenged, tried and not measured up to the standard we all strive to. It encourages and gives hope to us all. I cried tears multiple times in this book the first when the book talked about Keith and his struggle with PSTD and BiPolar. To Keith: thank you for letting Beth share your struggles. I was incredibly touched by your story. You are just as courageous as Beth in sharing your journey here! I am a woman called to vocational ministry with a husband who struggles with OCD/Depression. He also doesn't mind swearing much to my dismay :-) He is with us every week for church and prays for our meals and children but we pursue the Lord at different levels. He struggles with his faith and would relate to the statement "Life is just harder for some people." Yes, yes it is. We have been through mental health hell and my heart goes out to you for enduring. For that is the best you can do at times. Endure. So many times, the unspoken expectation when a women leads in the church is her husband must pursue the Lord at the same level. Especially since scripture states the male should lead spiritually. What if they don't lead spiritually or pursue the Lord in the same passionate way? I'm not divorcing my spouse because he struggles with his faith. I love him! I'm also not willing to sacrifice my pursuit of the Lord or passion to lead others into deeper levels of understanding of the word for that reason either. Can a woman lead spiritually in the church if her husband doesn't pursue the Lord at the same level she does? Would love discussion on this one. Her Encounter with God... just beautiful. The Lord knew where her life was headed and where she came from. And He chose her anyways. Amen! Who he calls he will equip for the journey! I am a pastor's kid raised in christian conservative denomination that doesn't acknowledge the charismatic expression of the gifts or talk about God encounters. Truly providence that the woman who Beth shared her encounter with directed her to vocational ministry and didn't negate the experience. I am now a non-denominational charismatic after a God encounter that included manifestations of the gifts down the road. Absolutely loved her quote "An individual can go an entire lifetime without feeling anything out of the ordinary and have no less Spirit, no less calling, no less purpose, faith, or gifting and certainly no less fruitfulness." I will hopefully be teaching a class on the more supernatural gifts of the Spirit and Beth's encounter and this quote will be in there. Yes! Value for those that do and do not operate in the gifts. Receiving a gift or having an experience does not elevate you above another person or make you less called. I am touched to the core by Beth's story. We all carry some level of brokenness through this walk of life. Her story is such a beautiful reminder of walking with Jesus through it all. Of the messy, sometimes harrowing road that we have to navigate to make it through those pearly gates. God bless you Beth Moore! Bless you for putting up with judgmental know-it-alls, rude and opinionated people who break others down in the guise of religion, and for pursuing the Lord so faithfully with the hand dealt you. You have and will continue to impact many.

Not having been raised in the Southern Baptist Convention-influenced universe, I wanted to find out about the people that have formed the mindset that so many now are rejecting. Years ago, back when I watched TBN, I'd tune into James Robison and see Beth Moore there regularly. I was always impressed. I decided to read up about this Gothard dude, this MacArthur dude, and Paige Patterson to better understand the big names in all this. What surprised me is that several names popped up that I was quite familiar with already, one being Dobson. The influence these people have had on the entire American church has been eye-opening for me. With Beth leaving the SBC, and having been raised in that mindset, I wanted to understand the background. I saw somewhere that this MacArthur fella told her to "go home". When I read that, I had to get the book. I wanted her side. Well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. She had me in the first pages since I grew up in the 60's too. What struck me is that her thought processes throughout this whole thing have thoroughly paralleled my own, in spite of the fact that I wasn't raised in that universe. I've done my decades in various churches of different brands, I have been completely immersed in American Churchianity since the 80's, and have come to see the hypocrisy in so much of it, specifically the patriarchy mindset. The other book that had me- Beth Allison Barr's The Making of Biblical Womanhood. I hope these 2 women have met and had coffee. Moore's book is so very well written, so very funny in places, and so very heart-wrenching in others. Thank you, Beth, for this. Very few books have impacted me like this one has.

Beth tells her story with honesty, vulnerability, and her colorful style that draws you in quickly! She is living proof as a recipient of God’s grace through a lifetime of challenges, joy, and growth that leads you to know the reality of the God of the universe who loves us one person at a time!

I worked through several of Beth’s Bible studies and have bought several of her books over the years. I was an avid Trump supporter in 2016, and I knew there was some kind of blowup with Beth on social media, but mostly ignored it. Knowing her side of the story solidifies my belief that perspective and perception are critical to context in every opinion we hold. She absolutely did not deserve the backlash she endured, but in the end, her break from the SBC was a good thing. Grew up SBC myself, and decided years ago they need to let God out of the box He’s suffocating in. You can’t limit God by dictating who can and can’t serve in what capacity. The church is often its own worst enemy. Good read. Enjoyed it.

I grew up in Arkadelphia, Arkansas at the same time the Green family lived there. I was friends and classmates with her older brother Wayne from the age of nine well into adulthood. The last time I saw Wayne was at our 50-year high school reunion in 2018. Sadly and suddenly, Wayne died a few days before Beth’s book was released. He had seen an advance copy however, and was able to, as Beth put it, “see himself through my eyes.” Beth clearly adores her older brother. From my interactions with him over the years, there is ample reason for that. Beth was too much younger than me to be more than barely aware of her existence, even though the house on the hill of her earliest childhood was perhaps 100 yards away from my own. It was quite the experience to read of my former hometown, to know the places and the people, and to know exactly what the old Royal Movie Theater looked like, what the First Baptist Church we both attended looked like, who the pastor was, who her missions class teacher was (she lived across the street from my family). I moved away from Arkadelphia 50 years ago. Some of my classmates knew of the abuse she and her sister suffered at the hands of her father; I did not. I knew I didn’t like him. My sharpest memory of him is of an angry confrontation when I was perhaps eleven years old. My eleven year old self did NOT confront adults. I don’t remember what the argument was about, but I knew this was an adult I neither liked nor respected. Beth has painted a beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking story, but it is also one of prevailing over trauma that would break—and has broken—many people. Our paths diverged in ways both geographical and philosophical, but her origins are mine. She is open and vulnerable and very, very appealing. This was one of those books I could not set aside until I had read it all.

I have so much respect for this true woman of God. Her story was honest and insightful. I cried with her at the end as she shared her disappointment. God has truly used her to bless so many lives, and I look forward to seeing how her future unfolds.

This is one of those raree books that begs for more stars. I don't say that often, but Beth Moore is an excellent writer/storyteller. And I am not a cry-er, but this book had me in tears several times. My own trauma was not the same as hers, but the intensity was. That's how I connected with her. Her words captured moments with few words. I am recommended this book to others.

If you have ever heard Beth Moore speak, you will want to read this book. What a revelation of a life redeemed and transformed by God. It gives the reader such hope and anticipation that in the days ahead, if lived for the love of doing God's will, it can be joy-filled, delightful and very different than the past. Praise Jesus!

I have done a number of Beth Moore’s studies which I’d recommend to anyone. So of course I had to get her biography which I found interesting and inspiring. A courageous lady!

Encouraging and with such transparency. Couldn't stop reading. So many conversations that I would love to have with Beth. Maybe in August on my trip to Alaska?

I’ve been a ‘lurker’ on Beth’s twitter account as I find her posts both uplifting and amusing especially her animal sightings near her house. I’ve also read about the vicissitudes of her religious life from the outside looking in and have always admired her boldness and stand with her in her values. Especially her outspokenness in the political arena. In my opinion one of the only sane evangelical voices. I was so comforted to know that there were other Christians who had not drunk the cool aid in 2016. With this background I was immediately entranced with this memoir. Seeing the internal workings of all that I had observed externally. But far more impactful was reading her struggles in both her childhood and adult life. The strength of character to have endured and still be so inspirational. This book has affected me in a visceral way and I find it difficult to describe the roller coaster of emotions I feel. Keith’s struggles and his overcoming spirit has been especially heart wrenching. I just love the relationship between the two. Beth’s writing is so poetic and emotive and amusing. Dare I say hilarious as well. Words cannot express how I love this book. Definitely one of my favorite books read.

Well written and honest read. Beth openly and vulnerably shares her family background, with all of its good memories, pain and brokenness. She gives great insight into her years in ministry. It’s sad that “the Church” continues to react in fear to those that God calls and very definitely is using for His glory. Beth in revealing the Church abuse she experienced displays how to overcome with grace and poise, keeping our eyes on Jesus and not derailing from our calling. I did my first Beth Moore bible study with Breaking Free. It was life changing! This book will not disappoint and you will find yourself connecting in ways you had not imagined. Love you BETH!