Let's Bust a Recap : All My Knotted-Up Life

I know, I know, I missed another month of blogging. Let's not make a federal case out of it. If there's one thing I've finally settled on in regards to this little corner of the internet it's that when it happens, it happens; and when it doesn't, it really doesn't. And that's just how it is. So let's jump in today with this brand spanking-new release from popular Christian women's teacher Beth Moore.

But where to even begin? I did my first Beth Moore Bible study when I was a fresh-faced 24 year old. I was engaged to Cody, and her study on the New Testament book of James had just come out. A lady at my church had been leading women's Bible studies for years, and Moore's studies were often in the rotation. Not only was this my first Bible study by Beth Moore, it was my first experience participating in an adult women's Bible study of any kind. I'm pretty sure I was the youngest one in the class by a good number of years, and to my dying day I'll be thankful for the way those women poured into my life. I may not have been the most faithful Bible study attendee, but those women sure were and they loved me like a daughter. Still do.  

I've also been to no less than five Living Proof Live events. Had my ticket for the event in Wilmington, NC in 2020, but we all know how that turned out. Those weekends singing praise to God with thousands of other women and hearing the Scriptures taught by Beth Moore are some of the most soul-filling times I've ever experienced. I've been encouraged by Beth Moore to memorize Scripture through her studies and through her online Siesta Scripture Memory Team which I participated in for three years.

All this to say, I'm familiar with Beth Moore and her ministry trajectory and was aware she was publishing a memoir. I'd added it to my amazon wishlist, but then I remembered: hey! I'm a library-user now! So I got on my library's waitlist for All My Knotted-Up Life. This is the first book I've requested from the library that I had to wait for, and it took three solid months before my turn came around in the holds line. I read it in about four days last week and took it right back to keep it moving along through the line. 

I feel like I'm taking forever to get to the point of this recap, but here's the problem: I have a hard time with memoirs. The more of them I read, the more I realize I'm a strict biography or autobiography girl. I like a neat timeline of events, and I like details. Any one of my close friends will tell you that they cannot get through a story with me without me stopping them to ask about a million and one questions so I can get the full picture. I've been like this my whole life long, so when I'm reading a book and I feel like I'm being given these sort of specific generalities: I get a little frustrated. 

But how do you critique someone's memoirs? Beth Moore is certainly not obligated to share any more of her story than she deems apt. Her memoir has been described as "intensely vulnerable", written with "surprising candor", and "deeply personal" but I don't think any of those descriptions are particularly fitting. Moore has always been fiercely protective of her family—rightfully so—and though she does address the childhood sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, and sheds some insight into her husband's struggle with PTSD and bipolar disorder, that protectiveness permeates her memoir keeping things somewhat vague and not always detailing resolutions. Without a doubt she comes from the Get a Grip and Bite Your Lip to Save Face generation, and I understand that. 

However, every word was dripping with Moore's signature wit and warmth, and I felt a lot of love for her as I was reading All My Knotted-Up Life. You can tell that releasing it into the world was probably a real catharsis for her. Her life has certainly not been easy (is anyone's?) but her love for and deep commitment to God and her family really shine through in these pages. I've personally heard her at her conferences throughout the years very vaguely reference many of the difficulties her family has faced so it was eye-opening to read All My Knotted-Up Life and be able to connect a few more of those dots. 

Ultimately, reading All My Knotted-Up Life left me with some key takeaways that will stay with me.

One, I am deeply and profoundly grateful to God for the caring and protective men He has placed in my life, not only in my family but in my churches. My father, brothers, husband, and pastors have always protected me, esteemed me, and treated me with dignity and respect, and the fact that so many women have not had this life experience truly humbles me and grieves me. Thank God for godly men.

And two, God can and does use broken people to achieve His ends. I have personally benefited from the ministry of Beth Moore even during times when her personal life was apparently in shambles. We can serve God in the midst of our brokenness—because let's face it, we'll be operating from that brokenness until we meet Him on the Other Side—and He will hold us fast. Even when it feels impossible: He will hold us fast. 

As Beth Moore wrote in concluding her memoir: blest be the tie that binds. 

Also—and I just can't not include this—Beth and Keith Moore's given first names are Wanda and Ivan and if that doesn't tickle you a tiny bit, then you and I do not share the same sense of humor. Bless them.