Yes, I found this book vulnerable and the author shared interesting and practical things you can implement to grow in this area. You may find helpful ways to open up and grow in vulnerability. I perceived this was not an easy task for the author and I admire the enormous effort that it took to write this. What I didn´t expect was so many references and quotations to Brené Brown, I´d rather read something more personal or researched by someone than read something inspired by another author´s work, it´s just my personal preference. When that happens, I would prefer to read all the material someone quotes than her actual books. I admire the author´s efforts to open up and help others, being brave enough to be vulnerable. It is a small and easy book to go through and reflect.

The idea that American Christianity (at least since the fundamentalist movement of the 1920s) doesn't give enough attention to the body has been made numerous times. Most people have the impression that being a Christian is all about becoming saved, living morally upright lives, and getting to the point when we may leave our mortal bodies behind and enter heaven. The Bible, according to Fabian, does not maintain this spirit vs. matter viewpoint of bodies; rather, it sees the body and the spirit as two entities that should cooperate to form a seamless whole, even if this cooperation is an ongoing and imperfect process. She gently explains to readers how this (together with the knowledge that we cannot be close to God unless we are comfortable with being vulnerable) allows us to be open in unexpected ways to fresh growth.

When most of us think of vulnerability, we think of breaking ourselves wide open and probably over-sharing, but that's not what this book means by it. This book is talking about the vulnerability of embracing our creatureliness, our created-ness, and throwing ourselves into God's grand design for what it means to be human. This is important, and it's a topic of particular interest to me. Too many in the church have come to believe that faith (and faithfulness) is an exercise of the heart, but it is really a practice of human being. The way that this author invites us to get back in touch with those parts of our creation that were meant to soothe our souls is refreshing. There IS a way to live a holy life in a broken flesh, and it is not by disconnecting, but by reconnecting. It is by engaging in the ways that God has created us to engage. This kind of reconnection is the answer to all of the detachment we feel from ourselves (and from God...and from each other) and to the discombobulation of what we try so hard, in vain, to do on our own.

When our souls are wounded, God has given us our bodies, and when our bodies are weary, God has given us our souls. This book reminds us of that in a way that so, so many of us need.

There are a few points where the author's own personal journey is a distraction, and I started to wonder if perhaps she wasn't just trying to write a memoir couched in some other sort of language, but after short bits, she brought it back to the heart of the matter.

A very powerful read focusing on ways to deepen and strengthen a relationship with Jesus. My favorite aspect is how the author shares her own vulnerabilities and challenges, with lessons learned and recommendations to try. I believe by humbly sharing these stories, the reader quickly instantly connects with her and is drawn more into the read.

I give the author great props for being willing to put herself out there (with God's guidance of course), and sharing such personal stories. Please add this to your reading list!

It's been said many times that American Christianity (at least since the fundamentalist movement of the 1920s) doesn't pay enough attention to the body. It's common to get the sense that the point of being a Christian is to get saved, not do too much bad in life and reach the point where we can finally jump out of this body shell into heaven. Fabian points out that the Bible doesn't hold this spirit vs matter view of bodies, in fact it views the body and spirit as things that should work together in a holistic whole, even if it's a perpetual and imperfect process. She carefully helps readers see how this (and the understanding that we are not close to God until we are okay with being vulnerable) opens us up in surprising ways to new growth.

This was an extremely well written book. Thought-provoking without being didactic. Very much appreciated the questions at the end of each chapter, they were very thought-provoking. Spoke to me in a way few books have.

Kellye Fabian’s in his fantastic work, “Holy Vulnerability,” is a like a compassionate and skillful surgeon. He writes in a way that opens us up and brings forth healing and transformation along the way. This work is a catalyst for deep spiritual formation and I can't recommend it enough!

With "Holy Vulnerability: Spiritual Practices for the Broken, Ashamed, Anxious, and Afraid," Willow Creek Community Church Pastor of Biblical Oversight & Support Kellye Fabian journeys into the depth of the human experience to call us into a deeper and holy vulnerability with a God ready to heal our wounds, brokenness, shame, fears, and traumas.

Intentionally choosing to expose these things to God is at the heart of "Holy Vulnerability," Fabian's latest work that has, I must say, my favorite book cover of 2021 by far. I mean, seriously, look at it. Just amazing.

Okay, I detoured for a minute. Have you seen my book? I obviously like photos of hands.

Okay, back to "Holy Vulnerability."

If there's one thing, I suppose, that keeps "Holy Vulnerability" from obtaining my elusive five-star rating it's an issue that Fabian acknowledges early in her book. "Holy Vulnerability" isn't necessarily for those with deeply traumatic experiences or medical concerns that require interventions above and beyond from medical doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. "Holy Vulnerability" is targeted more at the everyday experiences of brokenness, shame, depression, and fear that are often written about by folks like Brene' Brown. To her credit, Fabian affirms these interventions, but is careful, and as a former lawyer I would expect this from her, to acknowledge that "Holy Vulnerability" is not intended as therapy or counsel or medical advice.

It's a spiritual companion.

Not that I needed medical advice. I have doctors for that. However, as someone whose entire life has been centered around vulnerability as a lifelong paraplegic, a double amputee, a survivor of sexual violence, and someone who has experienced multiple other significant traumas including the suicide of my wife and death of my child, much of "Holy Vulnerability" felt, in fact, incredibly basic to me. It was knowledge I largely knew, yet it was also comfort I deeply appreciated and it felt like both a literary and personal companion I was anxious to know.

So, while I may not have had a 5-star experience with the book I did, in fact, deeply appreciate the weaving of Scripture into daily life and the very tangible practices and relatable ways Fabian brought life to this material. I did feel, at times, that Fabian's language toward disability, which was only discussed briefly, leaned toward the ableist. As an adult with a disability who's also been in pastoral roles I've always struggled with the church's ableist attitudes and inherent limiting of disability. As someone who has long studied a theology of disability, I have zero doubt that Christ's embrace of disability is much more of a positive, embracing experience than is expressed here and quite often from Christian writers.

That's really a minor concern in a deeply compassionate and intelligently written discussion on holy vulnerability. The book's real meat and potatoes (I actually really hate that phrase, but I'll use it anyway) comes from the actual spiritual practices Fabian puts forth to invite us into holy vulnerability. We're talking about accessible practices, and rather unique ones, like common prayer (my favorite chapter), laughter (my 2nd favorite chapter), tangible engagement with creation, and others. Fabian provides us with a solid scriptural foundation for embracing holy vulnerability, then she provides us tangible steps, reflections, and practices to help us get there. For a woman who is both law school and seminary trained, Fabian makes this material remarkably accessible to the everyday Christian for whom Christian lingo can be a bit much.

I really loved "Holy Vulnerability" despite the fact that much of it felt at least somewhat familiar to me. I particularly embraced the actual spiritual practices, essentially the second half of the book, and really, really loved Fabian's accessible and approachable ways of making this material less intimidating and friendly for Christians across the theological and life experience spectrum.