Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life

I discovered Glennon's blog when the "Don't Carpe Diem" post went viral a few years ago. It was EXACTLY. EXACTLY. What I needed to hear when I was knee deep in tiny children. I instantly went to her blog and didn't stop read every little thing she had ever written until my head almost fell off from all the nodding in agreement and my ass almost fell off from laughing. True story. Glennon brings a voice of compassion to the world. She tells truth we need to hear with humility and humor and a huge dose of love. She beautifully and artistically distills situations to their loving essence. She says everything I want to say only so much better. She brings women together in a way that could change the world. (I can't help but think Jesus would be a "man"kee, too.) Her single concept of Don't Carpe Diem changed my mothering. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself, and it was so liberating to know that I didn't have to enjoy every single second to be doing a good job as a mom. So now I think of my "kairos" moments every day, and I have let go of the rest. I am so much more peaceful and satisfied, I'm a happier mommy, a happier wife, a happier friend, and the joy spills over to share. I have bought this book in both the hardcover and paperpack and shared it over and over. One of my favorite parts is actually in the paperback afterword, about the worthy forces on women and what a blessing they are and how to have balance by strengthening them. That concept could be a book in itself, and is something I think of and turn to and share with others often. I can't help but think of the ripple effect that Glennon has had on our generation of parents. MORE compassion? MORE understanding? MORE joy? MORE love? I am so proud to be a Monkee. Read this book and join the reLOVEution.

My very favorite kinds of books are those that leave me in tears one moment and cause me to laugh aloud the next. Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton is definitely one of those books. In this collection of essays, Glennon, the creator of Momastery, encourages people to share their "secret selves" with others because "some people will want and need to hear about your secret self as badly as they need to inhale. Because reading your truth will make them less afraid of their own secret selves" and because "telling your truth will make you less afraid too." Throughout the book, I appreciated the way in which Glennon modeled this sharing of her secret self with her readers, bravely tackling tough issues like addictions and eating disorders and doing so with a great deal of humor, wisdom, and poise. In a stunning display of courage, Glennon even tackles the divisive subject of abortion in her essay, Hard. She openly shares her own experience with abortion and then concludes, in what might just be my favorite line in this entire book, "I don't feel ashamed. I feel forgiven and whole, and I know that God never let go of my hand before, during or after my abortion. God and I are clear on that issue." It's honestly difficult to choose a favorite essay from a book as open and honest as this one. How can you really critique someone's art, the vehicle Glennon describes as God's way of offering a "safe way to express both joy and madness"? Even so, as a youth worker, two essays particularly captivated both my heart and imagination. Glennon's essay, On Gifts and Talents, challenged me to think deeply about the way in which I teach spiritual gifts. According to Glennon, "We have to actually believe that our kids are OK. We can start believing by erasing the idea that education is a race. It's not. Education is like Christmas. We're all just opening our gifts, one at a time. It is a fact that each and every child has a bright shiny present with her name on it, waiting there underneath the tree. God wrapped it up, and he'll let us know when it's time to unwrap it." As a youth worker, I pray I can be someone who helps teenagers unwrap the gifts with their names on them and discover how they might use those gifts - whatever they are - to serve and honor God. Room for One More is one of the best essays on the church I've read in a very long time. In it, Glennon reflects on her reluctance to engage with a church community before concluding "We know that any faith worth a damn is a faith worked out over a lifetime of relationships with other people. Church is just a commitment to try to live a life of a certain quality - a life of love, of humility, of service - alongside others for whom you will care and allow to care for you, even when that's difficult." In a day and age when people's perception of the church is increasingly far more negative than positive, as a youth worker, I hope that by the time my students graduate from my ministry they know and have intimately experienced the kind of church Glennon writes about. No doubt, Glennon's is a book worth reading. It's one that invites you into the pages of her life, entrusting you with the kinds of stories that most save for their closest friends. As she does, you begin to understand that indeed, life may be "brutiful", but it's through "paralyzing pain and impossibility" that we realize there really is "something True about Jesus."

I love Glennon's approach to life, her spirituality that is grounded in reality, and the way she shares her struggles, highs, lows, ups and downs with a funny yet, profoundly poignant message - we can do hard things. This is my new motto and one I plan to pass on to my young boys. Life is brutiful - equal parts beautiful and brutal and when you can appreciate and see it as both, you can fully immerse yourself in the human experience and know that sometimes, being a person, being a parent is hard, not because you are doing it wrong but because it is just hard. We all belong to each other and this book does a wonderful job of helping you believe in the power of kindness, not only to others, but to yourself. Many critics will say that she complains too much, or that she doesn't appreciate what she has - but I see her writing as just the opposite. It is real. It is honest. It is filled with lessons and observations and words of wisdom as well as questions. Questions that make you think, about what you believe, about God, about life, about love, about relationships, about spirituality, acceptance and more. Her book challenges you to think of these things differently and maybe not as you've "always done" but if you're brave enough to go there, to see the world through the eyes of a recovering, broken person (who I myself cannot relate to, yet can fully connect with the amazing things she has learned), you will begin to see things with a kinder heart and learn more about what it means to be a spiritual being, having a human experience on this place, just like everyone else.

I was torn between "I like it" and "I love it" as a rating. In the afterglow of reading it, I really liked it--I laughed, I cried, the whole kit-and-caboodle. But afterwards, I started to feel a little manipulated, or that Glennon's genuine-ness was a bit contrived somehow. I don't know, maybe it's because genuine people are rather rare. Maybe her habit of "putting it all out there" makes her seem a little flippant sometimes; or maybe it's a bit of a disconnect between her confessed foibles and quite polished and readable writing style. I did feel affirmed in my motherhood--not confirmed in bad habits, or excused for poor parenting--but understood and accepted. This is a book that makes you realize that the Pinterest-LadiesHomeJournal-Women'sHealth life is really not happening for anybody, at least not every day (or even most days); and that that is just fine. It walks that fine line between those weird mom blogs that want to socially norm feeding kids Pepsi in sippy cups....and the other end of the spectrum, where mom's write about making organic baby food for babies who's poop doesn't stink. It felt pretty real, pretty authentic. Glennon is someone I would enjoy having coffee with, or even having as a neighbor; and as such, this book was a fun, engaging, reassuring read that struck just the right sympathetic-funny tone.

Carry On, Warrior is an empowering and heartfelt guide to embracing life’s chaos with humor and honesty. Glennon Doyle’s candid storytelling inspires readers to accept their imperfections and live authentically, making this book both uplifting and relatable.

A friend of mine kept posting on Facebook about this book, and initially I was not interested. But after seeing a few more suggestions from other friends, I decided to pick it up and give it a whirl. WOW! This book is hands down one of the most honest, raw and real books I have ever read. Glennon has been through some stuff that I simply can't relate to, but she writes about it in a very universal way- which helps me relate to the overall lesson learned. For instance, she battles alcoholism. While this is not my particular challenge, I can relate the lessons she learns in her alcoholic battles to my own struggles because of the way she articulates. There are some themes I definitely can relate to (how women compare themselves to other women, motherhood, being a wife). Sometimes it feels like she opened up my brain, took out the jumbled thoughts/feelings and articulated them so clearly, so well, that I have to write it down, underline it in the book...email it to my girlfriends who face similar struggles. I have gone back a few times and read parts of it again. This book is so uplifting and inspiring. I feel a greater connection to my fellow women-kind because of Glennon. I hope to meet her in person someday and thank her. In case that doesn't happen, I'll do it here: Thank you, Glennon, for being so real and for exposing yourself to us all. You have inspired me in so many ways! Please keep doing what you do-- telling the truth, spreading hope. You are a gem, and you have made the world a better place! You have made me feel less alone in my struggles. Thank you, sincerely.

Ok - thought it was going to be better. I love the vulnerable, raw nature of it but it seemed to go on and on at times.

I've been reading (and loving) Glennon's blog, Momastery, for over a year now. I was thrilled when she announced her book deal and have been waiting for Carry On, Warrior for what feels like forever. I'm not usually a lover of non-fiction but this book was outstanding. It made me cry several times, and as Chris Tomlin would say, "it made my heart want to sing." I love Glennon's blog, but this book was even better and really spoke to my heart. Some of the essays in the book have been previously published on her website, but much of the book is new material. And for new(ish) followers of the site, like me, it was nice to be able to read Glennon's story in order, instead of piecing it together through the blog. Glennon describes herself as a hope-spreader and truth-teller. She lives an open and honest life, and that honesty is what speaks to me. I see so much of myself in her and feel like she knows how I feel, even though she doesn't know me. She describes this as the divine inside of her speaking to and recognizing the divine in me. And I think she's exactly right. Reading this book was like hearing a bell toll: all of it rang true for me. I'm so glad I bought a hard copy of Carry On, Warrior. I want to be able to easily flip back to my favorite parts and highlight certain quotes and go back and read this book again just to savor it. I feel like Carry On, Warrior is more of a book for women, especially mothers, but I think that it would appeal to just about anyone. Highly, highly recommended!

I gave this book 4 Stars cause it's a whole lot of honesty that I needed. An extra boost to keep on going.

I‘ve been a long time fan of Glennon‘s but had not yet read Carry On, Warrior. I am again in awe of the wisdom, clarity of thought and expression and inclusiveness of her writing! Thank you for sharing and making us all think about ourselves, accept ourselves more and paving the way for us to tap into our own wisdom!

So good! Glennon Melton will have you in stitches laughing at her short stories of parenthood, and crying the next moment at incredibly relatable struggles as a human being in general. It makes for fairly quick reading, and it's something you can easily pick up and put down if thats your style of reading (though I read it all in one go). Have re-read several times since, and still highly recommend it.

en general no conocia a glennon, la escuche en una conferencia ted y me dio curiosidad, este libro es muy readable, facil de leer y comprender y te hace conectar con el escritor, lo recomiendo mucho ademas llego super rapido

What to say???!!! It is just amazing to read...amazing...Thank you Glennon!!! Worthwhile every page!!! I truly enjoyed reading it, ❤️