Good Reads: "All My Knotted-Up Life"

Every now and then, I will write a bit about what I've read recently (as I continue my efforts to read one book a month). Here are my thoughts on a book I read in April 2024.

All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore. Non-Fiction, Memoir

Sometime in the early 2010s, I was in the thick of a hyper-masculine, Mark Driscoll-saturated phase of my walk with Jesus. I remember being at Walmart one day and noticing the book section was filled with Christian books from authors, pastors, and speakers like Joel Osteen and Beth Moore. I took a photo and posted it to the early incarnation of my Facebook feed noting, with great snark, what I considered to be the weak theology on display (for the record, I still don't pay much attention to Brother Joel's teachings). I was so smart, don't you know. One commenter — the wife of a friend of mine — set me straight when she commented something to the effect of "leave Beth Moore out of this, she's one of the good ones."

Consider my surprise then when, somewhere around 2016, I began to hear more about Mrs. Moore in relation to the growing political divide in American evangelicalism, which was more than a little disturbing to me. The aforementioned interaction sticks with me to this day because Mrs. Moore slowly, but surely, became one of my favorite people to follow on the swirling cesspool of negativity known as Twitter.

I can safely say in 2024 that anyone who knew me well in those days would probably be a little surprised to see me talking about her 2023 memoir All My Knotted-Up Life with nothing but praise and admiration.

I had heard positive things about the book in late 2023 and it sat on my shelf for a few months before I decided to follow up Mike Cosper's memoir, Land of My Sojourn with Mrs. Moore's book — as both hit on familiar themes of fighting for faith in the midst of a church culture they once called home.

The title is no joke, as Mrs. Moore's life is, well, "all knotted up" from nearly the beginning and never really lets up. While some situations may not be familiar to me directly (thank God), with the chaos of her childhood and adolescence, I know others who can relate and this helps me understand them better. I also understand the struggle of living in the midst of mental health issues and feeling helpless. The way she cries out to God about those struggles — especially on behalf of a loved one — are strikingly familiar. It was liberating and inspiring to read of people who go through the storms of life and come out the other side realizing all they have to hold on to is Jesus.

I can't say where this book will fall on my year-end list, but I can't imagine it not being in my Top Five. The book was a fantastic read, bar none. When we all get to heaven, in addition to singing and shouting the victory, I hope to be able to thank Mrs. Moore for sharing her story with the world. A story that is compelling even to someone as unlikely as me — a guy who was once sure he had it all figured out for so long, but who God is still shaping.

I recommend this book.