For the Love

I just finished listening to For the Love by Jen Hatmaker and I am so conflicted. There is a lot – really, a lot – of good about this book. But there is this one Really Bad Thing. In time, I may forget the Bad Thing, but right now it makes me think I won’t pick this book up again.

First, let’s celebrate the good. Jen Hatmaker reads this audiobook and she does a great job. When an author reads his/her own work (and does it well), it brings me joy. I have seen Jen Hatmaker speak and I can honestly say that her reading voice sounded like her speaking voice: friendly, expressive, conversational, and heartfelt.

Jen Hatmaker is funny. This is one of the reasons people love her. Although it felt a little confusing from a strictly literary standpoint, this book went back and forth between celebrating women, laying down God Truth, and Jimmy Fallon-style thank you notes. The parts celebrating womanhood were the most humorous, especially the parts about child-rearing. Jen Hatmaker (yes, I have to call her by her whole name – I don’t know why, it’s just what I do) is self-deprecating in an honest way that a lot of moms aren’t. It’s nice to laugh at how preposterous this whole parenting gig can be. And the thank you letters…the thank you letters are hilarious. My favorite was the letter to Facebook Quizzes. You should Google it.

The theology that Jen Hatmaker lays down is truthful and solid. She speaks to issues like pastoral honesty and church community and mission work. Her passion for the poor is evident in her writing, as is her desire to see mission trips done right. I wish every church would read her section on how to work with local churches in missions. She puts forth the radical idea that Americans on mission trips should listen to the local church leaders and Do What They Ask instead of setting our own agendas. And she states that we need to be more committed to those churches instead of taking One and Done mission trips.

Okay, the Really Bad Thing. Full disclosure: I’m being petty. Jen Hatmaker makes me feel bad about myself. I’m sure she doesn’t intend it, I know that it’s my own problem, but it’s still real and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. Jen Hatmaker has five kids and writes and is a pastor’s wife and some kind of wonder-cook and yet she has All the Friends with All the Closeness. She talks about her tribe, her people, all of these amazing friends she always seems to be with who are so supportive and taking vacations together and having deep conversations and OMG what is wrong with me that my kids and my job are pretty much all I can handle and I don’t have that kind of Sex and the City Working Mom Iron Chef thing that she has?  I couldn’t finish her book Seven for the same reason. Yeah, I get that it’s me and it’s not “what’s wrong with me” but more “it’s okay that I’m not there in this ‘season’.” But, seriously, I feel bad. And just in case this might make you feel the same way, I’m putting it in this review.

So – great audio book reader. Funny. Solid theology. If you are living the large circle of extremely close friends, this is so your life. If you don’t give a flip whether you have a large circle of extremely close friends, namaste on your evolvement – read the book. If you can’t handle hearing about someone else’s large circle of extremely close friends right now because that’s not where you are, maybe wait on this one.

Happy reading,

Malinda