Debra J. Tripp

You've tried it all before. You've done the Bible reading plans until you reached the book of Numbers. You have prayer journals that are half full. You hunger for a deep, meaningful spiritual life, but are so weary of your own personal inconsistencies and life interruptions that it almost feels hypocritical to try again. It often feels like spiritual disciplines are for the privileged few theologians who contemplate God's word while sitting in their studies. But God doesn't ask for your performance in exchange for his love.

All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.

The megatalented creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder chronicles how saying yes for one year changed her life - and how it can change yours, too.

Heavily tattooed and foul-mouthed, Nadia Bolz-Weber, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious-leader material - until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor. Using life stories, Nadia uses humorous narrative and poignant honesty to portray a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way.