Just as I expected, this was such a balm to my spirit!! Kate Bowler is a gem and I’m glad to now be introduced to to Jessica Richie’s writing as well. This is going on a list of books that I’ll gift to friends. And it’s certainly one that I’ll return to in the future.

I love Kate’s writing and the combination with Jessica, works beautifully. I’m in a strange place with my own faith and this type of writing is just calming and loving to me.

The perfect book to sit with and meditate. It’s full of great wisdom and it’s a lot to sink your teeth in. I want to leave it out and soak it in page by page.

I love Kate Bowler’s previous books and this one is no exception. If you aren’t familiar with the blessings Kate writes, you are in for a treat, I would like to quote a favorite here,, but when I start rereading parts of the book, I got lost in the feelings of being understood and understanding Gods blessings in new ways. I highly recommend The Lives We Actually Have. It is a gift to read and reread.

"The Lives We Actually Have" is a prayer book. It's divided into 100 short chapters that are easy to access based on whatever's happening in my day - loneliness, uncertainty, joy, change, etc. At the end of the book, readers find prayers for Lent and Advent.
I appreciate that "the act of blessing is the strange and vital work of noticing what is true about God and ourselves." This is a book I'd buy to reference again and again.

Kate Bowler is the approachably honest friend you want to share your daily life with. Texts and coffees and road trips where you can talk all day about 'real' stuff. Long phone calls with tears and angst, because of course life isn't always blessed. That declaration alone, encountered in the first chapter, should be very freeing to the vast number of churched folks who feel the need to always put on a happy face or brag of their #blessed life on social media.
I usually wait to review a book until I've finished it. But the authors give us permission to meander through this book at our own pace, and I find myself doing that. That being said, I don't want to wait to encourage readers to get their hands on this gem. It's good. It might be what you need right now.
Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent books for the ARC of The Lives We Actually Have.

Great book that reminds you to live the life you have--warts and all! Hopeful, encouraging and real--the themes of this book really resonated with me. Don't miss this book!

I was an early reader, thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I'm a huge Kate Bowler fan so I wasn't surprised when I absolutely LOVED this book of blessings, but alas; I loved it! I am a pastor in the ELCA and have already used the blessings in this book on a number of professional occasions (shared with congregants having a hard time, read as a devotion at the start of a meeting, etc.), but have also really enjoyed these blessings on a personal devotional level as well. It is a gift to find a resource that speaks to me both as an ordinary, flawed human just trying to do this faith thing each day, and as a pastor who is charged with the call to lead and shepherd a congregation and community of ordinary, flawed humans. This book of blessings is a blessing.

Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie have done a stunning job with this beautiful book of blessings, and hope all while understanding that life can be a hot mess and sometimes we just need to roll with the punches! I took a long time savoring this book- reading one chapter/page a day. I found it was a good touch-stone for the end of the day. It's a good reminder that life is far from perfect and that's ok, we can still be grateful and weary at the same time! Highly recommend and it would be a great gift for anyone interested in spiritual books. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a beautiful book 💔❤️ Bittersweet in the best way, like everything Kate Bowler does. A book of blessings that could be flipped through and used at random, or bookmarked for specific moods, it’s the perfect antidote to the blank slate of panic/rage/numbness that Life Today most often presents me with. I can’t decide on a favorite: For when the road is long, for this garbage day, for when you thought you’d feel different by now, for when you feel lonely. “Perhaps fear is not something to be vanquished, but rather that strange friend who tells us who we love, and what we can’t live without.” - from For courage when you don’t feel very brave. This is a gorgeous gift for yourself or someone you care about. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Convergent New York for the digital ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thoughtful, encouraging, and honest. I've long admired Kate Bowler's writing, and her earned wisdom. I love the way these devotions are set as a reality. A good book to pick up in order to be reminded from time to time.

This is a lovely collection of blessings to good moments and hard moments, for special occasions and for every day. I've enjoyed reading it and suspect I will return to it over time.

The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days is a welcome addition to the canon of written prayers for those who find solace and beauty in the psalms, in the divine hours, in liturgies to frame our actual lives.

Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie have written honest blessings, what we need to feel seen, for big and small moments. The sections are structured in a range of categories, some of which are for those who are tired, grief-stricken, overwhelmed, in pain, or caught up in beauty.

In a world where some can feel pressure to project a false front, to act as if all is well, this book is an invitation to come as we are, to acknowledge the hardships, the drudgery, the difficulties, and to offer them up to be seen as we are, in our broken wholeness. 

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Kate Bowler doesn't miss! Bowler and her writing partner, Jessica Richie have written an emotionally resonant, deeply moving book of blessings for every circumstance imaginable. While her previous "medium sad" books appealed to me as a person with a chronic illness, I think this book will have a wider appeal. In a culture that is obsessed with shiny, happy, perfectly edited lives, The Lives We Actually Have is refreshingly honest. I will definitely be rereading and referring to these blessings for years to come!

The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie is a collection of blessings for various situations. I loved all the different blessings in this book. Here's part of one of my favorites called "for when you need a second to think it over": "Blessed are you who don't have all the right answers. You who realize that 'I don't know' is the best response and posture for now. You who lean in, unafraid to learn and change and be wrong along the way. Blessed are you, stretched and pressed and pulled by the uncertainty, deciding to not stay the same because we are not who we were." This book is full of meaningful blessings like this that were such a gift to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was really interesting. I appreciate how the author wrote poems about ordinary life for the Christian and how relateable they were. However, there could have been a lot more about God’s Grace than just human emotions. I also wish that the author would have used gentler language in a book about prayer. I loved the concept and some of the prayers resonated with me, but it was lacking in the area I mentioned.

4.5

If Kate Bowler writes something, odds are better than good that I will read it.

First, the design of this book of blessings for the lives we are <i>actually</i> living is lovely. Bowler and her co-author, Jessica Richie, have divided the contents into eight sections, with each section containing 10-20 blessings. While none is lengthy, I slowed my usual reading pace in order to better savor and marinate in the delicious prose and thought-provoking expressions.

Because the range of verses encompasses such an expansive range of the human condition (i.e., "Bless This Lovely Life" to "Bless This Garbage Life"), not every blessing and not every stanza is going to resonate with everyone all the time. Still, I ended up bookmarking 20 of the 100 blessings that resonated especially deeply with me and highlighted at least one phrase in many of the remaining blessings.

The format doesn't require cover-to-cover reading, so the reader can select what feels most relevant that day. Also, Bowler's trademark humor makes an appearance from time to time, which is often welcome after some of the weightier sentiments.

Would make a lovely gift! I'll certainly be adding it to my personal library.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ConvergentBooks for the ARC e-book.

This was my first read by Katie Bowler and she is a very gifted writer. I loved the format of the book. A remarkable prayer book to help with daily life and situations. After reading each prayer you will feel uplifted and encouraged.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to receive this arc but unfortunately, I had to DNF this, as I don't think it's for me. This is not a negative review at all, I just should have read the description better before requesting. Thank you and I apologize.

A lovely compilation of prayers & encouragements. Kate Bowler has such a unique and beautiful way of putting words to feelings & experiences. This book also has a section for Lent, Easter, & Christmas - I didn’t use it in the way it was set up, but it’s a great option for those who want it.