The Deep Down Things: Practices for Growing Hope in Times of Despair by Amber C. Haines and Seth Haines is a memoir about betrayal, despair, grief, healing, and forgiveness. It’s a vulnerable and tender, personal story about leaving church due to abuse, betrayal, and gaslighting and finding God in the middle of all the loss and pain. Of finding a new path to walk as believers, of finding a new home in a different expression of the Body of Christ. Of discovering new ways to be in “the river of grief” and not despair. I really appreciated their vulnerability and honesty. They told their stories and it wasn’t a gossip fest or a badmouthing of church or Christians. They wrote with grace and I found it inspiring to read that more people are having their stories about the church’s dark side published. Not with the intent to destroy any church but to say these things happen. And that there are still things to love about church, still places of healing and restoration. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Brazos Press and NetGalley for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Its to good to read to fast for you just want to under line & highlight all the words of wisdom.
I like to read all over the place in a book and then from start to end. I keep this book by my bed to reach for when spirit wakes me in the middle of the night about something I need to think about. It so lovely written and I just think you all would enjoy this as I have! :)

THE DEEP DOWN THINGS: PRACTICES FOR GROWING IN HOPE IN TIMES OF DESPAIR is a timely read that encourages readers to see their hard reality, rest in it, process and heal from it, but also to not give up on the return of hope.

Each chapter is split between reflections from Seth and Amber Haines over a common theme, and "practices" conclude each chapter to guide readers into practical ways to dwell on each theme.

On its surface, this can be viewed as an account of their conversion to Catholicism, but it also wrestles with the pain of being let down by individuals and systems, the grief in a lost vocation. Additionally, there are encouragements to be found in the example of the saints and artists such as Mary Magdalene and Gerard Manley Hopkins, as well as friends who help see you through.

I was particularly intrigued by the chapter on silence and also appreciated the analogy and the ministry of gardening. The Haines are transparent while also not naming individuals who have harmed them; this will be a welcome addition to books for individuals who have struggled through flawed religious systems and yet still find something to cling to.

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

The Haines write for those who want to reach into the marrow of things, not those content on the surface. They encourage us to reach down deep, especially in those moments that seem impossible to bear, and give us some practices to live in hope, to defy the darkness.
As they shared their stories of deep pain and redemption, it reminded me of those places where my own wounds reside--where I still need to do the soul-work of opening them up to the Lord and allowing a posture of hope, rather than sealing them off while allowing the darkness to continue to fester.
I loved the sacramentality of this book. There is so much more to this material world than is seen at first glance. But we must have the eyes to see and the courage to face that which lies beneath the surface. They remind us that richness we will encounter is immeasurable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc. This is a beautifully and poetic written book for those struggling - and those who appreciate beautiful writing about a beautiful God.

Amber and Seth Haines show us how to gracefully work through "The Deep Down Things" aka the hard times, as they share their own stories with us. Amber shares how deep hurt from a spiritual leader affected her and changed the trajectory of her life as a fulcrum for the chapters and lessons in the book. I love how they shared real life with us, through real and gritty emotions. Yet through it all, they lead back on God and their faith.

Sometimes it's the small things, the simple things, the deep down things that save your life when everything falls apart. As someone who learned this during her own season of sadness, confusion, and lost-ness, I'm so grateful that Amber & Seth Haines have written this book. It's the written equivalent of a friend sitting with you in the darkness, sharing their story so you don't feel so extremely alone, and saying, "Here's what helped me, how I got through...maybe these things might help you, too?" There's no pressure, just an invitation. They offer several means of working *through* the pain without ever invalidating or minimizing it. That makes this book a very generous gift.

Amber and Seth both write in a way that gives vivid honor to the difficult places we find ourselves as well as some amazing ways to grow out of those places without minimizing them. Their call to embrace the breadth of life is refreshing and their honesty and vulnerability helps you just sink right into their words, knowing they'll take great care of you.

I am finishing up reading The Deep Down Things: Practices for Growing Hope in Times of Despair by Amber and Seth Haines (husband and wife). This is a book that would benefit those most that have dealt with suffering or are going through suffering, and who hasn’t!? So really it is a book for all of us!

They share their story and how they learn to deal with suffering by the daily focus and practice of turning to hope in their Christian beliefs. It was interesting reading the two perspectives of dealing with suffering. One was going through hard times, and the other was there to help support the process. It would be great for a husband and wife to read together and be encouraged and learn from. It is part memoir and part teaching. Now, I won’t agree with everything, as I have different beliefs, but I am familiar with Catholicism. They were previous Protestant, but changed to Catholics.

I loved Amber Haines’ Wild in the Hollow when I read it during a different season of my life. The beautiful cover and description of Deep Down Things caught my eye and I was excited to revisit her writing.
The prose that she and her husband, Seth, bring to the table is poetic and beautiful. They are vulnerable and inviting in the way they share their story.
Unfortunately, this was different than I expected and ended up not being for me. Although the Haines do not push their beliefs on the reader, as a Protestant Christian, I was uncomfortable with some of the very Catholic practices (pick a patron saint and receive transubstantiated communion for example).
Had this been only a memoir and not a “Christian living” type of book, I think I would have enjoyed it more. I also think someone who is already a practicing Catholic will enjoy this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Brazos Press for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

With storytelling that is thoughtful, honest, and at times poetic, Amber and Seth Haines have written a book that with prompt the reader to consider their own story and the threads woven through. While we do not agree on all the things (of course! that's true of, well, all of us at the end of the day), it read to me like an approachable "here's where we've landed" instead of "here's where you should/must land" and provided food for thought.