Yesterday, Anne Jackson’s new book, 
Permission to Speak Freely arrived in the mail.
Last night, I read the entire book.
No, I don’t normally read an entire book in one evening. However, this book was different. Perhaps it was her raw honesty that kept me engaged. Maybe, I was captivated because I felt as if I was looking into the soul of many, many people who I have known through the years. It could be that I was seeing myself in places.
In May 2008, Anne asked this question on her blog, FlowerDust.net:
What is one thing you feel you can’t say in the church?
Hundreds of people responded. This book, in part, is a reflection on this experience.
The book opens with a wonderful, candid discussion of fear. I found this to section to be particularly helpful. Anne writes:
I realize Fear isn’t only affecting me, but humanity as well. As I look around today, I see him hooking into many people I encounter. Their hearts are fighting for their dreams, yet Fear claws away at their spirits, telling them their dreams are impossible.
These people want to have a family, go back to school, quit their jobs and move to Africa, ask that girl out, volunteer at a shelter, stand up for justice, pose a question, right a wrong, or say hi to their neighbor, but Fear soaks into their bloodstream like a paralyzing virus and prevents them from taking a step in the beautiful, wonderful, difficult life in front of them.
Fear wants to stop our stories.
You might be interested in visiting the Permission to Speak Freely website or Anne’s blog. The book is available for purchase here.
Thanks for reading & for sharing! 🙂