Hallie Lord - Falling Home: Creating a Life That Catches You When You Fall

PRAISE FOR

FALLING HOME

So many of us go through life fearing hardship, because we worry that a tough blow would shatter us. Through evocative prose and deeply personal stories, Hallie Lord shows us that we may very well be shatteredbut that shattering is a good thing, as it reveals the true power and grace that was hidden within us all along.

JENNIFER FULWILER, AUTHOR OF YOUR BLUE FLAME

If our world has any hope, it lies in our ability to be vulnerable in sharing our stories while having faith that theres a purpose to our darkness. In Falling Home, Hallie Lord beautifully shows us how to do both, and leaves us filled with hope no matter where in life we might find ourselves.

TOMMY TIGHE, AUTHOR OF #BLESSEDMOTHER AND HOST OF SAINT DYMPHNAS PLAYBOOK PODCAST

Falling Home is a book I immediately fell in love with. Hallies warmth, joy, and fantastic storytelling emanate from its pages. She inspired me to want to sit in her living room, listen to her stories, hear her laughter, and be at home in her peace. She sparked a remembrance of Gods pursuit of my heart, day in and day out. She invited me into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him, to remember that He is my forever dwelling place, and that He desires a home in my heart. This book offers insights I needed, and I know readers will feel the same.

JENNA GUIZAR, FOUNDER OF BLESSED IS SHE

Good writing is about showing, not telling. The same can be said of Christianity. In Falling Home, Hallie Lord shows her readers what Christian faith looks like in a profoundly human, humble, humorous, and intelligent way as a wife, mother, friend, and disciple. The brilliance of this book rests in the fact that Hallie taps into the perennial wisdom of Scripture and her Catholic faith without ever sounding preachy or coming across as better-than-thou. She walks with us on the vulnerable journey that is life, both at its most heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments, encouraging us to stay on the path toward our true home, even if we should happen to fall (a lot) along the way. This incarnational narrative blessed me with a deeper understanding of the mystery that is woman, which is an incredible gift to any man. No doubt it will be a fast favorite of book clubs everywhere, but especially in those circles where women of faith want to cut through the bull and reflect on real life in light of the One who is light itself.

FR. DAMIAN FERENCE, PRIEST OF THE DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND AND AUTHOR OF THE STRANGENESS OF TRUTH

Falling Home is Hallie Lord at her best... witty, raw, courageous, and honest. In this little gem, Hallie shares more than words or stories or sage advice; she shares her very heart, inspiring countless souls along the way. Her transparency is refreshing, and this book, vital. Im excited to share this book far and wide, trusting that lives, marriages, and families will be abundantly and eternally blessed by it. Falling Home is a gift to anyone who is tired of trying to hold it all together, and instead wants the peace that only God can give. Hallie is a gift, and Im proud to call her my friend.

MARK HART, CIO AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF LIFE TEEN INTERNATIONAL, BESTSELLING AUTHOR, SPEAKER, AND HOST AT SIRIUSXM RADIO

If youre ready to feel uncomfortable, challenged, motivated, and discouraged all at the same time, read this book! Hallie is honest, raw, and sweet. But I can only recommend reading this book if youre ready to ask questions about yourself and God. Oh, and if you dont already have a therapist, youll soon be getting one. My own therapist may be buying a third house now that I realize how much more work I have in front of me.

LINO RULLI, HOST OF THE CATHOLIC GUY SHOW, SIRIUSXM RADIO

In her signature warm and inviting style, Hallie Lord lets us into her longing for a predictable lifeand straight into her realization that when the unpredictable happens, the pillars shes built her life upon will still stand. Women who are seeking an anchor in the midst of a storm will find refuge in Hallies tender guidance.

SHANNON K. EVANS, AUTHOR OF EMBRACING WEAKNESS

Hallie Lords, Falling Home is a resurrection story. A story of a woman emerging from the darkness and seeing with new eyes the beauty of life and the bright love of God. Through her personal, genuine, and raw stories, Hallie reminds us that resurrections are not void of crosses but rather are born of them. She leaves us all with the profound hope that comes from knowing the crosses we carry today are the source of tomorrows resurrection!

FR. KYLE A. MANNO, DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS AND OF CAMPUS MINISTRY, DIOCESE OF ROCKFORD

Falling Home

2021 Hallie Lord

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

The author is represented by Alive Literary Agency, www.aliveliterary.com.

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Any internet addresses, phone numbers, or company or product information printed in this book are offered as a resource and are not intended in any way to be or to imply an endorsement by Thomas Nelson, nor does Thomas Nelson vouch for the existence, content, or services of these sites, phone numbers, companies, or products beyond the life of this book.

ISBN 978-1-4002-2057-1 (audiobook)

Epub Edition December 2020 9781400220564

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Lord, Hallie, author.

Title: Falling home : creating a life that catches you when you fall / Hallie Lord.

Description: Nashville, Tennesse : Thomas Nelson, 2021. | Summary: Speaker and radio host Hallie Lord shows how to use unexpected hardships and challenges to build a life that will make you more secure and grounded than ever before--Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020025728 (print) | LCCN 2020025729 (ebook) | ISBN 9781400220557 (paperback) | ISBN 9781400220564 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Consolation. | Suffering--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Failure (Psychology)--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Success--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Classification: LCC BV4909 .L56 2021 (print) | LCC BV4909 (ebook) | DDC 248.4--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020025728

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020025729

Printed in the United States of America

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For the one who found the light

in me that I couldnt find.

CONTENTS

I n fourth grade I went on a field trip to the science museum. I and the other students had visited all the exhibits, and wed even gotten souvenirs. At the geology station, our tour guide had handed each of us a dense, gray rock, about the size of a baseball. It wasnt much to look at, but I clung to this gift. In my childs mind, this was now a prized possession. I thought about how I would display it on my bookshelf next to my badminton participation trophy. It would be a source of pride. When friends came over I would nod casually toward it and mention that I had gotten it when I was hanging out at a museum. And everyone would finally know that I was cool.