Copyright Page
2016 by Leeana Tankersley
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0181-9
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011
Scripture quotations labeled Message are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Author is represented by Christopher Ferebee, Attorney and Literary Agent, www.christopherferebee.com
Endorsements
Leeanas words have taught me how to be at home with myself.
Myquillyn Smith , The Nester, author of The Nesting Place
We all want to find our voice, feel comfortable in our own skin, and come out of hiding. Leeana is a trustworthy companion on this journey of becoming broken and beautiful.
Rebekah Lyons , author of Freefall to Fly
Leeana Tankersley has the gift of breathing life into the weary souls of women; souls exhausted from anxiety, from negative self-talk and unfulfilled dreams. Leeana sees those souls and puts her arms around them, breathes life back into them through prophetic verse and gentle, pragmatic exercise. She draws the wounded daughter back into the lap of her heavenly Father, and invites her home.
Emily T. Wierenga , founder of The Lulu Tree and author of Atlas Girl and Making It Home
If you ever feel inclined to apologize for your own existence in this world, then please, please read this insightful, soulful book. A writer with as much spice and sass as compassion and grace, Leeana is the friend providing you with peace in your personhood as she shows you how to see yourself as your Creator does. This book will unhook you from your false press as it anchors you to your true identity: You are a brazen and beloved creation worth celebrating.
Kristen Strong , author of Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You through Life s Transitions
Praise for Breathing Room
Leeana refuses to reach for easy answers, instead leading the reader on a journey of accepting our own humanity. Quite simply, this is one of the most thoughtful books Ive read all year.
Emily P. Freeman , author of A Million Little Ways
Leeana says out loud the things we all feel, and she says it with grace and eloquence. Reading these pages is like sitting with a friend.
Shauna Niequist , author of Bread & Wine
A new lyrical voice in a crowded world, Tankersley tells a tale of hope, reality, and everything in between.
Claire Daz - Ortiz , author, speaker, and innovator at Twitter, Inc.
Tankersley sparkles as she creates melodious prose in her new book, Breathing Room . Her ability to take a simple let go and let God message and weave it into her own journey through frustration, anger, despair, discovery, and ultimately triumph is enticing. Her beautifully worded short stories punctuate a message that every woman regardless of age faced at least once in her life. This title is perfect for frustrated mothers or anyone who is discouraged with life and ready to take the first step and read the story of a fellow sojourner in life.
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Dedication
To Laura, who is brazen
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Dedication
Note to Reader
Part One: Receive {Your Identity}
1. Honor Your Created Center
2. Emerge from the Beige
3. Take Twenty Minutes of Soul Time
4. Wade Out into Gold
5. Unhook from Heavy
6. Keep Casting Your Nets
7. See the Pepper Tree
8. Look through the Divine View-Master
9. Seek and Find
10. Believe in Beginnings
11. Allow for Expansion
12. Replace the Fig Leaves
13. Fall in Love
14. Be the Mermaid with a Megaphone
15. Yell for the Ball
16. Cheer for the Chargers
17. Do Not Eat the Rotten Chicken
18. Make Peace with Self-Possession
19. Tell the Truth
20. Commemorate the Clarity
21. Disobey Your Fear
22. Explore Dimensionally
23. You Are That Girl
24. Dont Walk on Your Knees
25. Watch for Rescue
26. Curate Your Life
Part Three: Recover {Your Soul}
27. Lock the Shed Studio
28. Risk like Rowan and Rousey
29. Drop the Drapes
30. Paint Nightlights
31. Pick Pomegranates
32. Unlearn
33. Develop a Practice
34. Welcome It All
35. Shake It Off
36. Break at Least One Rule
37. Be the Mess
38. Say Goodbye to the Geysers
40. Already
A Brazen Benediction
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Note to Reader
If you were attending one of my workshopswhere we spend three hours focused entirely on reflection and expressionI would tell you that these practices of reflection and expression will heal you, enliven you, return you to yourself, create space for God to speak to you, and therefore bring you home.
So when it came time to write a book about coming out of hiding, I could not help but include an opportunity for you to engage in the lifelines of reflection and expression for yourself. These two movementslike inhaling and exhalingare literal soul sustenance. And I didnt want you to miss out on that spectacular opportunity.
To that end, Ive included prompts at the conclusion of each chapter that will help you interact with the material. Sorry if this feels presumptuous, annoying, or overly aggressive.
But if by chance these prompts feel like an invitationeven if that invitation is a bit uncomfortableIm right here, cheering you on, believing that examining your inner landscape will pay off big time and that getting your hands moving will always help heal your mind. Oh, and grabbing a couple of friends and talking through your findings could be (and I dont want to overemphasize this, of course) life-changing.
If you do the prompts, I hereby affirm the employment of legal bribes to yourself. You, Brazen Warrior, get to reward yourself with something delicious, frivolous, or otherwise longed for. Might I suggest a metallic Sharpie. Or a coconut La Croix. Maybe a fresh new journal. Or a walk in the woods.
Lets call it positive reinforcement.
You might also want to invest in a candle you love that you could light and enjoy when you are doing your Brazen Work. And, I dont want this to come across bossy in any way, but I think scouting out a little nook in your house or out in the world that could be the place where you go to reflect and express would be supremely helpful.