Endorsements
Praise for Begin Again
Begin Again is a sacred invitation to walk forward in our own lives without shame or regret. Leeana Tankersleys words stir the soul and hold space for anyone who feels stuck, overcome, or undone. I want to give this tender, powerful book to every woman in my life.
Emily P. Freeman , Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Simply Tuesday
Begin Again is easily the most beautiful thing I have read all year. Profound and soulful, it is a book that will change everything you believe about releasing hurt and choosing rest. Charming and generous, Leeana is the type of writer who gives words to the things we have trouble saying out loud, and offers gentle wisdom that is both fresh and deep. A unique mixture of raw honesty and expectant hope, Begin Again leaves you better in every possible way. This is a book you will want to share with your friends and read multiple times.
Mandy Arioto , president and CEO of MOPS International; author of Starry Eyed
Begin Again is inspirational, but it isnt a self-help book. It is a treasury of grace. With humor and wisdom and a poetic voice, Leeana reminds us we are not required to fix ourselves, and every day offers countless moments in which we can begin again to receive rest and renewal. Leeana filters Scripture, poetry, and ancient wisdom through the lens of the ordinary extraordinary life she and her family live in an old California house scented with jasmine and sheltered by rustling palm trees. Leeana makes room for us in this place and invites us to join her on a journey that begins again and again, yet carries us forward with each new beginning. Now I know that beginning again is not a sign of failure. We begin again because every day offers some fresh grace blowing in as if through an open window. This book is for every woman wondering how to open that window and how to keep it open.
Christie Purifoy , author of Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons
Praise for Brazen
Leeanas words have taught me how to be at home with myself.
Myquillyn Smith , The Nester, author of Cozy Minimalist Home
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
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 both 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 Lifes Transitions
Praise for Breathing Room
Leeana says out loud the things we all feel, and she says it with grace and eloquence. Im so thankful for her honesty and her wisdom. Reading these pages is like sitting with a friend, and thats the best thing I can think of.
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.
*Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
2019 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 2019
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 978-1-4934-2176-3
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled CSB are from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible, and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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: 2016
Scripture quotations labeled GNT are from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version-Second Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
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. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Portions of this text are taken from Breathing Room (2014), Brazen (2016), and Begin Again (2018).
Author is represented by ChristopherFerebee.com, Attorney and Literary Agent.
Dedication
To my mom, Melinda,
who has, my entire life, modeled the dailyness of faith and who is with me now as I begin again.
Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction: You Make the Path
1. The Sacredness of Beginnings
2. To Open Up
3. Here, God
4. Tending
5. Held, No Matter What
6. Led by Listening
7. Believe, Dont Bully
8. Every Wall Is a Door
9. Burn It Down
10. Acknowledge the Agitation
11. Love Is a Battle Cry
12. Pull Up a Chair
13. Commemorate
14. The Messy Middle
15. Submit to Support
16. Not Today, Soul Bullies. Not Today.
17. Restless
18. Unless a Grain of Wheat Is Buried
19. New Life Starts in the Dark
20. Waiting for Faraway Things
21. Scared-Sacred
22. Let Me Write This Story
23. Your Body Knows
24. A Real Relief
25. Sabbath = to Stop
26. Start from a Place of Honesty Instead of Hiding
27. You Are the One You Have Been Waiting For
28. A Reliable Observer of My Own Life
29. You Werent Consulted
30. Treating Ourselves as We Would a Dear Friend
31. The Mystery of Transformation
33. Speak Louder
34. Threshold
35. Bring Her to Me
36. The Third Way
37. The Comfort We Crave
38. Love Anyway
39. New Normal
40. Who Is Holding Hope for You?
41. You Are Not Your Circumstances
42. Homes for the Homeless
43. Approval Isnt Love
44. Offering Everyday Life
45. Twilight Comes Twice
46. What It Means to Be Human
47. Its a DistractionNothing More, Nothing Less
48. Who Has the Energy?
49. The Spiritual Discipline of Disappointing People