Coming Up for Air: Simple Acts to Redefine Your Life

I've decided that Margaret Becker is the best Christian author since CS Lewis. I loved her music (especially the lyrics.) She has translated that open and brutally honest style of writing to books. This book shows an understanding of what it is like to be overwhelmed by the "tyranny of the busy" and how to break that cycle. I appreciate it is from a single person's point of view and the loneliness that can result from that. However, it is a loneliness that can apply to married or partnered adults as well. Her amusing attempt to reconnect with her childhood and the wonders that entailed were a joy to read. I recommend this book to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with life and losing that important spiritual connection to our heart, soul, love, and God.

Margaret Becker knows just how touch the heart of the matter in everyday life. Her simple, yet rich thoughts easily resonate with the thoughts inside of most of us. Her humor is apparent as is her belief in God and the combination is a read that is light yet profound. If you haven't read Becker- now is the time to start!

I have been privileged to see Margaret Becker present some of this material live and she is truly the 'real deal'. As one reviewer has already indicated, this should be a classic! Insightful, lyrical, humorous, passionate - all describe Ms. Becker and the contents of this book. I want to give everyone whose life is being suffocated this rich book - for it is indeed a life-giving title. Pardon the pun, but this is truly a breath of fresh air!

Once again Margaret Becker has written a truly refreshing book! In Coming Up for Air she challenges, encourages and guides her readers into a lifestyle free of burdens and guilt. This book is a great tool for someone looking to become more comfortable with who God has made them as they attempt to enjoy life and make a difference in the world at the same time. I highly recommend it.

As I read Margaret's book about her journey away from unfulfilling distractions and her journey into a more purposeful and intentional life, I couldn't help but occasionally bow my head and pause at the unfolding truth: this book reflects a holy journey. There's always been a lot of reasons to be a fan of Margaret's work. In her music, you can take your pick: voice, musicianship, lyrics, strength and vulnerability...it's all there. While I've loved all these things, I've always been one of those people who has largely been drawn to Margaret's work primarily because of her use of language. The woman can turn a phrase in any context, and that makes it that much more rewarding to hear "Margaret: The Extended Version" in the form of a substantive, artful and beautiful book. What I love about Margaret's written work is this: her words are totally her own. Frederick Buechner, in describing how some religious words get old, wrote that "the smell of rain is grace." It's in this same vein that Margaret writes. By using language that communicates a deep, spiritual reality, a very "biblical" experience, in a way that is new and unique, she breathes new life into timeless truths. Her writing is a perfect reflection of her artistry, because it's totally her, but it's also totally "God in her," in that it reflects how God works and relates in and to and through her. In short, it reveals a living and unique relationship. When offered up to the rest of us, it presents us with a chance for communion of sorts - a chance to partake of her hard-won lessons and weave them into our own lives in a way that is uniquely us. For those who loved With New Eyes, this is a more than worthy follow-up. In fact, it in many ways surpasses that book, as beautiful as it was, because of one thing: the beauty and truth found in With New Eyes may have never fully been birthed if there had not first been a Coming Up For Air.