“Shannan’s story feels at once familiar and spectacular, ordinary and exceptional. You will discover that at the same time her words make you squirm, you will wish you lived next door to her. You will want her wisdom and you will want her pickles.” —Jen Hatmaker (from the foreword) Shannan Martin had the perfect life: a cute farmhouse on six rambling acres, a loving husband, three adorable kids, money, friends, a close-knit church—a safe, happy existence. But when the bottom dropped out through a series of shocking changes and ordinary inconveniences, the Martins followed God’s call to something radically different: a small house on the other side of the urban tracks, a shoestring income, a challenged public school, and the harshness of a county jail (where her husband is now chaplain). And yet the family’s plunge from “safety” was the best thing that could have happened to them. Falling Free charts their pilgrimage from the self-focused wisdom of the world to the topsy-turvy life of God’s more being found in less . Martin’s practical, sweetly subversive book invites us to rethink assumptions about faith and the good life, push past insecurity and fear, and look beyond comfortable, middle-class Christianity toward a deeper, richer, and ultimately more fulfilling life. "Be prepared, as you read Falling Free to have your atrophied, tired notion of God propelled into a new and spacious place. With humor, grace, and not a little jostling of your comfort zone, Shannan Martin will introduce you to the mess at the margins." (Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries; author of Tattoos on the Heart: the Power of Boundless Compassion) "I love this book! My wish is for us all to live as passionately, humbly, and loving as the Martins do!" (Bob Goff, New York Times bestselling author of Love Does) "Engaging, funny, and convicting, this book shook up my soul and invited me into the adventure of taking Jesus at his word." (Ellie Holcomb, Dove award-winning singer-songwriter) "Shannan Martin can turn a phrase into something so surprising, so stunning, it will both catch your breath and break your heart. Falling Free is an exquisite work." (Emily P. Freeman, author of Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World ) " Falling Free is not only convicting and challenging, it's a refreshing look into Shannan Martin's story where we will no doubt find a piece of our own story." (Brandon Hatmaker, author of A Mile Wide and Barefoot Church .) "Through beautiful prose and glorious storytelling, Shannan has laid out the gospel for us. The Spirit of God is crackling with transformative power in these pages." (Deidra Riggs, speaker and author of One: Unity in a Divided World ) " Falling Free is Shannan Martin's honest story - and it shows us that trust can be terrifying, hope can hurt, and love can set you free." (Dr. John Sowers, author of The Heroic Path ) "Through Shannan's open and funny writing, I feel like I understand what true freedom in Christ looks like: it's following him with our whole hearts and joining him in his mission to make the world whole." (Osheta Moore, speaker, blogger, and host of the Shalom in the City podcast) "Shannan Martin's gorgeous words both challenged me to my core and made me float with happiness at all the ways God uses chaotic, messed-up people like myself to bring his kingdom. She is my new favorite theologian." (D.L. Mayfield, author of Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith ) " Falling Free is the rip-roarious story of Jesus in the life of Shannan Martin. It's the ravenous, impossible love of God that heals, unhinges, goes for broke, cobbles together and leads home." (Amber C. Haines, author of Wild in the Hollow ) "Shannan calls us all out of our comfort zones and asks us to examine our choices: Am I living to be comfortable? Or am I willing to make a difference? " (Tsh Oxenreider, author of At Home in the World and Notes from a Blue Bike ) Shannan Martin, known for her popular blog Shannan Martin Writes (formerly Flower Patch Farmgirl ,) is a speaker and writer who found her voice in the country and her story in the city. She and her jail-chaplain husband, Cory, have four funny children who came to them across oceans and rivers. Having sold their dream farmhouse, they now enjoy neighborhood life   in Goshen, Indiana. Falling Free Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted By Shannan Martin Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2016 Shannan Martin All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7180-7746-4 Contents Foreword by Jen Hatmaker, xi, Introduction, xv, Chapter 1: Get Risky, 1, Chapter 2: Redefine Family, 20, Chapter 3: Have Less, 45, Chapter 4: Unplan, 68, Chapter 5: Live Small, 87, Chapter 6: Gather, 109, Chapter 7: Open the Door, 127, Chapter 8: Grow Together, 146, Chapter 9: Commune, 163, Chapter 10: Give More, 184, A Final Note on Freedom, 207, Acknowledgments, 211, Notes, 2