SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY

A funny, honest, deeply moving look at the everyday habits and distractions that drain our attention and energy, and the peace that comes when we learn “spiritual sobriety” – the practiced art of seeking validation and comfort in God alone.

Elizabeth Esther is addicted to distraction. Amid the stress of raising a family of five while keeping up with the demands of writing a popular blog, Elizabeth has learned that she'll obsess over anything that promises to soothe her discomfort. In her case, it's binge-watching on Netflix, scrolling through endless posts on Facebook or Pinterest, eating tubs of cookie butter, or seeking an impossible amount of validation and approval from others.

Why does Elizabeth do this? Why do we do this? And, most importantly, what can we do to stop the cycle?

What we need, Elizabeth says, is “spiritual sobriety,” a state of being that responds to discomfort and stress by turning to God, and not the thousands of other things that scream for our attention. In this profound (and profoundly funny) book, Elizabeth shares how learning to cling to God's acceptance can empower us to face the anxiety, discomfort and solitude of everyday life.

Elizabeth Esther is a blogger who was raised in Southern California inside a strict fundamentalist church from which she fled with her husband and children. In 2006, Elizabeth began writing a blog to document her family life. Soon, she was writing about her faith.