No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending

Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament.

If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard.

For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same.

Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes.

No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that:

• We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together
• God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are
• There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief

Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

A bestselling author, international speaker, and in-demand millennial expert, Esther Fleece Allen is certainly at the top of the list when it comes to the "who's who" of this generation. USA Today calls her one of the "New Faces of Evangelicalism," and CNN named her one of the "Five Women to Watch" in recent years. She was the youngest speaker ever invited to attend the National Day of Prayer Summit and the only woman to speak at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics when it launched. In recent years, she's also been recognized as:

• One of Christianity Today's "Top Women You Should Know" in an article highlighting 50 women "most shaping church and culture"
• One of Outreach magazine's "Top 30 Young Influencers"
• One of Catalyst's "20 Women Leaders Under 40 You Should Know" and one of Catalyst's "Young Influencers"

Esther was previously enlisted by Focus on the Family to pursue her demographic of millennials and to bring them into the ministry constituency during the significant leadership transition of Dr. James Dobson. Very quickly, Esther gained respect and recognition as a leader among her peers. Coined a "millennial czar" by president Jim Daly, Esther shared the speaking stage with Daly at events like the Values Voter Summit and the Conservative Political Action Committee in Washington, DC.

In the years since, Esther has continued to blaze a trail for millennials to be heard and respected. No matter what platform or organization she is a part of, she is widely known for building bridges for Christian leaders and organizations that cross generations and denominations.

Esther is a graduate of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and has a bachelor of arts degree in communications from Oakland University. She is currently at home learning from her greatest teachers: her husband and children.