Coming Clean: A Story of Faith by Seth Haines

★★★★★

“I suppose we’re all drunk on something.”

Seth Haines was in the hospital with his wife, planning funeral songs for their not-yet two-year-old, when he made a very conscious decision: this was the last day he wanted to feel. That evening, he asked his sister to smuggle in a bottle of gin, and gave in to addiction.

But whether or not you’ve ever had a drop to drink in your life, we’re all looking for ways to stop the pain. Like Seth, we’re all seeking balms for the anxiety of what sometimes seems to be an absent, unresponsive God – whether it’s through people-pleasing, shopping, the internet, food, career highs, or even good works and elite theology. We attempt to anesthetize our anxiety through addiction – any old addiction. But it often leaves us feeling even more empty than before.

In Coming Clean, Seth Haines writes a raw account of his first 90 days of sobriety, illuminating how to face the pain we’d rather avoid, and even more importantly, how an abiding God meets us in that pain. Seth shows us that true wholeness is found in facing our pain and anxieties with the tenacity and tenderness of Jesus, and only through Christ’s passion can we truly come clean.

Coming Clean: A Story of Faith by Seth Haines chronicles his thought process through his first ninety days of sobriety. While Haines discusses specifically his experience with a drinking problem, his journaled thoughts also dwell heavily on the broader experiences of pain, healing, and unanswered prayers. A book that offers no easy answers, Coming Clean does tell a genuinely encouraging and accessible journey of faith, doubt, and the mystery of God. It is an excellent read that I found quite thought-provoking, and I would not hesitate to recommend it. It is certainly worth taking the time to read.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Coming Clean and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

About the Author

Seth Haines is a writer, attorney, and worship leader, but most importantly, he has experienced firsthand the grace that comes from a God who lives in mystery. Seth and his wife, author Amber Haines, live in Northwest Arkansas with their four sons. He writes about faith, creativity, marriage, and culture at SethHaines.com. Seth has been a contributing writing to In Touch Magazine, The High Calling, Tweetspeak Poetry, and to blogs by Ann Voskamp, Lisa Jo Baker, Tsh Oxenreider and many others.