*I've posted this on Mama Bear Reads (http://www.mamaandthebears.com)*

"I've always considered myself an awkward person. I can't tell you the first time I had this realization. It probably was a social situation that involved small talk. If I could have any superpower, it would be the ability to do small talk well, because anyone who does it well is a superhero as far as I'm concerned. I'm more like the Aquaman of small talk: people don't remember much about me except I'm weird."

When THIS is how someone opens up their book, and all I can think of is, "Oh my gosh. THAT'S ME!", I can't possibly stop reading. This is exactly the case with Sammy Rhodes' "This is Awkward".

I have no idea how the man did it, but he took something as trivial as awkwardness and made an entire witnessing tool out of it. He used this as an opportunity to get people to examine their awkwardness and what those moments and feelings could really be exposing in our walk with the Lord. It's absolutely brilliant.

Rhodes' writing style is funny & witty, yet incredibly deep all at the same time. He jokes about serious issues that he's dealt with such as porn and being a child of divorce, but the jokes are simply that "awkwardness" seeping through-it by no means downplays the seriousness of these issues. In fact, its the outright vulnerability that Rhodes when writing about these topics that makes this book so powerful. Here's some of his quotes on divorce and how it leaves children with a "cracked" foundation:

"Maybe the reason movies depict holes in walls as leading to magical places is because what really causes them is too painful to show."

"Divorce is like a crack in the foundation of the lives of the children who live through it. It's easy to cover it over as though nothing happened. It's hard to deal with its effects on our lives, seen and unseen."

My favorite chapter was that on pornography and that language of lust called, The Porn in My Side. WOW. I honestly felt slightly awkward reading it-but this is an incredibly important chapter. It's raw. It's real. It's necessary.

"That's the message anyone stuck in the patterns and power of lust needs to hear. Leaning to be free of it is as simple and as hard as learning a language. You don't know how to speak the language of true intimacy because you've grown up speaking false intimacy. You know how to speak Lust. You're going to have to learn how to speak Love."

Did it hit you like it hit me?

This message is important for every.single.married.person. on the entire planet.

Rhodes goes on to talk about shame, and what it REALLY does to us, especially in the "sin" department.

"That's what shame does. It makes us feel we could never be both known and loved."

Isn't that the truth? Isn't that why it's so hard to be completely upfront about what's going on inside of us? Isn't that the basis of why awkward situations make us run and hide-we're terrified people will see the "real" us and reject us.

Sammy tackles all sorts of other issues-

Depression.
Weight.
Friendships.
Social Media.
Perfectionism.

Nothing is off limits.

I enjoyed this book WAY more than I thought I would. I was sucked in my the first paragraph and I honestly learned a lot about myself.

What is so great about awkwardness that Sammy would want to write an entire book on it?

"Awkwardness is an invitation to vulnerability, and vulnerability is where intimacy and connection are born."

I have a whole new appreciation for all of what makes me feel "awkward".

I also want to read everything Sammy Rhodes writes.

Be warned: you WILL have a hankering for some donuts after reading this. You'll know why once you've read it!

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

*I received this book in exchange for my honest review*