Flirting with Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life [Paperback]

Joan Ball (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2010

As a thirty-seven-year-old, highly skeptical, deeply rational woman, Joan had it all: loving family, extravagant home, a high-profile career, even personal contentment. So Joan was more surprised than anyone when she was relieved in an instant from the luxury of spiritual doubt and compelled to realign her life around practices of faith--about which she was a novice. With an unexplainable desire to pursue whatever God had for her at whatever cost was called for, Joan left her high-salary profession, sold her home and all her furniture (with her husband’s support), and started life from a blank slate. Finally realizing that she had been flirting with faith since she was a young teen, Joan fell in love with the God who had been pursuing her.

Joan candidly shares the story of her radical life change as she moved from atheist, to agnostic in addiction recovery, to the unexpected moment when she was “struck” Christian. As Joan lets go of control and convention, her skepticism is gradually replaced with a realization that embracing her new faith with radical abandon led to a far more mysterious and countercultural lifestyle than she’d ever imagined.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I love authors with attitude—that's why Anne Lamott is high on my favorites list. Now even higher is the new voice of Joan Ball. Her splendor of rendering life in the spirit is unmatched. Open this book up anywhere, and it grabs you everywhere.”

—Leonard Sweet; author of The Gospel According to Starbucks and more, professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor at George Fox University, www.sermons.com

“If you didn't know better, you would mistake Flirting with Faith for a work of fiction. Even Joan Ball wouldn’t have believed the story—successful New York publicist gets blindsided by a supernatural smack down—had it not happened to her. But every part of Joan’s faith journey reeks of authenticity. And it’s not just the story of Flirting with Faith that will keep you turning the pages. Joan’s voice is one of the most original to come along in years. She’s bold and brash and filled with a kind of wide-eyed wonder that could only come from someone who has been “struck Christian.”

—Stan Jantz, bestselling author of more than fifty books, including I’m Fine with God . . . It’s Christians I Can’t Stand and co-founder of ConversantLife.com

"In Flirting with Faith Joan Ball reveals the scarred soul of an avowed atheist who found herself unexpectedly god-smacked. Fellow spiritual oddballs will delight in the discovery that while they may be unique they're not alone. Though Ball's story, they can find another broken believer who walked a crooked spiritual path that eventually wound its way to God."

—Becky Garrison, religious satirist and author of Jesus Died for This?"

“In a culture where far too many people are dismissive or completely indifferent when it comes to faith, it's refreshing to see it dealt with in such an honest and authentic fashion. Flirting with Faith is a roadmap on the often perilous and sometime exhilarating journey to discover eternity. Joan Ball reminds us that encountering real faith will change everything.”

—Phil Cooke, filmmaker and author of Branding Faith and The Last TV Evangelist

“What Joan Ball gives us here is a conversion story that St. Paul himself could have written. Spiced with humor and told with all the natural story-telling skills of a true writer, Flirting is, above all else, a dramatic, moving, and overwhelmingly credible confession of faith by one woman who never, ever meant to be converted. God apparently thought otherwise, and the resulting story will rejoice both your heart and your mind.”

—Phyllis Tickle, Author of The Great Emergence

"At once feisty and contemplative, Joan Ball's Flirting with Faith more than flirts: She dances with both faith and doubt, while being unflinchingly honest each step of the way. Her authentic wrestling will confound skeptics, challenge believers and comfort those who mourn."

—Makoto Fujimura, artist, author of Refractions: a journey of art, faith and culture.

"Flirting with Faith is so much more than a personal memoir. It's a vulnerable, spiritual journey. With each word, Joan Ball invites us to take a step into her heart where we see the beauty of transformation and the freedom of grace."

—Anne Jackson, author of Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic and Permission to Speak Freely

"Storyteller Joan Ball has found a way into my mind, heart, and soul with the beautifully written tale of her accidental fall into the lap of faith. Joan’s story has escaped my lips to countless friends as easily as the catchiest pop hook. This story will remind you that you are ultimately not in control and when you finally accept that, the flirting with your faith will turn into a full blown romance."

—Carlos Whittaker, Integrity Recording artist and blogger at RagamuffinSoul.com

About the Author

Joan Ball spent more than 15 years in the public relations business before making the transition from the boardroom to the classroom in 2007. She currently teaches marketing in the Tobin School of Business at St. John’s University in Queens, NY and writes for Beliefnet.com. A media relations expert, she has been the corporate spokesperson for a variety of large and mid-sized professional services firms. Central to her story is the extent to which she allowed her career and the money, prestige and possessions that came with it to overshadow the things that were most important in life. In Flirting with Faith, she shares with bold candor both her challenges and successes—from single motherhood, to alcohol addiction to unbalanced priorities in the midst of apparent accomplishment—with a transparency and openness that will be evident to even the most skeptical reader.  She and her husband Martin live in suburban New York with their son Ian. Her adult children, Kelsey (20) and Andrew (21) are undergraduate students elsewhere in New York.   

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (May 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439149879
• ISBN-13: 978-1439149874
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Ball is a professor of communication and marketing and author of Flirting with Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life. A seeker-turned-skeptic who was raised without a prescribed notion of God, she experienced a dramatic and unlikely conversion to Christianity at age 37. A prolific blogger at Beliefnet.com, her posts reflect an insider/outsider perspective on living a faith that both delights and confounds her. She lives with her husband Martin and their 12 year old son Ian in a northwestern suburb of New York City. Their son Andrew (21) and daughter Kelsey (19) are undergraduates.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two reviews for one amazing story!!, May 10, 2010

By 

Stacey Pierce - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flirting with Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life (Paperback)

I am writing this review for my mother, Rachel White, in her own words. Below her review is my review for the book...

I finished this amazing book in one day. I was unable to put the book down once I started taking this spiritual journey with Joan Ball. Reflecting on it, I realize that what touches me the most about this book was that despite her fear when the spirit of God initially came over her, she never stopped to question the existence of God after that moment. She experienced her "come to Jesus" moment and embraced Him shedding her past thoughts of atheism at the same time. After that moment, she has only pressed forward without looking over her shoulder. She is now walking the life of a Christian.

With the acceptance of God in her life Joan found the stability that she had been searching for. The process of addiction includes attending meetings but coupled with her belief and acceptance in a higher power--God--she has a better chance at maintaining her sobriety. Accepting God in her life has freed her from those things that have harmed or created the individual that she used to be. The process that Joan seemed to unconsciously fight against has been the catalyst that has allowed her to become the person she is currently.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in recovery, seeking sobriety or spiritual guidance, or who has a personal relationship with God. Joan's sense of humor and honesty flowing from start to finish allow the reader to truly become a part of this wondrous journey. This is a story of survival which was told by a very talented story teller.


My review of Flirting with Faith...


After reading Flirting with Faith, whether you are a Christian, atheist, or unclear about what you believe, you might arrive at the conclusion that it was a great thing that the author, Joan Ball, had her come to Jesus moment when she did. After reading the book, the reader is amazed at the experiences she endured--the death of both of her parents, a friend and a child and her son's illness-- in a short period of time that would bring any Christian, saint, or sinner, to their knees. Faith came to Joan's life, one might say, in the nick of time. Her survival in part depended on it. A Christian might say, "God is always on time." And for Joan Ball, the atheist, He was "right" on time.

I was raised in the church and had been to church through my adult life, but never owned the blind faith that I had always desired. My journey, although different from Joan's, was similar in some ways as that blind faith came over me unexpectedly all at once. I know the power of God and was able to witness it in my life which allows me to believe that the story she has penned clearly reflects her conversion experience.

Ms. Ball will face skeptics who might question her story but my being a Christian allows me to see that her story is valid without having been there beside her when it happened. God comes to all of us in different ways and at different times and that is reflected in Joan's walk throughout the story. When one is truly anointed it is evident to those who know what "it" looks like if that anointing is real. Joan Ball is now walking the life of a Christian and is no longer an outsider standing on her toes peeking in.

This book is well written and clearly reflects the sudden and profound experience Joan Ball had in 2003 that would ultimately change her life forever. I feel that this author's wit, honesty and humor guided this book allowing the reader to think of their own religious views while reading about her being "struck" Christian. Joan has walked with blind faith since that day allowing God to be her guide. She never stopped to question what she was feeling. She just stood up, owned it and has never let it go. That is the most amazing part of the story to me. She, like an infant navigating the world for the first time, embraced God and hasn't questioned what He needed from her. She fervently acquired knowledge through reading the Bible, meeting with her pastor and the monks, and dove into Christianity as she had into her addiction, education and career. She has a great desire for her life to be in order and it is now held together by the one thing--religion--she never thought she'd embrace.

Despite your religious beliefs it is clear that something happened to Joan Ball that day which has affected her life and has changed her view of life since religion became a part of it. I look forward to reading another book by Ms. Ball as she continues her Christian journey.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those of us who can't afford to "Eat, Pray and Love.", May 8, 2010

By 

Becky Garrison "author, "Jesus Died for T... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flirting with Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life (Paperback)

While all of us might like to find ourselves by traveling the world a la Elizabeth Gilbert, most of us are too busy trying to make ends meet that we can't afford such a trek. In Flirting with Faith, Joan Ball offers a pathway for how the rest of us can Eat, Pray and Love without circling the globe. In particular Joan speaks to those who think they have it all but yet they still feel a restlessness within their spirit that keeps tugging at their soul.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, May 14, 2010

By 

W. Clay Knick (Winchester, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flirting with Faith (Kindle Edition)

This is such a splendid book. I am so happy my first Kindle book turned out to be one I could not stop reading. Ball describes her conversion and her new life in Christ is such a winsome way. I was drawn into her story very quickly and found it captivating. Her story is pretty powerful (conversion was like a heart attack!) and her new life has had plenty of twists and turns, but all of that is seen as part of her being shaped into the likeness of Christ. She's honest and vulnerable, but not sentimental. There is not a wasted word in this excellent book. I am looking forward to more books by her and will recommend this book for years to come. Highly recommended!