Customer Reviews

Honestly

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It has been a few years since I read Sheila's book, so I don't remember a lot of specific details about it as much as the feelings I had about it. I got the book after attending a Women of Faith conference where I heard Sheila speak. Part of what Sheila shared with us was about her struggle with depression. I was deeply touched by Sheila's story, as I could relate to many aspects of it. I began struggling with depression while I was in high school. My life seemed to be going well as I was an honor student apparently headed for a good college and career. But inside, I felt like I was falling apart. It was hard for me to share what I was feeling as I was also dealing with denial and shame. While I was never hospitalized as Sheila was, I always had the feeling that I was just barely hanging on. Fortunately, I was able to find some answers in books I read, but as I tried to share what I was experiencing with other people, I encountered as much misunderstanding and condemnation as compassion and understanding. So I could relate to Sheila's feelings of isolation, and her need to hide her true self from the world.
As for Sheila's book Honestly, it was like a light in the dark for me, to hear from someone who had experienced something similar to what I went through. It helped me know I was not alone, and played a role in my healing process as I read it and reread parts that were most significant to me. It was also encouraging to see how God was using Sheila's painful experiences to enable her to minister to others, a concrete example of how God can take the bad in our lives and transform it into good.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with depression, shame, and feeling like they have to hide their true self from other people. It is helpful to hear from others who have shared these feelings, and we can learn from their experiences. For those who may not be going through these things, I would recommend this book as a tool to gain some understanding of those who are, and to better know how to respond to others' pain with compassion.
Just as an added note, for those who may think depression is just something to be "fixed", I went into it as an atheist, and came out with a rock solid faith in God. The pain of depression can be helpful in that it may cause us to question our perception of reality, to be seeking something more, and to see our need for and be more receptive to God's love and compassion. In this respect, depression can be a catalyst for spiritual, emotional and mental growth.

I have struggled with, at times winning and at times losseing, depression since I was a small child. I am a strong full-faith Christian. Believe it or not, and a lot of people don't -- you can be both. Sheila breaks that ground and opens her heart and her soul for the good of us reading. She has hurt sooooo much; and come soooo close to the edge of darkness. This book speaks to the heart and damaged maind of every depressed reader; I have cried on each page; for her and for me. It is a great read for the non-depressed to illustrate that a real and active Christan can still be attacked. The support the book offers for fellow depression suffers is excellent. It is not a total explanation of depression, nor of "seeking help" but it is a personal journy that empowers other to walk the path. It is not all you need to read; but it is a read support.

A few years ago I found a new copy of this book at a used book store for a decent price. I gave it to my dad for Christmas because he's an avid reader of non-fiction, especially biographies & autobiographies. I wish I'd read it first before I gave it away. I eventually bought a copy from Amazon & read it recently (4/04). I'm glad I finally read it myself.

Sheila Walsh got saved when she was 11 years old. On the outside, she was a successful Christian talk show host, singer, & author. But she had ghosts from her childhood that she had never dealt with properly. At what seemed like th peak of her success(age 35), she stepped down from her spot as the co-host of the 700 Club & checked herself into a Christian Psychiatric Ward in Washington, D.C. That was probably the best thing that she did for herself. From there on out, God began to work on the the things that had tormented her for so many years. Today she is happy, healthy, whole, & restored. her life is truly a testimony to what God can do if we surrender totally to him.

Thank you, Sheila, for writing this book. My prayer is that your books, sermons, & music will continue to touch many people as they already have. God bless you, Sheila Walsh!

I have struggled with severe depression for about 15 year now. But it's something I felt I couldn't talk about until fairly recently. I have read a couple of Sheila's other books and wanted to read "Honestly" for a long time. I decided to see if the local library had it and they did. I have to admit, I was both nervous and excited to read this book. I was blown away by Sheila's vulnerablity and honesty. I could relate to much of what she wrote. It is a shame that a lot of people in evangelical churches don't know how to handle people with depression. Sheila also describes some of the hurtful things she experienced at the hands of Christians. The church should be a place of healing and restoration, but unfortunately, it is often a place of condemnation and judgement. I too have been wounded by hurtful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has personally struggled with depression or desires to help someone with depression. Sheila's story is solidly rooted in Scripture and she gives some practical advice. She also offers encouragement to people who struggle with depression. I was especially convicted by the chapter on shame. Sheila also affirms that depression is an actual medical condition (something a lot of Christians just don't understand) and that its okay to seek help and take medication if necessary. This is a book of hope and will help you see that there is a way out of depression. Sheila emphasizes that the way out isn't quick, painless or easy. But it is worth it. I have just started on my own journey, and Sheila made me realize once again, that I am not alone.

I also highly recommend "Why I Jumped" By Tina Zahn.

Sheila has given a gift of hope and encouragement to a hurting heart who needs a touch of compassion. I thought this book, next to the Psalms, was as comforting and uplifting as any I've read. Her poetry is nourishment for a hungry soul. Anyone who has been depressed or is experiencing the loneliness of depression now should get a copy and be shown a way to the Light. There is hope for everyone and she also helps us see that though it may look like someone elses's life is at a pinnacle, it may not be. Even those "on top of it all" can really be at the bottom. We all need help now and then and should never be embarrassed of afraid of seeking it. Buy it and find a path to healing.

I just want to thank Sheila for writing this book. For exposing her inner life to the world. The stuff which plagues us as christians, all of the facades, masks and "Shoulds" of christians.


Reaching out to those in pain and suffering, not turning our backs, loving one another and none of us are exempt from this.

Until many of us reach our dark valleys we dont seem to get it I think in some regards. As a Christian I have walked some painful valleys of my own and God does not promise a life without trials, pain and sorrow. I have learned so much about compassion and loving my brother as myself through my own trials.

Sheila Walsh, is just one of the women, of the Women of Faith tour I saw in Eat Rutherford, NJ in 1998, and really touch my soul. Her simple way and her friendly approach stirred at my soul, and made me motivated to do the Lord's work. I was very impressed with this book, and she really let us into her life with her personal troubles, and how she dealt with them. She taught me from this book never judge a book by the cover. Sometimes, it's on the inside that could be troubling you, and how to bring everything to the Lord. 5 star book!

I knew Sheila Walsh as a really great rock musician. I remembered the work she did with Steve Taylor, and to this day treasure her song "Under the Gun". She wrote and sang with real edge, something all to rare these days in CCM.

"We were born under the gun,
And just like every mother's son,
we are hostage to the megaton,
and the world could end tonight!
There's a finger on the button,
But if it's pressed we're not forgotten.
Millions speak,
Feel no fear,
The road to change is in ascendance here."

In a world that was convinced that the world could (would?) end tonight because of globalthermonuclear war, where the political beliefs of many Christians were based on this universe of fear, Sheila offered a very different understanding.

But my understanding of her was as a kid. And mysteriously, she disappeared one day.

I wasn't in those Christian circles that supported the 700 Club, and so wasn't aware of her joining up with them and being a regular anchor. While most might know her from these years, I knew her as a rock star, and then never heard anything of her afterward.

Thank you Wikipedia. On a whim, I wikied her, and learned some about her amazing history- and a book she wrote. I was surprised to discover that she attended the very same grad school that I did, graduating only months before I began.

There is some real depth here, just as I once read in her lyrics. This isn't just a book for those struggling with depression, although it can help there. It is also a book that will encourage you in the midst of the more humdrum sadness that we all experience in the normal course of human events. And the title breaths true- there is some real honesty here. Sheila has helped to open the door on the Scarlet D, so much a topic of shame in Evangelical circles.

But for me there is another challenge. While not being in the circles that supported the 700 Club, I also have never found anything to like from that TV show and network. Hearing how many people were touched and helped and healed by Sheila's work, both before and after her depression, was a challenge to me. I have made my God too small. And he has done some good work through Sheila- and the 700 Club- as well.

Many of us thought that we were all alone in our struggle with depression!
You are NOT alone! Sheila is honest about her walk through the valley. Find courage and hope through the heart of Sheila Walsh.

I ordered the book new. What a great price!! Arrived quickly. Written by a woman with deep faith, simple honest journey through her depression to health.