Memoir of a Misfit: Finding My Place in the Family of God [Hardcover]

Marcia Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2003

"In a sense, of course, all believers are strangers in a strange land— some, as they say, are just stranger than others. That would be my friends and me." Like Marcia Ford, most of us have felt, at one time or another, as if we are on a different wavelength from the rest of the world. Try as we might, we don't fit in— not in society and certainly not in the church. Despite our best efforts at camouflage, despite our hopes that we may finally have found a group of kindred believers, people still look at us funny. But if we stop to think about it, we're not in bad company. After all, Jesus was something of a misfit in His day, too. In this funny, fresh, and frank memoir, Marcia Ford chronicles her spiritual journey as a self-proclaimed misfit, telling the engaging story of one woman's efforts to fit into both society and the Christian church. Candid about her shortcomings and her sneaking suspicion that she may really be a square peg in a round hole, Marcia discovers that it is precisely because of her uniqueness that she is able to claim God's abundant grace and come to experience God more fully.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

People have always looked at Ford funny. "As a child," she writes, "I blamed my family, that odd, five-member cast of cartoon characters that always walked along the sidewalk in single file so that real families could pass by intact." The older she got, the more often she blamed herself-for the death of three grandparents in six weeks; for harassment from a trusted counselor; for humiliation in a succession of controlling churches; for feeling ignored by God. Dulling the pain, she spent her young adult years in an alcoholic haze. Eventually her friend Eileen, who "always, always puts her verbs at the beginning of a sentence," ordered her to "give it up. Tell God you'll never have another drink again." Ford obeyed, but she continued to feel like a misfit despite a good marriage and professional success as a writer and editor. Then a sudden health crisis jolted her out of constant attempts to meet others' expectations. During a subsequent retreat, "I found the courage to look at myself and... hear the cry of my own heart." Ford's story, though serious, is not dark. Introverted, self-deprecating, perfectionistic and depressive, she is Woody Allen pursued by Jesus Christ. If there is a flaw in her captivating account, it is her leap from God-haunted despair to cheerful eccentricity in just one chapter. That chapter is full of clues as to what made the difference, but from a self-described "overthinker," it is not quite enough. Let's hope she is leaving room for a sequel.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

People have always looked at Ford funny.  “As a child,” She writes, “I blamed my family, that odd, five-member cast of cartoon characters that always walked along the sidewalk in single file so that real families could pass by intact.”  The older she got, the more often she blamed herself – for the death of three grandparents in six weeks; for harassment from a trusted counselor; for humiliation in a succession of controlling churches; for feeling ignored by God.  Dulling the pain, she spent her young adult years in an alcoholic haze.  Eventually her friend Eileen, who “always, always puts her verbs at the beginning of a sentence,” ordered her to “give it up. Tell God you’ll never have another drink again.” Ford obeyed, but she continued to feel like a misfit despite a good marriage and professional success as a writer and editor.  Then a sudden health crisis jolted her out of constant attempts to meet others’ expectations.  During a subsequent retreat, “I found the courage to look at myself and…hear the cry of my own heart.”  Ford’s story, though serious, is not dark.  Introverted, self-deprecating, perfectionistic and depressive, she is Woody Allen pursued by Jesus Christ.  If there is a flaw in her captivating account, it is her leap from God-haunted despair to cheerful eccentricity in just one chapter.  That chapter is full of clues as to what made the difference, but from a self-described “overthinker,” it is not quite enough.  Let’s hope she is leaving room for a sequel. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, January 27, 2003)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (January 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787963992
• ISBN-13: 978-0787963996
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,072,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mostly, I'm a book author, with 18 traditionally published books. I'm also a ghostwriter, though of course I can't talk specifically about those books; let's just say that I've ghostwritten or contributed to 12 additional books. I'm also a book editor, book reviewer, writing instructor, writing mentor, and journalist. I'm married with two adult daughters, and I have a special interest in postmodern spirituality.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never a Popular Opinion, March 23, 2003

By 

Richard J. Vincent "www.theocentric.com" (West Bend, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memoir of a Misfit: Finding My Place in the Family of God (Hardcover)

In the preface to this book, Phyllis Tickle writes, "Misfits give texture to life. They also tend, on a routine basis, to challenge the preconceptions that masquerade among us every day as normative behaviors." I so readily identify with Marcia Ford, not simply because our stories are remotely the same, but because of her willingness to view herself as a perpetual misfit -- hoping to one day fit, but ultimately realizing that it probably is not to be. My favorite line in the book: "I started to believe that never in my life had I held what could be called a popular opinion" (p. 140). Ditto!

In this delightful book, Marcia recounts her life from her early days to the present. Her story involves encountering and being influenced by a wide variety of religious traditions: She was converted by Methodists, taught the Bible by Baptists, introduced to charismatic renewal and contemplation by Roman Catholics, and taught to laugh by Pentecostals. Her spiritual pilgrimage has finally led her to the Episcopalians. She has come to resonate with the centrality of the liturgy where "Everything, everything, pointed to Him -- not to the rector, not to the sermon, not to the music, but to Jesus. This was clearly an evangelical church" (p. 181).

Marcia's self-deprecating humor and candid opinions make her book a delightful read. Throughout the book, she willingly expresses doubts, disillusionment, and despair. In the end, however, she learned that "God [was never] more fully present in my life than He was in those times when He seemed farthest away" (p. 185).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Search, July 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Memoir of a Misfit: Finding My Place in the Family of God (Hardcover)

Marcia Ford is an authentic child of the '60s, affected by the swirling tempests of Vietnam, flowering drug use and societal disintegration. Yet, she found her way out of this morass of rebellion -- only to discover manipulative forces at work in the church as well. She writes about all this with a verve and an eye for detail that is both humorous and insightful. I think what I liked best about this book was that, in the end, the author maintained her faith instead of the all-too-common: "Life stinks, everyone's a hypocrite and we're all oppressed" infantile musings that pass for philosophy. This book is a page turning delight.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellant book!!!!, May 9, 2003

By 

billy "wpf27" (nj,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoir of a Misfit: Finding My Place in the Family of God (Hardcover)

this book by marcia ford is excellant!i loved it and irecomend itfor everyone who has felt out of place.It has helped me so much this book im so thankful she wrote it .read this book for a honest,well-written book that is full of heart,love and faith.thanks marcia