A Spacious Life

Ashley Hales
Trading Hustle and Hurry for the Goodness of Limits

Society constantly tells us to follow our dreams and live our best lives. But contrary to what we've been told, the good life we crave is not accomplished through limitless possibilities or even hustle and hurry—it can only be found in the confines of God's loving limits. Inviting us to discover a better way, Ashley Hales shows us a spacious life filled with purpose, joy, and rest.

We're told that freedom and opportunity are our ticket to the good life. Get out there and follow your dreams! Be the hero of your own story! Find your happiness! Live your best life! It seems that limitless possibilities await anyone with vision and willingness to hustle their way through life.

The thing is, instead of resulting in a sense of accomplishment, this limitlessness merely has us doing more and trying harder—leaving us depleted and dissatisfied. With life and faith. 

Ashley Hales invites us to a better way: a more spacious life. Contrary to what we've believed, the spacious life is not found in unfettered options or accomplished by our hustle and hurry. The life we crave is found within the confines of God's loving limits. Ashley helps us recognize that when we live within these boundaries, we discover a life filled with purpose, joy, and rest.

This is the spacious life—finding true freedom within the good limits given to us by our good God.

"Every now and then, it's helpful to be reminded of how un-American the gospel is. The gospel is not anti-American because Jesus is for people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, but it is un-American because Jesus does not call us to an endless pursuit of upward mobility, star power, or 'more' as much as to a life of holiness, faithfulness, and rest. If you are weary from the pressure of limitless expectations and you desire healthier rhythms, Ashley has provided an excellent road map."

Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines

"From limitations to flourishing, Ashley Hales takes us by the hand and walks us forward into a new freedom that is really an old freedom. She offers the good news that the good life is not what we expected, but it's right here in front of us, waiting between the boundary lines of our limitations. A Spacious Life is a welcoming invitation to consider that a smaller life means bigger love."

Sandra McCracken, singer-songwriter and recording artist

"In this wonderfully meditative book, author Ashley Hales rescues us from the siren seduction of self-help. Her vision of the spacious life isn't something to chase after but receive. It's a life modeled by Jesus—a sacramental, attentive, inescapably human life. If you're running breathless, A Spacious Life will help you slow down, look up—and breathe."

Jen Pollock Michel, author of A Habit Called Faith and Surprised by Paradox
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