
Everything Happens for a Reason
And Other Lies I've Loved
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Narrated by:
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Kate Bowler
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By:
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Kate Bowler
About this listen
New York Times best seller
"A meditation on sense-making when there's no sense to be made, on letting go when we can't hold on, and on being unafraid even when we're terrified." (Lucy Kalanithi)
"Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande's Being Mortal." (Bill Gates)
Named one of the best books of the year by Real Simple
Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God's disapproval. At 35, everything in her life seems to point toward "blessing". She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son.
Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.
The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with "a surge of determination". Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you "can't do" and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before.
Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, megachurch preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live.
Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason:
“I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping - she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?” (Glennon Doyle, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising)
©2018 Kate Bowler (P)2018 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping - she's like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate's story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for? Everything Happens for a Reason is art in its highest form, and Kate Bowler is a true artist - with the pen, and with her life." (Glennon Doyle, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising)
"Bowler's dry humor and raw, personal accounts help make thinking about our common fate bearable." (The Wall Street Journal)
"Bowler's lovely prose and sharp wit capture her struggle to find continued joy after her [stage IV cancer] diagnosis. This poignant look at the unpredictable promises of faith will amaze readers." (Publishers Weekly)
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- By: Kate Bowler
- Narrated by: Kelly Burke
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Since the 1970s, an important new figure has appeared on the center stage of American evangelicalism - the celebrity preacher's wife. Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars - such as Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, and Victoria Osteen - write best-selling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach.
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Excellent and comprehensive review of the American female evangelical experience
- By bamamed on 08-07-24
By: Kate Bowler
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How to Think Bigger: Aim Higher, Get More Motivated, and Accomplish Big Things
- By: Martin Meadows
- Narrated by: John Gagnepain
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever wondered what separates people who think bigger from people who set their bars low? What makes one person accept low standards and another person constantly raise them? What drives a person who's optimizing every single aspect of her life, and what causes another person to maintain the status quo? I found this topic so fascinating, I decided to find out the answer for myself and write a book about it.
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Should be required to read in high school
- By Timothy on 08-27-15
By: Martin Meadows
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Everything Happens for a Reason
- Finding the True Meaning of the Events in Our Lives
- By: Mira Kirshenbaum
- Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In each of our lives we are faced with events that seem inexplicable, unjust, even cruel - events that can shatter our perception of the world, our understanding of ourselves, and our faith in a higher power. Friends and family members often offer comfort with "Everything happens for a reason" - a simple, common phrase with an unbearably elusive meaning. In Everything Happens for a Reason, psychotherapist Mira Kirshenbaum helps us understand the principles behind this frequently used phrase and provides us with tools to grasp its true meaning.
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Excellent!!!! Listened to it 3X
- By TTR on 06-19-24
By: Mira Kirshenbaum
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Humility
- The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness (Growing Gospel Integrity)
- By: Gavin Ortlund
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 2 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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There are many misconceptions about what it means to be humble. Some think that being humble means hiding your talents and abilities or being weak and inauthentic. But the Bible paints a different picture—defining humility as a self-forgetfulness leading to joy and explaining that it is a life-giving virtue that frees you from the restricting needs of your ego. In Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness, Gavin Ortlund encourages listeners that humility is not just an abstract virtue but a mark of gospel integrity.
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Fuel for my soul 🔥
- By Taylor Racich on 01-20-23
By: Gavin Ortlund
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Faith Unraveled
- How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions
- By: Rachel Held Evans, Sarah Bessey
- Narrated by: Rachel Held Evans
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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From New York Times best-selling author Rachel Held Evans: a must-listen for anyone on the journey of doubt, deconstruction, and ultimately faith reborn. Eighty years after the Scopes Monkey Trial made a spectacle of Christian fundamentalism and brought national attention to her hometown, Rachel Held Evans faced a trial of her own when she began to have doubts about her faith. Rachel recounts growing up in a culture obsessed with apologetics, struggling as her own faith unraveled one unexpected question at a time.
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Recharging my faith
- By nitasue11 on 09-07-20
By: Rachel Held Evans, and others
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This One Wild and Precious Life
- The Path Back to Connection in a Fractured World
- By: Sarah Wilson
- Narrated by: Sarah Wilson
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Many of us are living with the sense that things are not right with the world, as global problems like the pandemic, the climate crisis, polarization, and social injustice mount, leaving us in a state of spiritual PTSD. We have retreated, morally and psychologically; we are experiencing a crisis of disconnection—from one another, from our true values, from joy, and from life as we feel we are meant to be living it. Sarah Wilson argues that this sense of despair and disconnection is ironically what unites us—that deep down, we are all feeling that same itch for a new way of living.
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A lot about her personal life - very long
- By Lauriloo on 11-07-21
By: Sarah Wilson
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Stories We Never Tell
- By: Savi Sharma
- Narrated by: Kaushik Ramchandran, Nishi Jagavat
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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There are stories we never talk about. Stories we are afraid to share. Simply because they hurt too much or no one wants to listen to them. Such was the story of Jhanvi, who is a budding social media influencer. She appears to have it all together, but something is missing: Jhanvi has this impossible need that drives her to be more perfect than any person could possibly be. And the story of Ashray, who had a rocky start in life. With hard work and determination, he translates his dreams into reality, but his deep-seated insecurities come to the fore when life throws him a curveball.
By: Savi Sharma
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How to Grow Through What You Go Through
- Mental Maintenance for Modern Lives
- By: Jodie Cariss, Chance Marshall
- Narrated by: Jodie Cariss, Chance Marshall
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In a world which can sometimes be challenging, frightening, overwhelming and complex, it's not surprising that sometimes we don't feel okay. This is what makes us human, but so often we are tempted to push those difficult feelings away or distract ourselves. We reach for our phone, we switch on Netflix, we over-work...but when do we stop and think about how we are really doing? Psychotherapists Jodie Cariss and Chance Marshall, founders of the revolutionary practice Self Space, are passionate about the importance of 'mental maintenance'.
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The ultimate collections of suggestions
- By Jesse Xu on 07-07-22
By: Jodie Cariss, and others
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Help Me! Special Edition
- One Woman's Quest to Find Out If Self-Help Really Can Change Your Life
- By: Marianne Power
- Narrated by: Marianne Power, Mary Power
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Marianne decided to finally find out if her elusive "perfect existence" - the one without debt, anxiety, or hangover Netflix marathons, the one where she healthily bounced around town and met the cashmere-sweater-wearing man of her dreams - really did lie in the pages of our best-known and acclaimed self-help books. She vowed to test a book a month for one year, following its advice to the letter, taking what she hoped would be the surest path to a flawless new her. But as the months passed, Marianne’s reality was turned upside down.
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Cute Story, good performance.
- By Ken on 10-10-19
By: Marianne Power
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How to Survive Change...You Didn't Ask For
- Bounce Back, Find Calm in Chaos, and Reinvent Yourself
- By: M. J. Ryan
- Narrated by: Rosemary Benson
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Change your mindset to change for the better. These are challenging times. Chances are, at this moment, you're confronting some change you never asked for - perhaps a life crisis, like a loss of job or the failure of a dream. Maybe you have to learn to work in new ways or find a new place to live. Best-selling author, thought leader, and change expert M. J. Ryan is here to help. In her book How to Survive Change...You Didn't Ask For, you'll find the support and practices you need to successfully ride the wave of this change, whatever it may be.
By: M. J. Ryan
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The Road to Better Habits, Updated and Expanded
- A Simple Framework for Transforming Your Habits
- By: Darius Foroux
- Narrated by: Darius Foroux
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Covid-19 has changed our habits whether we like to admit it or not. We've become more distracted than ever, which is impacting every aspect of our lives. In this updated and expanded version of The Road to Better Habits, you’ll learn how to transform your habits in a simple way. Ultimately, where you are in your life is a result of your habits. The American historian and philosopher, Will Durant, said it best: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
By: Darius Foroux
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Think Big, Act Small
- How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive
- By: Jason Jennings
- Narrated by: Jason Jennings
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
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Tradition says there are three ways to grow a company's revenue: fire up the sales team with empty promises, cut costs and downsize, or cook the books. But what if there's a better way, a way that nine amazingly profitable and well-run companies are already embracing.
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Great read, great content!
- By Jason DeLong on 07-30-21
By: Jason Jennings
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From Failure to Success
- Everyday Habits and Exercises to Build Mental Resilience and Turn Failures into Successes
- By: Martin Meadows
- Narrated by: John Gagnepain
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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How many times did you fail and gave up out of frustration or discouragement? How often does failure ruin your resolve and send you back to square one, only to fail over and over again, with little hope anything will ever change? Written by best-selling author Martin Meadows, From Failure to Success reveals what failure really is and how to deal with it in a constructive way that will help you achieve success. The author has suffered through multiple failures in his own life. In the book, he shares his vast experience of how he turned failure into a friend.
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great book!!!
- By DIY manAmazon Customer on 01-09-18
By: Martin Meadows
What listeners say about Everything Happens for a Reason
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- Queenbeeof5
- 04-03-18
Brutiful
I’m broken open after listening to Kate. This was beautiful and painful. I laughed too loud and cried too much all the way through. I’m so grateful Kate Bowler was willing to share herself and her experience with the world.
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31 people found this helpful
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- freedom2fly
- 06-19-20
authentic look at suffering
Kate shares her own experience with suffering through cancer. She tells her thinking and beliefs on how they have changed.
I liked her rawness, her bluntness, and comical stories about the realities of cancer and suffering. The first 4 chapters were depressing to me and wanted to stop reading but I always finish a book a start.
She explained more about why she doesn't believe in the prosperity gospel which I agree with her there but I was surprised that domeone who is a Christian and religious studied based didn't use more verses to explain what she does believe. She focused more on traditions,and religous beliefs & rituals. I expected something different and a lot more. But its her book and she can write it how she wants it.
I agree with her list if what not to say and do and her list of what to say and do. I will be passing that part forward.
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- CarolG
- 06-20-19
Lovely, and honest.
I loved every minute of this. Kate is a gifted writer and speaker, and conveys her life experience with wisdom and compassion. She speaks from and to the heart.
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- Bhinde99
- 05-30-18
Boring, Disappointed
if you're going through the same walk as Kate maybe you'd have a different perspective on this book, or want to support medical study and pharmaceutical companies, but not what I was expecting. Disappointed
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- Lana Burske
- 03-29-18
outstanding book
just wonderful! i really appreciate the author's perspective and learned so much in the process. thank you Kate Bowler!
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- Wendell F. Phillips
- 05-02-18
Love Kate's Honestya
I loved this book. Bowler writes with the u mlmncommon ability to take something most consider tragic and make it triumphant! I'm on Kate's team!
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- cmstimpson
- 08-04-19
Amazing book, changed volume throughout
This book is incredible and well worth the read but I will say I had to change the volume every time I thought she was going to yell because she can be loud when trying to articulate someone being upset, and it hurt my ears.
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- Tracy
- 10-03-20
Must Read the Appendix sections!
Honestly you don’t need to read the book, although it is interesting. The two appendix sections are a must though! Write them down and save them for when you need them because we all will at some point. Those sections are gold! Tangible advice about dealing with the tough stuff and what do or say.
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- Wendy Davidson
- 12-11-21
"balls out living, balls out grieving"
This book is breathtaking - both in the best and in the most heartbreaking ways. Bowler chronicles the experience of living in the liminal space of a devastating diagnosis. We're all dying, but some people's pain reminds us of that, and we rarely do well when reminded. Bowler's experience of suffering rings true to my own, and I cannot recommend this book enough to those who are suffering, have suffered, or those who love someone who is - especially those who are fed up with trite and minimizing responses like "everything happens for a reason."
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- Pamela Yoder
- 07-27-22
This book blew my mind!
I ventured into this book upon a recommendation of a parishioner and as a part of preparation for a sermon about waiting (Isaiah 40:29-31)...and what an incredible gift. Kate's honesty, transparency, vulnerability and wisdom in addition to hearing this in her own voice is so powerful. I told a friend as I was devouring each word that I am not sure how I can pastor, care, pray, preach with any integrity going forward but also that I am strangely and equally comforted, encouraged, and bettered by Kate's story and reflections. I highly recommend this book, to readers of all walks of life and faiths, Christian or not. Thank you.
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