"Owens, a certified spiritual director and senior editor for Conversations Journal, addresses the disconnect most of us, and our churches, experience between ourselves and the physical world around us, even though it is in the body that heaven actively meets earth. Through a gentle, compassionate exploration of our thoughts and feelings about our bodies, enhanced with exercises for reflection, Owens helps us to learn what it means to be at home in our own skin and sensitive to the body's innate wisdom."
"Our bodies have been the cause of much shame and guilt, as well as false pride—yet they have much to teach us about divinity. Owens unpacks this thesis by examining themes such as fear and impulse, celebration and connectivity. The Canadian author . . . has a strong command of biblical and liturgical theology, and she directs that skill in penetrating and healing ways. Incarnation and resurrection—God in Jesus, both human and divine—are at the core of our understanding of being Christian. We can rejoice in both carnality and divinity, and this book helps us explore that more deeply."
"With tender words and emotional depth, Owens offers a sacred space to ponder the fears of our bodies and how the subtle and overt messages we receive from church and society numb us to the murmurs from God that reverberate through our flesh and bones. . . . What does it mean to be at home in your skin? Step into Embracing the Body to continue your own healing towards an embodied faith."
"Tara Owen's book . . . presents a compelling vision of what an integrated self—a self no longer divided into pure spirit and problematic body—looks and feels like. . . . Embracing the Body provides a heartfelt, accessible introduction to the many ways we can begin to bring body and spirit back together, figure out what our bodies have to do with our faith and embrace the remarkable implications of a God who took on human flesh."
