Coming Up For Air Getaway @ the w hotel in Atlanta

Friday night hang, Saturday Breathe sessions, Saturday night all request concert

What people had to say:

Wow.

Great people.

Fun.

Thought-provoking.

Challenging.

Warm.

Creative.

Friendly.

Relaxing.

Hilarious.

Quiet Interesting.

Way too short! We'll need at least a week next time.

Barbara Tulsa

i'm halfway through the book and had a sudden realization on the plane home...'this is going to change my life'. i had one of those moments where the rest of the world seemed to stop for a minute and it was just me and Him, then one of those defining questions dropped...'am i afraid to dream?' i woke up this morning and as i stood at my window, which has become routine since the view is the sunrise over lake michigan, i made a promise. 'i'm buying a new journal today and i am going to start wrestling with some things, even if all i do is get them down on paper.' i am sobered by the thought that whatever comes out of this wrestling is going to be significant to the rest of my journey!

jules Seattle

Wow, I needed this weekend! The anti-"conference" was so much more than can be described here. I am a mother of two young children, with a husband that works full time. Needless to say, it is not the easiest thing to get away for the entire weekend, by myself. And yet, by the end of the weekend, I felt a little guilty, like I had been let in on a "secret" of sorts

Her content left me empowered and encouraged to live my life intentionally, to ensure I live everyday in a way that supports my own unique individual purpose for being here on this earth. A kind of "fleshing out" of the overall biblical principles that, try as I might, become stale as I rush through life.

I wasn't about to miss a chance to experience her reflections in this rare and special "living room" inspired environment is an opportunity to hear much needed wisdom that is so relevant to our spiritual lives today. I finished the weekend with the overwhelming feeling of purpose. It was one of those times where you wish you could bottle what you hear and how you feel and drink from it when times get tough.

Margaret's sessions give practical, useful tools.

Penny Charlotte

What they are saying about the book:

As I read Margaret's book about her journey away from unfulfilling distractions and her journey into a more purposeful and intentional life, I couldn't help but occasionally bow my head and pause at the unfolding truth: this book reflects a holy journey.

There's always been a lot of reasons to be a fan of Margaret's work. In her music, you can take your pick: voice, musicianship, lyrics, strength and vulnerability...it's all there.

While I've loved all these things, I've always been one of those people who has largely been drawn to Margaret's work primarily because of her use of language. The woman can turn a phrase in any context, and that makes it that much more rewarding to hear "Margaret: The Extended Version" in the form of a substantive, artful and beautiful book.

What I love about Margaret's written work is this: her words are totally her own. Frederick Buechner, in describing how some religious words get old, wrote that "the smell of rain is grace." It's in this same vein that Margaret writes. By using language that communicates a deep, spiritual reality, a very "biblical" experience, in a way that is new and unique, she breathes new life into timeless truths. Her writing is a perfect reflection of her artistry, because it's totally her, but it's also totally "God in her," in that it reflects how God works and relates in and to and through her. In short, it reveals a living and unique relationship. When offered up to the rest of us, it presents us with a chance for communion of sorts - a chance to partake of her hard-won lessons and weave them into our own lives in a way that is uniquely us.

For those who loved With New Eyes, this is a more than worthy follow-up. In fact, it in many ways surpasses that book, as beautiful as it was, because of one thing: the beauty and truth found in With New Eyes may have never fully been birthed if there had not first been a Coming Up For Air.

Laura Boston