My Path of Faith

A Life's Journey Learning to Love

Non-Fiction - Memoir
202 Pages
Reviewed on 04/07/2019
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Barbie Schuchart-Carlisle grew up loving to write and fell in love with poetry at an early age. She knew even as a child that one day she would write her newest book My Path of Faith. In 2008, Barbie was awarded International Poet of the Year for her poem, A Lonely Day. She shares a few of her poems in My Path of Faith.

Throughout her life, Barbie has felt alone, abandoned and unloved. Christ showed her how to love through Jesus’s eyes and it was this revelation that inspired Barbie to help others who feel the same way. She shares this unconditional love with the people in her ministry, My Hand in His.

Barbie was born in Ohio, raised her family in Northern Kentucky and now resides in North Eastern Ohio with her husband. She continues to write and will be publishing her book of poetry along with a follow-up book to My Path of Faith. For more information about Barbie, her book, story or ministry, connect with her at mypathoffaith@gmail.com.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

My Path of Faith: A Life's Journey Learning How to See, Live and Love through Jesus' Eyes by Barbie Carlisle shares a real-life journey of hurt, guilt, and healing, and a dramatic and inspiring connection with God. In the opening lines, the author shares something that many readers might have felt at some point in their life; the sense of guilt that is communicated to our fragile minds when we are left without love: “For many years I believed everything bad happening to me was because my own mother couldn’t love me. I thought I’d done something horribly wrong, which I couldn’t remember and was to be punished all my life for it.” The author has experienced sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and a lot of painful experiences that left her feeling as though she deserved all the pain she was experiencing. But everything changes with a deepened relationship of faith. Her path to healing and faith is filled with lessons for readers.

This memoir is told in a simple, yet powerful voice and the author’s honesty makes it even more compelling. The story explores her childhood — of which she has a wonderful recollection — and the dynamics of family life, a family of four children, and her deep connection with her father. The reader is left in no doubt that the courage with which the author writes about her pain can only be the fruit of a relationship of truth and faith established with Jesus. In the book, she narrates her journey from a woman who feels awful about herself to one who is deeply loved, and the love that she receives changes the way she sees herself and others. My Path of Faith is an inspiring story, one that will encourage readers to look past their hurts and find hope in a love that is unconditionally given. It contains lessons of faith, parenting, self-love, and healing.

K.C. Finn

My Path of Faith: A Life's Journey Learning How to See, Live and Love Through Jesus' Eyes is a work of non-fiction in the form of a memoir penned by author Barbie Schuchart-Carlisle. As well as uncovering the dark traumas of her life in the pages of this harrowing personal drama, the author also offers hope in the form of describing how she recovered from tragedy through the discovery of Christian faith. Barbie’s tale takes us through her feelings of abandonment and worthlessness at the hands of multiple kinds of abuse, before engaging directly with readers to describe her close relationship with God, and how the development of such a relationship can help others who have also suffered abuse in their lives.

Suitable for adult readers due to triggering depictions of physical abuse (some photographic), and moderate descriptions of both mental and sexual abuse, this is truly a tale which takes readers from darkness into light as it progresses. Author Barbie Schuchart-Carlisle writes with an intense emotional honesty about her troubled past, and how the feelings instilled in her then continued to affect her well into her adult life and relationships. Her relationship with her mother was very interesting to unpick, but also dreadful to hear about, and further testament to the power it took for Barbie to rise up and find love and faith in her future despite that treatment. Overall, My Path of Faith: A Life’s Journey Learning to Love is a book which gives what it promises and so much more. Highly recommended for true-life story fans and Christian readers.

Astrid Iustulin

Can a woman who has suffered physical and verbal abuse find a way to live her life well? Will she ever be able to accept herself and finally find some peace? According to Barbie Schuchart-Carlisle, this is difficult but not impossible. In her touching memoir My Path of Faith, Schuchart-Carlisle reveals how sad and complicated her life was and how she resisted thanks to her faith. She recalls her mother’s hate and sharp criticism while she was a child and a young woman, her two rapes, and all the troubles and unhappy experiences she had to face. And yet, even in the most difficult times, Schuchart-Carlisle always trusted in God. In My Path of Faith, this brave woman shares with the reader her pain, joy, and the lessons she learned along the way.

Despite many sorrowful events, My Path of Faith is delicate rather than a harsh book. Schuchart-Carlisle’s faith illuminates every page and gives a message of hope to readers. She makes it clear that God is everywhere, even in the worst circumstances. I am deeply moved by Schuchart-Carlisle’s honesty, which adds color to her story with the intensity that only real life has. I also like that the author summarizes at the end of each chapter what she learned during her personal journey. This makes her aim clearer and helps readers to sympathize with her and understand the purpose of her memoir. I think that something will remain with readers for a long time after they finish My Path of Faith.

Ankita Shukla

My Path of Faith: A Life's Journey Learning How to See, Live and Love Through Jesus' Eyes by Barbie Carlisle is her life journey that has been full of struggle, pain, and lack of love. From an early age, she endured her mother's neglect and emotional abuse. In her mother's eyes, Barbie could not do anything right. The only love she remembers receiving was from her father. Even he never stopped her mother from demeaning Barbie. Their extent of neglect toward Barbie knew no bounds. When Barbie revealed that she was raped by her date, her mother asked her to move out of the house, and her father did not find the courage to stop this injustice. With nothing to compare to, she fell into many abusive relationships with men who claimed to have loved her. Amidst all this chaos, she surrendered herself to God's will. Whenever she did something good for others or stood up against wrong, she always gave credit to God by saying, "It wasn't me. It's God in me." Enduring so much grief and yet keeping an unwavering faith in God is no small accomplishment.

The author is remarkably talented. She has included her poetry, her interpretation of the scripture, and how the scripture applies to her life throughout the book. This is a unique approach to guide readers to actually look at their own lives through the eyes of faith. Although she constantly felt lonely, Barbie realized that she was never really alone. God was always with her. The moment she embraced Him in her life and heart, she understood that she would never be alone. Having faith does not mean that she doesn't regret some of the decisions that she had made; it only means that she would believe God in healing her heart and showing her the right way. Parents' neglect can break a person and that is evident in this memoir. Nevertheless, faith can definitely save even the most broken soul. I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for faith, hope, and love in their lives.