Dec 5, 2019
A willingness to be vulnerable and share a personal story takes courage. Speaker, blogger, and pastor, Ashley Abercrombie knows this first hand. In her new book, Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell it Like it Is, and Live with Holy Gumption, she writes about her private journey surviving rape, abortion, dysfunctional relationships, and overcoming addictions all while maintaining her gritty, no-nonsense style.
It was in the story telling that allowed Abercrombie to find her strength and her voice. And now she wants to offer readers permission to break the silence on their own pain and shame in order to find healing, encouragement, and ultimately, the gumption to carry on.
She urges Christians to release others to do the same and in turn embrace the truth of the social injustices facing our country today, including rural poverty, race, the criminal justice system, and gender roles. Throughout the book, Abercrombie ruthlessly encourages women to rise up, embrace the truth of who they are, and not hide behind masks anymore.
“Through this book, I hope to inspire others to own their story, tell it like it is, and live with holy gumption,” she writes. “I am convinced that we are living in an unprecedented time, when we need the truth tellers to rise. We need space to be our whole selves, and then courage to create safe space for others to do the same.”
Ashley Abercrombie wore a mask more than half her life, and considers herself too old and too annoyed to ever put that thing on again. She has fought to overcome addiction, rape, abortion, perfectionism, and dysfunctional relationships to become an honest, whole, and free woman (most days) and has been in multicultural urban ministry and justice work or more than 15 years. During that time, she has taught Bible studies, classes, small groups, and workshops on reconciliation and justice, as well as Sunday services. Ashley is a content creator, and more than 200,000 people have completed her YouVersion Bible App devotional. She's currently doing that work while serving at Liberty Church in downtown Manhattan. A blogger, writer, and speaker, Ashley lives with her husband, Cody, and their two sons in Harlem.