I find good overlap between his recognizing the good of what came from his church upbringing even if he no longer prescribes to what those pastors say, and Erin‘s book where she talks about the spiritual strata of her plot of land, and also not shaming what younger Erin earnestly believed at the time.
I heard Jeff give a sermon on the theology of the worm at the first Evolving Faith conference. I’ve never forgotten it. Very excited to read this book.
haha I do get overwhelmed with all the book recs, but I also love them! I will add this one to my cart and/or request it at my library :)) I throughly enjoyed this flower/plant metaphor abounding post, so I know i’ll love the book ❤️
"We so often want the rare and allegedly extraordinary, like the dawn redwood, such that we don't recognize the beauty and the glory of the "ordinary" that we actually have."
THIS. I think this hits hard as a 3w4, especially, but just in general as someone raised in a time/environment that was plastered with Be the Best! Shoot for the Moon! Dream Big! posters and then grew into adulthood right as social media was born. My family tree is full of tall tales and Texan exaggeration, hero stories and buried ordinariness and flaws and imperfections. Reality is, it's okay not to be Someone Special, and it's not failure to simply be a kind and honest person with a nice but not exceptional resume, collection of belongings, social media following, activism, community, or legacy. We can rest in that beauty instead of constantly working to have the rare, extraordinary life that impresses or gains followers. It's never real or lasting anyway.
Thank you for sharing. These are some of the words that resonated with me (there are more than a few): "The goodness of the Sabbath, which is to say rest and ease, is our beginning, not our end." That we begin with Sabbath, and all else flows from there, is such a beautiful reclamation for me and my former "I must DO everything the absolute BEST so God knows I LOVE him MOST" self (which included a very rigid view of my faith practices and left little time for any rest at all).
I need to rediscover some love for things lost - would love to dig into Jeff’s book for some insight! (Also my daughter is a PhD student in horticulture and will also LIGHT INTO anyone who conflates dirt & soil! 😁)
Dog person, foodie, 9 with a mom named Delphine(-; a few years ago, i went back to the Rosary after years when i needed to distance myself from the Roman Catholic Church. And it remains one of my favorite forms of prayer.
Sandpaper people. Those who make us better even as they irritate us. I kind of hate that Jesus expects me to love them even as they take off the rough edges in my own life.
I find good overlap between his recognizing the good of what came from his church upbringing even if he no longer prescribes to what those pastors say, and Erin‘s book where she talks about the spiritual strata of her plot of land, and also not shaming what younger Erin earnestly believed at the time.
Can't wait to read Jeff's book. I heard him speak at the first Evolving Faith conference and have been a fan ever since.
I heard Jeff give a sermon on the theology of the worm at the first Evolving Faith conference. I’ve never forgotten it. Very excited to read this book.
haha I do get overwhelmed with all the book recs, but I also love them! I will add this one to my cart and/or request it at my library :)) I throughly enjoyed this flower/plant metaphor abounding post, so I know i’ll love the book ❤️
The truest of the gospel is that God welcomes the “othered.” And they are the greatest in His kingdom work! I think of this in the worm metaphor..
"We so often want the rare and allegedly extraordinary, like the dawn redwood, such that we don't recognize the beauty and the glory of the "ordinary" that we actually have."
THIS. I think this hits hard as a 3w4, especially, but just in general as someone raised in a time/environment that was plastered with Be the Best! Shoot for the Moon! Dream Big! posters and then grew into adulthood right as social media was born. My family tree is full of tall tales and Texan exaggeration, hero stories and buried ordinariness and flaws and imperfections. Reality is, it's okay not to be Someone Special, and it's not failure to simply be a kind and honest person with a nice but not exceptional resume, collection of belongings, social media following, activism, community, or legacy. We can rest in that beauty instead of constantly working to have the rare, extraordinary life that impresses or gains followers. It's never real or lasting anyway.
Thank you for sharing. These are some of the words that resonated with me (there are more than a few): "The goodness of the Sabbath, which is to say rest and ease, is our beginning, not our end." That we begin with Sabbath, and all else flows from there, is such a beautiful reclamation for me and my former "I must DO everything the absolute BEST so God knows I LOVE him MOST" self (which included a very rigid view of my faith practices and left little time for any rest at all).
I need to rediscover some love for things lost - would love to dig into Jeff’s book for some insight! (Also my daughter is a PhD student in horticulture and will also LIGHT INTO anyone who conflates dirt & soil! 😁)
Dog person, foodie, 9 with a mom named Delphine(-; a few years ago, i went back to the Rosary after years when i needed to distance myself from the Roman Catholic Church. And it remains one of my favorite forms of prayer.
Love this! Thanks for sharing.
I've read an advance copy of Jeff's book and it is lovely. There is so much goodness in the pages.
I attended the same PCA church as Jeff growing up and I’m especially interested in digging in *ahem* to the chapter on worm theology!
Rest is our beginning, not our end. Whoa...that is flipping the entire script for this doer.
Sandpaper people. Those who make us better even as they irritate us. I kind of hate that Jesus expects me to love them even as they take off the rough edges in my own life.
the human race started with rest :0 <3
Always needing Jeff’s oh-so-gentle teaching in my Ennea 3 life! His compost message at the original Evolving Faith in 2018 changed my life.