This makes me think of the earliest Christians who were known for retrieving the babies no one wanted to keep from literal trash heaps and how upside down their love was to their neighbors. May we also have a reputation for such unusual love.
A recent beautiful read for me was We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death With Loved Ones Transforms Us by Whitney Pipkin.
Wow. This is beautiful. Like you my spiritual language and landscape is morphing. It’s exciting, unnerving, and taking me to wide open spaces I’ve yet to explore. Turning in my final edits today on a book about all this - about what to do when we get to the crossroads of faith and doubt - and I’m fearful it’s not fully capturing this new sense of freedom but having to trust it will land where it’s meant to.
The good thing about writing is that we just keep writing into the wholeness we find. I’m glad we don’t have to get it right. We just try to say it as true as we can in each different, unfolding season.
Thank you for this, KJ! Definitely buying this one next.
I really loved The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault most recently. She is an episcopal priest who challenges us at the outset to un-know all we think we know about Jesus and meet him as his disciples did: a poor Jewish rabbi. A wisdom teacher who spoke in parables and led us toward wholeness and singleness of mind—but not by efforting and climbing and ascending , but thru kenosis and self-emptying love. It has transformed the way I approach Scripture. SO good.
I would love to hear your thoughts! Discussing it with my non-Christian friends as I journey toward a new identity as a Christian mystic who is still in love with Jesus. She offers some thoughts and interpretations my family of origin would never understand…..
What??! I’m crying. I sometimes feel really alone in the walk my family is walking. Thanks for sharing this. My dearly beloved baby was born last May with diagnosis of Trisomy 21, after being told he wouldn’t make it and he had a diagnosis of Trisomy 13. He required two open-heart surgeries this year. I write about him in my substack, if you want to check it out. I started this substack when I was pregnant and needed to write to survive the pregnancy docs said wouldn’t be compatible with life (they were wrong). Would love to connect further with you both!!
Have you read “Learning to Speak God from Scratch” by Jonathan Merritt (author of “My Guncle and Me”)? It helped me find a starting point to process my reflexive cringing at all things “Christianese” (an ongoing process to be sure)
Wow, this whole thing is so beautiful, both your words + Micha's {love your honesty re: your own journey and looking for spiritual language that resonates...also your footnote made me smile 😊}.
Thank you for introducing us to Micha! I've read this 3x since yesterday and took a couple of pages of notes, so...a lot resonates. And I'm carrying around this dream of "beloved community" in my heart now, and asking Jesus to let it start right here, where no one sees but Him and the people closest to me. Particularly the more vulnerable people I'm responsible for.
"We are valuable because we *are*" 😭🫶💜. I'm slowly breaking up with my own internal pressure to produce + validate my own existence in some tangible, show-able way to an "accomplishment culture." It's a process that requires gentleness with myself and my story as I learn a new way to be in this world. And I do believe it is worthy work.
I hear Micha inviting us to a culture that "centers the personhood of all" and my heart hungers for this. Interestingly, I feel like I see that happening, in measures + degrees, outside of religious or church contexts. I wish it for the church, too.
We aren't alone in this dream + I feel that as I read here. I want to dream this dream in step with God's heart + shoulder to shoulder with others. Thank you for sharing what's feeding your heart + letting it feed ours, too 🫶✨.
{Wish I could add to your list of books, but I am gratefully + *very* slowly working my way through the audiobook versions of As Long as You Need + Field Notes for the Wilderness}
A very inspiring excerpt, K J even as you describe your journey after 10 months in bed and have the energy to share with us all that experience and knowledge you glean as you read others writings. Thanks again for being real and connected to God in the way you are.
🥹 thank you! Today’s the one year anniversary of the surgery that changed my whole life. Feeling very grateful to have come so far back to life. Grateful, and tender.
Mica - how can I connect with you? Ha- sorry for the plea :).
I am working on lots of stories and want to share them with the world, and I love that you’ve done that, too. My lens for seeing the world is so changed after having my baby. Sometimes, it’s a weird way of walking, seeing this wholeness and love in humans I never saw before. I have a couple friends I’ve met through Substack, but trying to grow my community. :)
Loved the excerpts K J shared. It resonates with me as I've grown up with a brother who was diagnosed as a child with hypothyroidism and as a family we have faced a lot of odds because of it. He's facing some too even this late in life.
This makes me think of the earliest Christians who were known for retrieving the babies no one wanted to keep from literal trash heaps and how upside down their love was to their neighbors. May we also have a reputation for such unusual love.
A recent beautiful read for me was We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death With Loved Ones Transforms Us by Whitney Pipkin.
Mmm great connection point. Thank you for bringing that heritage up!
Thanks for sharing.
Wow. This is beautiful. Like you my spiritual language and landscape is morphing. It’s exciting, unnerving, and taking me to wide open spaces I’ve yet to explore. Turning in my final edits today on a book about all this - about what to do when we get to the crossroads of faith and doubt - and I’m fearful it’s not fully capturing this new sense of freedom but having to trust it will land where it’s meant to.
Grateful for you KJ and for this beautiful book.
The good thing about writing is that we just keep writing into the wholeness we find. I’m glad we don’t have to get it right. We just try to say it as true as we can in each different, unfolding season.
Thank you for this, KJ! Definitely buying this one next.
I really loved The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault most recently. She is an episcopal priest who challenges us at the outset to un-know all we think we know about Jesus and meet him as his disciples did: a poor Jewish rabbi. A wisdom teacher who spoke in parables and led us toward wholeness and singleness of mind—but not by efforting and climbing and ascending , but thru kenosis and self-emptying love. It has transformed the way I approach Scripture. SO good.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Cynthia Bourgeault book, and that sounds like one that could be timely for me. Thank you!
I would love to hear your thoughts! Discussing it with my non-Christian friends as I journey toward a new identity as a Christian mystic who is still in love with Jesus. She offers some thoughts and interpretations my family of origin would never understand…..
Ooh thanks for recommending I just got it on my kindle. 🙏🏻
Of course!
What??! I’m crying. I sometimes feel really alone in the walk my family is walking. Thanks for sharing this. My dearly beloved baby was born last May with diagnosis of Trisomy 21, after being told he wouldn’t make it and he had a diagnosis of Trisomy 13. He required two open-heart surgeries this year. I write about him in my substack, if you want to check it out. I started this substack when I was pregnant and needed to write to survive the pregnancy docs said wouldn’t be compatible with life (they were wrong). Would love to connect further with you both!!
Oh wow! I've been reading both Julie's and KJ's substacks--my worlds just collided!!! How amazing to find that you've already connected : )
I love when the world is small like this!
So happy to hear your story, Julie. Just subscribed!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing about your family! I’m so glad you could connect with Micha’s story! Keep writing. 🙏🏼
Have you read “Learning to Speak God from Scratch” by Jonathan Merritt (author of “My Guncle and Me”)? It helped me find a starting point to process my reflexive cringing at all things “Christianese” (an ongoing process to be sure)
I really appreciate Jonathan and actually thought of that title while writing this one! Just talked with him recently about this very topic.
I adore Jonathan. Thanks the rec!
“Jesus has always been inviting us to remake culture in a way that centers the personhood of all.” 🔥 This will stay with me. Thank you Micha and KJ.
So good, right?
Wow, this whole thing is so beautiful, both your words + Micha's {love your honesty re: your own journey and looking for spiritual language that resonates...also your footnote made me smile 😊}.
Thank you for introducing us to Micha! I've read this 3x since yesterday and took a couple of pages of notes, so...a lot resonates. And I'm carrying around this dream of "beloved community" in my heart now, and asking Jesus to let it start right here, where no one sees but Him and the people closest to me. Particularly the more vulnerable people I'm responsible for.
"We are valuable because we *are*" 😭🫶💜. I'm slowly breaking up with my own internal pressure to produce + validate my own existence in some tangible, show-able way to an "accomplishment culture." It's a process that requires gentleness with myself and my story as I learn a new way to be in this world. And I do believe it is worthy work.
I hear Micha inviting us to a culture that "centers the personhood of all" and my heart hungers for this. Interestingly, I feel like I see that happening, in measures + degrees, outside of religious or church contexts. I wish it for the church, too.
We aren't alone in this dream + I feel that as I read here. I want to dream this dream in step with God's heart + shoulder to shoulder with others. Thank you for sharing what's feeding your heart + letting it feed ours, too 🫶✨.
{Wish I could add to your list of books, but I am gratefully + *very* slowly working my way through the audiobook versions of As Long as You Need + Field Notes for the Wilderness}
I love that you read this multiple times! You’ll love her book. And the two you are reading right now are excellent!
Love all of these thoughts, Debby. Thanks so much!
A very inspiring excerpt, K J even as you describe your journey after 10 months in bed and have the energy to share with us all that experience and knowledge you glean as you read others writings. Thanks again for being real and connected to God in the way you are.
🥹 thank you! Today’s the one year anniversary of the surgery that changed my whole life. Feeling very grateful to have come so far back to life. Grateful, and tender.
Thank you for this. Let me grab myself a copy!
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I think you’ll really appreciate it
Mica - how can I connect with you? Ha- sorry for the plea :).
I am working on lots of stories and want to share them with the world, and I love that you’ve done that, too. My lens for seeing the world is so changed after having my baby. Sometimes, it’s a weird way of walking, seeing this wholeness and love in humans I never saw before. I have a couple friends I’ve met through Substack, but trying to grow my community. :)
Hey! Julie, I’m in Instagram @michaboyett. My substack is The Slow Way https://michaboyett.substack.com/
Loved the excerpts K J shared. It resonates with me as I've grown up with a brother who was diagnosed as a child with hypothyroidism and as a family we have faced a lot of odds because of it. He's facing some too even this late in life.
I’m so glad Micha’s excerpt resonated with you! I think you’ll love (and resonate with) the glimpses she gives in the book of her family.