Hi friends,
I’m too excited for a preamble, let’s gooooooooo! Here is the book cover for my newest book: Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith which is headed your way soon.
There she is - AND her companion guided journal too! 🔥
Here’s the publisher’s summary:
A nurturing and hopeful collection of principles, prayers, and practices to help an emerging generation of Christians reconnect to their faith, find inner healing, and build spiritual community—from Glennon Doyle's "favorite faith writer," and the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Feminist and A Rhythm of Prayer.
It’s hard to leave a faith that has raised us. Maybe even harder to stay. But what can feel impossible is living in the tension. Living with a faith that evolves.
Sarah Bessey is an expert at faithfully stumbling forward. As a New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Evolving Faith, the foremost community for progressive Christians, she has been trusted by thousands of people to pursue a reconstruction of faith centered on compassion, truth, and inclusion. Bessey has found a deeply underserved and underestimated remnant in the wilderness of Christianity, who are still devoted to Jesus, deeply rooted in the Gospel, fascinated with Scripture, and committed to reimagining their faith.
Field Notes for the Wilderness guides the reader through multiple principles to live by for an evolving faith, including:
Practicing wonder and curiosity as spiritual disciplines
Mothering ourselves with compassion and empathy
Making space for lament and righteous rage
How to find good spiritual teachers
Discovering what we are for in this life, and moving in that direction
In this groundbreaking and nurturing book, Bessey has given us a table for our questions, a shepherd for our curiosity, tools to cultivate what we crave, and a blessing for what was—even as we leave it behind.
The study guide is a guided journal to be used alongside of the primary book with original prayers for each practice, too.
I’m so excited to put this book into your hands - and for you to be able to pass it along to the folks in your own circles who are at the threshold of the wilderness, too.
Normally I would have waited to be a bit closer to the book release to share the cover(s) but since it’s already up on retailer sites, it seems we’re here already. We’re still a long way from the book being out in the world (March 5, 2024), but it is very, very fun to see the cover art out in the world already…
…even if I’m still working on those last edits this blessed moment.
#ThoughtsAndPrayers
Waiting until March 5 for the book feels a bit far away, I know, so in the meantime, please join us in Minneapolis or online on October 13-14, 2023 for this year’s Evolving Faith conference! You’re not alone out here in the wilderness, promise.
This will be our first in-person gathering since 2019, and we just know the energy is going to be electric, holy, and sacred. Our lineup is one you won’t want to miss: Krista Tippett, Danté Stewart, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Barbara Brown Taylor, and so many more.
Gather your people up, grab a ticket now, and join us!
Preorder
Preorders are a big deal for writers (mainly because they are a big deal to retailers and publishers) so if you hit that preorder button, it is much appreciated!
(UK and Canada, I’ll hopefully have most of our links for preorder in a few weeks along with links for independent bookstores as well so watch for those soon.)
An “expert” at stumbling forward indeed LOL,
S.
P.S. Now, I’m so excited to know: what do you think??
And in case you missed these recent Field Notes:
God doesn't want to use you.: Maybe God doesn’t so much want things from us. Maybe God actually wants things for us. (for everyone)
On learning to love the Bible again: In which I make 16-ish book recommendations for your evolving relationship with scripture (for subscribers)
I have this, for now: A few of my certainties at the moment (for everyone)
Yay! Pre-ordered! Can't wait <3
I immediately teared up Sarah. The cover delights me. Pre-ordered instantly! Cheering you on and anxiously awaiting this books birthday 🎉