Spirituality

Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith

Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith

  • Downloads：6263
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-11-21 09:21:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Bessey
  • ISBN：0593593677
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Nathan ，

This book will help you mature in your faith。 Like Sarah Bessey， the circumstances of my life have led me to reevaluate many things related to Christianity。What Bessey excels at is getting you to ask questions you had formerly dismissed: maybe it's not a bad thing to doubt， or to pray， or to desire justice。 Maybe a Christian can also be a feminist。 Maybe the goodness we've sensed in Jesus is even calling us to some of these reconsiderations。I highly recommend this， especially to someone who （unl This book will help you mature in your faith。 Like Sarah Bessey， the circumstances of my life have led me to reevaluate many things related to Christianity。What Bessey excels at is getting you to ask questions you had formerly dismissed: maybe it's not a bad thing to doubt， or to pray， or to desire justice。 Maybe a Christian can also be a feminist。 Maybe the goodness we've sensed in Jesus is even calling us to some of these reconsiderations。I highly recommend this， especially to someone who （unlike myself， actually） feels locked into Western conservative evangelicalism but senses more to Christianity than that。 。。。more

Nick Johnson ，

Dear Wanderer; Dear Scrappy One;Dear Companion。 It’s words like these that address the reader to begin each chapter。 Although much of what Bessey writes is typical， non-fiction prose， I couldn’t help but feel that she was writing a personal letter to me， a fellow wanderer。 If you’ve read any of Sarah Bessey’s other books， know that you’ll be getting a similar kind of experience with this most recent work。 When her first book Jesus Feminist came out， my wife bought it and encouraged me to read it Dear Wanderer; Dear Scrappy One;Dear Companion。 It’s words like these that address the reader to begin each chapter。 Although much of what Bessey writes is typical， non-fiction prose， I couldn’t help but feel that she was writing a personal letter to me， a fellow wanderer。 If you’ve read any of Sarah Bessey’s other books， know that you’ll be getting a similar kind of experience with this most recent work。 When her first book Jesus Feminist came out， my wife bought it and encouraged me to read it as well。 Admittedly， her conversational style of writing didn’t really appeal to me。 After a few chapters， it ended up back on the shelf。 Although written in the same style， her next book， Out of Sorts， really did it for me。 That probably had more to do with where I was in my own journey of faith at the time， than anything else。 With her latest， Fieldnotes for the Wilderness， it felt like I was having a similar experience - not necessarily loving her writing style， but nodding my head to so much of what she had to say。 It really resonated with me， and I think it will do the same for others who have an openness to hear what is being said。I really appreciated Sarah’s wisdom and humility that came through quite glaringly。 She shares so many beautiful stories and speaks with a strong level of conviction， yet prefaces and ends her book with these kinds of words: “I’m not under the illusion that what worked or works for me will always work for you， but it’s been an honour to spend these pages with you， offering up the practices and learnings that have served me well out here in the wilderness。” Sarah is wise， compassionate， and a voice that needs to be heard， especially by those who find themselves wandering away from familiar structures and systems; those who are looking for new practices and ways of being in the world。I give it a 4 out of 5。 I enjoyed the read， no doubt， but it wasn’t a book that I couldn’t put down。 。。。more

Richard Propes ，

I was only a few pages into Sarah Bessey's "Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith" when I shed my first tear。 It wouldn't be my last。In fact， I cried often throughout "Field Notes for the Wilderness，" the latest book from the popular Christian author and blogger who is also co-founder of the Evolving Faith conference and podcast。 I first became familiar with Bessey via social media， her warm yet direct spirit appealing to me and my few encounters with her affirming my s I was only a few pages into Sarah Bessey's "Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith" when I shed my first tear。 It wouldn't be my last。In fact， I cried often throughout "Field Notes for the Wilderness，" the latest book from the popular Christian author and blogger who is also co-founder of the Evolving Faith conference and podcast。 I first became familiar with Bessey via social media， her warm yet direct spirit appealing to me and my few encounters with her affirming my sense that she's what my Kentucky relatives would call "good people。" I must confess， however， that my tears while reading "Field Notes for the Wilderness" weren't always entirely because of a response to the direct subject。 Instead， this "wilderness" that Bessey writes of feels very connected to the last few years of my life as I've lost a limb， experienced bladder cancer （and lost the bladder）， experienced prostate cancer （and lost the prostate）， acquired a new urostomy， lost my brother， lost my brother， and lost my best friend all within the past four years。 I have， quite honestly， felt very disconnected and very much like I'm wandering。 Into this wandering， I began encountering different writers - some Christian， some not。 These included Bessey， Nadia Bolz-Weber， the late Rachel Held Evans， Beth Allison Barr， and even Miroslav Volf （whom I affectionately call my favorite theologian）。 "Field Notes for the Wilderness" essentially plops us down in the midst of our deconstruction of faith， really an evolving of faith （evolving being a term I find more inclusive and accurate in my case）， and nurtures our faith， our curiosity， and our desire to live into our beliefs that haven't always had space in organized religion。 Bessey writes about practicing wonder and curiosity as spiritual disciplines， mothering ourselves with compassion and empathy， making space for lament （I cried a lot here） and righteous rage （I probably should have been angry here， but I cried some more）， finding good （and in my case healthy） spiritual teachers， and moving toward what we are "for" in this life。 Bessey isn't a prescriptive author。 She certainly writes what has worked for her， however， her writing presents itself as more companion and mentor than anything else。 She's the kind of author you want to run into at a conference （sadly， I never have） and she strikes me as a safe space for one to confess that ever-evolving faith （and we sure need those safe spaces）。 By the end of "Field Notes for the Wilderness，" I felt heard。 I felt seen。 I felt nurtured。 I felt fed。 There is one line， the very last line （at least in my ARC Galley of her book） of chapter 16 that still leaves me in tears every single time I think about it。 Available with a companion guided journal （and I strongly recommend reading the book first）， "Field Notes for the Wilderness" feels like that unexpected creek you find when you're wandering in the wilderness。 "Field Notes for the Wilderness" is Bessey at her very best， a coach and mentor and friend for an evolving faith offering presence， nurture， coaching， mentoring， a few gentle nudges， and a whole lot of love。 。。。more

Mhughessc ，

Sarah Bessey is a well-known Christian author， speaker， and co-founder of Evolving Faith。 I've enjoyed all of her previous books， so when I saw that she has a new book coming out， I quickly requested it！ "Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith" is a guidebook for those who are questioning their long-held beliefs。 I found this book incredibly helpful for the season of life I'm in， and I highlighted a good amount of the book。 Bessey does a fantastic job of talking about he Sarah Bessey is a well-known Christian author， speaker， and co-founder of Evolving Faith。 I've enjoyed all of her previous books， so when I saw that she has a new book coming out， I quickly requested it！ "Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith" is a guidebook for those who are questioning their long-held beliefs。 I found this book incredibly helpful for the season of life I'm in， and I highlighted a good amount of the book。 Bessey does a fantastic job of talking about heavy topics， but making it feel okay and even necessary to question your beliefs。 I especially appreciated her assertion that God is not angry when we're questioning， but rather， "God meets us in those places of space [questioning] even more than when we are pretending to have it all figured out or cam our souls full of our own opinions and certainties。" I found this book incredibly helpful and will read it again， I'm sure。 I highly recommend it for anyone who is questioning their beliefs。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Another great book by Sarah Bessey for those finding themselves in the spiritual wilderness。 Written in the style of letter to a friend， this is a user friendly format and broken into topical chapters。 There are parts you will disagree with， parts you will agree with and sections that make you think。 And that's what this book is designed to do， to make you think about your faith and what questions you still want to ask。 Highly recommend this and will definitely be re-reading when I get my pre-or Another great book by Sarah Bessey for those finding themselves in the spiritual wilderness。 Written in the style of letter to a friend， this is a user friendly format and broken into topical chapters。 There are parts you will disagree with， parts you will agree with and sections that make you think。 And that's what this book is designed to do， to make you think about your faith and what questions you still want to ask。 Highly recommend this and will definitely be re-reading when I get my pre-ordered copy in the mail。 I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley。 。。。more

Mary ，

I received a pre-read advanced copy of this book and I didn't even realize this was the book I needed。 I love Sarah Bessey and follow her and evolving faith but this book broke me open。 I have been struggling internally with my faith but it isn't really my faith I am struggling with， it is the expectations and contradictory behaviors of the church in recent years。 Perhaps I was lucky before to not see it as much as the past couple of election cycles and covid 19 but it has been so overwhelming。 I received a pre-read advanced copy of this book and I didn't even realize this was the book I needed。 I love Sarah Bessey and follow her and evolving faith but this book broke me open。 I have been struggling internally with my faith but it isn't really my faith I am struggling with， it is the expectations and contradictory behaviors of the church in recent years。 Perhaps I was lucky before to not see it as much as the past couple of election cycles and covid 19 but it has been so overwhelming。 She speaks the words that I have been feeling with so much grace and love and I have worked through and processed so many of those emotions because of this book。 I feel that I am turning a corner back to my faith and prayer and love for Jesus。 Thank you Sarah for naming and helping me feel that I was not alone。 I know others feeling similar ways and cannot wait for this book to come out to the world。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I mean， I know I wrote it， but I still think it's pretty good！ ✨ I mean， I know I wrote it， but I still think it's pretty good！ ✨ 。。。more

Rachael ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC。 This is simply an astounding book written with beauty， clarity and hope。 Sarah is among the best writers of faith memoirs of the generation and this book is no exception。 Her words are more beautiful and more hopeful than I knew I needed and I will be buying the hard copy so that I can read and re-read。

Mindy Christianson ，

I'm not exaggerating when I say I will be buying this book for every friend who has struggled with the church。 Bessey is able to articulate the pain and struggle as well as the hope for better， and in my opinion no one else compares。 I'm not exaggerating when I say I will be buying this book for every friend who has struggled with the church。 Bessey is able to articulate the pain and struggle as well as the hope for better， and in my opinion no one else compares。 。。。more

Laurie ，

Sarah Bessey's writing always hits home。 In this book， she's writing for all of us in the wilderness， searching for meaning and connection with God， and it's personal because she's been there too。 The central point to her writing is that God loves us， no matter where we find ourselves， and she offers hope for each of us as we move through different places of understanding。 As always， her writing is warm and compassionate， and her personal anecdotes and use of Bible verses serve to drive home imp Sarah Bessey's writing always hits home。 In this book， she's writing for all of us in the wilderness， searching for meaning and connection with God， and it's personal because she's been there too。 The central point to her writing is that God loves us， no matter where we find ourselves， and she offers hope for each of us as we move through different places of understanding。 As always， her writing is warm and compassionate， and her personal anecdotes and use of Bible verses serve to drive home important points。 While she has obviously spent a lot of time thinking about and weighing her beliefs， she doesn't claim to have all of the answers， which allows the reader to formulate their own thoughts on the matter。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC。 。。。more

Lindsay ，

Field Notes for the Wilderness is a courageously hopeful collection of practices set to encourage Christians in their faith。 Written specifically to those who feel like they are wandering in the wilderness， disconnected from community and are in the process of deconstructing their faith， Sarah shares from her own experience and the principles she's gently put into practice to find inner healing as well as build spiritual community。 As someone who has recently left the Church and is wrestling wit Field Notes for the Wilderness is a courageously hopeful collection of practices set to encourage Christians in their faith。 Written specifically to those who feel like they are wandering in the wilderness， disconnected from community and are in the process of deconstructing their faith， Sarah shares from her own experience and the principles she's gently put into practice to find inner healing as well as build spiritual community。 As someone who has recently left the Church and is wrestling with their faith， I find Sarah's writing to be like a beacon of hope and a helpful reminder that although entering and living in the wilderness is painful and grief filled， it doesn't have to always be that way。 Sarah oh so kindly reminds us wanderers that there is a great invitation for us to find healing， belonging and to learn how to faithfully orient ourselves toward Love。 While not a step-by-step guide book， the principles shared are important foundational values for the faith journey and prepare the way for the accompanying journal mentioned in the book。 As always， Sarah writes in such a relatable way， and reading Field Notes is like receiving a hug from a trusted friend at the time you need it most。 Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy。---------------（original thoughts）I just consumed this ARC in one sitting。 So much of the book rang true for me in this part of my faith journey。 I will need more time to process and reflect on Sarah's writing， but for now I will say that each page is filled with such courageous hope。 It is mentioned several times that there will be a companion journal with spiritual practices for the reader。 That， in combination with this will be such a beautiful and helpful pairing。 I can't wait to see it！ Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more