This episode shares a great conversation with one of my favorite writers in the whole world, Sarah Bessey. Today, we are diving into an important topic that I don't think gets covered enough: what do you do when you feel like you're in the wilderness of your faith. If you're struggling with doubts about your faith, or supporting someone who is, you're not alone. Sarah's wisdom, empathy, and thoughtfulness are going to be a blessing to you like it has been to me.

Sarah Bessey has authored or edited five books, including the New York Times bestseller A Rhythm of Prayer. She also leads Evolving Faith, a conference and online community for people who are reimagining their faith with hope. In her new book, Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith, Sarah becomes a shepherd for our curiosity, giving us a table for our questions, tools to cultivate what we crave, and a blessing for what was, even as we leave it behind.

Join Sarah and I as we talk about:

• Examining our faith

• What it means to be in a season of reimagining our faith

• When you are going through a season in the wilderness

• Healing through hard hurtful situations

• Learning what you are for and how to love the world

Favorite quotes: 

• “You can’t wander away from God’s love. You can get a few things wrong and still enjoy the goodness and friendship of God. This is not a thing that is jeopardy.” (18:15) 

• “In the midst of all of that, you can’t outwander God and you can’t run away from the run of God. That is still the thing that is holding everything including the wilderness inside you.” (20:56)

• “It is not enough to just be against things. I need to begin to name what I am for.” (21:52)

• “One of the other ones that was really important for me was learning how to love the world again.” (23:04)

• “God is hiding in plain sight in our everyday walking around lives.” (24:00)

Coaching this week:   Cultivate Self-Awareness
This week in coaching, I discussed how Self-awareness means paying attention to our feelings and reactions, especially in stressful situations. By noticing where we feel tension in our bodies and understanding our wants and needs, we can learn to respond to challenges with more wisdom and grace instead of numbing out and leading ourselves to burnout.

Links to great things we discussed: 

• Sarah Bessey Website

• Sarah Bessey Instagram

• Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith

• Plowshare Prayer - Spencer LaJoye

• The Tree - Maren Morris

• Sarah’s Playlist 

• Past Lives

• Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens

• Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human

• Demon Copperhead

• One Long River of Song

• Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick

• NIRA Pro Laser & Serum Collection 

• Red Light Panel

• Aquaphor

• Create a Course

• Alli on YouTube

Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here.

Hope you loved this episode!  Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :)

xo,

Alli