New Releases by Sarah Bessey

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans inspired a generation of questioning and evolving believers. This book offers a collection of her most impactful essays--in print for the first time. For a generation finding their footing in life after evangelicalism, Rachel Held Evans was one of the most trusted and beloved voices of our time. Stubborn in her hope, courageous in her questions, and devoted to inclusivity, her online writing was a sanctuary to the millions who read her words daily. Her death to a sudden illness in 2019 invoked a global outpouring of stories of her legacy and influence. Today, her words still speak, and now for the first time, fans old and new can experience her most viral and enduring essays in print. Braving the Truth is an anthology and keepsake collection letting readers borrow the bravery Rachel was best known for. Edited by New York Times bestselling author and Rachel''s dear friend Sarah Bessey, and interspersed with reflections from Matthew Paul Turner, Shauna Niequist, Lisa Sharon Harper, Glennon Doyle, and more, this special volume tackles topics such as: "An Evolving Faith:" On doubt, asking questions, and liberation from certainty "That Unholy American Trinity:" On patriarchy, white supremacy, and religious nationalism "Casseroles and Kingdom of the Hungry:" On the church "All right, then, I''ll go to hell:" On gender and sexuality "Still a Bible Nerd:" On Scripture, biblical literalism, and a better way and more "If you want to understand the Church today, you need to understand Rachel Held Evans," so writes Sarah Bessey. Thoughtful yet down-to-earth, immediate and timeless, this essay collection is a gift from the past to bring into the future--a treasury to revitalize, validate, embolden, and return to again and again.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A nurturing and hopeful collection of 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 author of Jesus Feminist and editor of A Rhythm of Prayer “This is the perfect guide for all those of who need to be reintroduced to a faith full of grace, mercy, and love.”—Kate Bowler, author of Good Enough It’s hard to leave a faith that has raised us. Maybe it’s 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 us 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 • finding good spiritual teachers • discovering what we are for in this life, and moving in that direction In this groundbreaking and nurturing book, Bessey 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.

Make the breakthrough you need to gently and creatively transform your faith, with this practical companion journal to Field Notes for the Wilderness, Sarah Bessey’s meditation on finding God in the mystery. Field Notes for the Wilderness is a nurturing and hopeful collection of practices for the emerging generation of faith followers—the wounded, the curious, the lost, and the miraculously hopeful. This guided journal companion to Sarah Bessey’s transformative spiritual guide walks you through practical activities, questions, and challenges following the principles for an evolving faith, including • practicing wonder and curiosity as spiritual disciplines • learning to mother yourself with empathy • making space for lament and righteous rage • finding good spiritual teachers Take the groundbreaking concepts from Field Notes for the Wilderness and encounter additional shepherding and viable wisdom to apply them intentionally and impactfully to your life.

Dass auch heute noch oft ausschließlich Männer die "wichtigen" Bereiche der Gemeinde leiten, ist durchaus fragwürdig. In diesem einfühlsamen, aber auch provokanten Liebesbrief an die Gemeinde lädt Sarah Bessey dazu ein, die von Menschen aufgestellten Hindernisse abzubauen – und zuzulassen, dass Frauen mit ihren gottgegebenen Gaben wertvolle Beiträge leisten können. Sie betrachtet, wie Jesus Frauen integriert hat, und beschreibt, wie das Reich Gottes aussehen könnte, wenn jede und jeder mit seinen Gaben an dessen Bau beteiligt ist. Ein theologisch fundiertes Buch, das prägnant die Not vieler Frauen aufgreift und auf einladende Weise Auswege aus dem Dilemma aufzeigt.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From living rooms to church basements, Sarah Bessey grew up amongst prayer circles filled with women from diverse backgrounds who prayed in diverse ways. In A Rhythm of Prayer she captures the spirit of those prayer circles, bringing together a range of faith leaders, including Barbara Brown Taylor, Amena Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber and many more, to offer daily inspiration for connecting with God. With thirty one original prayers for every mood - tiredness, anger and sorrow as well as hope, love and reconciliation - and journaling pages to add your own prayers to the circle, this is not just a devotional book, but a celebration of unique voices. It is also a warm, inviting invitation to renew and revitalise your prayer life, ideal for anyone who is looking for fresh ideas for prayer or for those just starting to explore prayer for the first time. Filled with wisdom, compassion and words of poetic beauty, A Rhythm of Prayer is a Christian prayer book that provides spiritual nourishment and guidance. It will leave you feeling connected to others who also walk with God and less alone in difficult, uncertain times.

UNA CANCIÓN DE LIBERTAD PARA LA IGLESIA. Sarah Bessey no le pidió a Jesús que viniera y desordenara todas sus ideas sobre el lugar de la mujer en el mundo y en la iglesia. Pero llegó a entender que el patriarcado no era el sueño de Dios para la humanidad. Bessey se compromete críticamente con la Escritura en esta carta de amor gentil y provocativa para la Iglesia. Escrito con ritmo poético, voz profética y una base profundamente bíblica, este libro amoroso pero intrépido urge a la Iglesia para que se mueva más allá de las restricciones hechas por el hombre y dé plena bienvenida a las diversas voces y experiencias de las mujeres. Es, a la vez, un llamado a encontrar la libertad en la plenitud, esperanza, gloria y obra de Cristo, y una muy personal y conmovedora historia de cómo Jesús hizo de ella una feminista. "La escritura cálida e íntima de Bessey distingue a este libro de otros centrados en tópicos similares. Su aproximamiento y estilo ofrecen un aporte único a la literatura sobre el rol de la mujer en las iglesias cristianas". Publishers Weekly "Nunca estridente, en su lugar el enfoque de Bessey es sólido y claro... Una excelente elección". Booklist "Amo a las escritoras que son los suficientemente perspicaces como para ser cínicas, pero eligen no serlo. Amo los libros que me ayudan a ver cosas que nunca antes había notado (en la vida, en mí mismo, en otros, en la Biblia, en Jesús). Amo los textos que hacen disfrutable y fácil la lectura... Amo Jesús Feminista. No es un ''libro para mujeres''. De hecho, es el tipo de libro que ayudará a mujeres y hombres a ver cuán inútil es esa distinción". Brian D. McLaren, autor, orador, activista "Con gracia, humildad y confianza (incluso en lo desconocido), el Jesús Feminista de Sarah Bessey humaniza magistralmente uno de los tópicos más controversiales de estos días". Andrew Marin, autor de Love Is an Orientation "Con honesta vulnerabilidad y fuertes fundamentos bíblicos, Sara Bessey comparte su viaje personal e introspección con respecto a los roles y calificativos para las mujeres en el ministerio". Helen Burns, autora de The Miracle in a Mother''s Hug

“This book—the fullness, depth, and beauty of Sarah Bessey’s faith and artistic genius—is a miracle” (Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior) and an unforgettable and life-affirming exploration of how trauma can strengthen your faith and miracles can be found in unexpected places. In the brief instant Sarah Bessey realized that her minivan was, inevitably, going to hit the car on the highway on the bright, clear day of the crash, she knew intuitively that it would have life-changing consequences. But as she navigated the winding path from her life before the accident—as a popular author, preacher, and loving wife and mother—to her new life after, inhabiting a body that no longer felt like her own, she found that the most unexpected result was how it shook her deeply rooted faith, upending everything she thought she knew and held so dearly. Weaving together theology and memoir, Sarah delivers “a well-written reminder of seeing the miracles in life’s highs and lows” (Library Journal). The road of healing leads to Rome where she met the Pope (it’s complicated) and encountered the Holy Spirit in the last place she expected. She writes about her miraculous healing, learning to live with chronic pain, and the ways God makes us whole in the midst of suffering. She invites us to a path of knowing God that is filled with ordinary miracles, hope in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and other completely reasonable things. Insightful, profound, and unexpected, “Sarah’s writing is so breathtaking, sometimes you think you are reading poetry. The story is so thrilling, sometimes you think you are devouring a novel. And the Spirit she describes is so compelling, you’ll swear you experienced a revival. You won’t put it down once until you close the last page” (Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author).

How are Christians supposed to have hope and experience wholeness amidst personal challenges and failures? Featuring contributions from influential young writers like Emily P. Freeman, Sarah Bessey, Holley Gerth and more, these poignant and powerful reflections help you experience beauty in the brokenness of real life laid bare.

From the popular blogger and provocative author of Jesus Feminist comes a riveting new study of Christianity that helps you wrestle with—and sort out—your faith. In Out of Sorts, Sarah Bessey—award-winning blogger and author of Jesus Feminist, which was hailed as “lucid, compelling, and beautifully written” (Frank Viola, author of God’s Favorite Place on Earth)—helps us grapple with core Christian issues using a mixture of beautiful storytelling and biblical teaching, a style well described as “narrative theology.” As she candidly shares her wrestlings with core issues—such as who Jesus is, what place the Church has in our lives, how to disagree yet remain within a community, and how to love the Bible for what it is rather than what we want it to be—she teaches us how to walk courageously through our own tough questions. In the process of gently helping us sort things out, Bessey teaches us how to be as comfortable with uncertainty as we are with solid answers. And as we learn to hold questions in one hand and answers in the other, we discover new depths of faith that will remain secure even through the storms of life.

Gender roles have been debated for centuries, and now Sarah Bessey offers a clarion freedom call for all who want to realize their giftedness and potential in the kingdom of God. Through a thoughtful review of biblical teaching and church practices, Bessey shares how following Jesus made a feminist out of her.