Like most moms, Amy Julia Becker's days begin early and busy--bottles and breakfast, dishes and dirty laundry--and she doesn't settle down all day. How to understand the purpose of such a life? "I long for a sense of meaning to undergird the tedium of housekeeping and the demands of caring for small children," she writes. "But I ignore or deny those longings because to pay attention seems impractical, indulgent, and nearly impossible."
What's the answer? Becker, whose writing on parenthood has appeared in the New York Times, Parents, Christianity Today, and Patheos, addresses the problem of soul-draining stress with a surprising answer: Become both spiritual and religious. While being "spiritual but not religious" is a dominant trend among today's seekers, Becker shows how true peace and solutions for life can be found in drawing on the strengths of both spiritual practices and religious doctrines and disciplines.
"Why I Am Both Spiritual and Religious" is a powerful primer on finding peace amidst chaos and strength from within weakness, and Becker is a reliable guide on the frenetic journey of contemporary life.
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Praise for Amy Julia Becker's "Why I Am Both Spiritual and Religious"
"Most of us, depending on our leanings, have an aversion to either 'religion' or 'spirituality.' Some of us cringe at both. Aware of this burden we bear, Becker 's reflections point readers toward the One in whom they can find life and...at last...rest."
--Margot Starbuck, author of "Small Things with Great Love, "Unsqueezed," and "The Girl in the Orange Dress"
"Why I Am Both Spiritual and Religious" is a captivating read. In it, Amy Julia Becker teases out the reasons behind our culture’s weary disappointment in both religion and spirituality. She then describes what “spirit-filled religion” is like and details the gifts of true rest and purpose such practice yields.
--Jennifer Grant, author of "Love You More" and "MOMumental"
