viting space for my family , but am very rarely one to open the doors wide and cook a feast for neighbors . It ’ s something I ’ m still working toward !
You mention on your blog , in your “ real bio ”, that you might feel disenchanted with modern churches and American Christianity ? Do you mind me asking where and in what ways you feel most disenchanted ? You mention stripping Christianity down to the basics that Jesus taught – have you been able to do this in your own life ? What does that look like on the day-to-day ? I sometimes believe we ’ ve watered down the church - both the medium and the message - in the spirit of modernization . We ’ ve fancied Christianity to make it more palatable , more relevant , more culturally sound . We ’ ve bought into the idea that bigger is better , that we need more youth programs and a more modern auditorium , that our pastors should be hip and the coffee hot . And I don ’ t know that these things matter as much as the time we spend implementing them . We are to love our neighbors - anywhere , anyhow - and I believe it is sometimes very , very hard to so from the comforts of our progressive megachurch . For me , stripping Christianity down to the basics means attempting to live a life like Jesus while wrestling with the space that exists between me and the God who created me . It often looks like doubt and uncertainty , and there ’ s so much tension there . But I ’ m committed to the tension , and I ’ m committed to the unfancying of it all .
The theme for this issue of Faith Filled Family Magazine centers on Spring Cleaning – as a stylist , what would you say to readers out there trying to declutter their living rooms ? As someone trying to flip the script on expectations , what would you say to readers trying to declutter their lives ? Decluttering is a lovely goal , and I truly believe it creates space for what matters most . And yet , if we ’ re chasing a decluttered home or a better living room for the sake of a standard , we ’ ve forgotten the greater goal : connection . So --- whether decluttering your living room or your life , consider purpose . What holds purpose , value , beauty in your eyes and the eyes of those you live with ? Everything else can ( must ?) go .
Right here , right now , what are you thankful for ? Why ? ( Not the overall thankful for your husband and daughter , for your business , etc ., but just in this moment , what pops in your head , even if it seems frivolous / unimportant / maybe even silly )
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Chasing Slow
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Iced coffee . My friends own a local coffee shop here and they kindly keep me ever-supplied with pints of iced coffee to drink at home . As a mom of a new baby who doesn ’ t sleep much , it ’ s a small thing that has proved to be not small at all . ;) Thanks
I want to thank Erin for taking the time to answer all my crazy questions , and for offering us all an insight that goes beyond a self-help guide and gets to the real heart of what true peace and happiness looks like . Even on the messy days .
Chasing Slow : Courage to Journey off the Beaten Path is published by Zondervan and released January 10th , 2017 . It is currently , as of this writing , # 1 in Religious Leader Biographies on Amazon .
You can get to know the author , Erin Loechner , on her blog Design For Mankind . I encourage you to grab a copy of Chasing Slow , visit Erin ’ s website , and get to know her a bit beyond the accolades .