Back Roads to Belonging , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Kristen Strong

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110 pages

English

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At one time or another, shifting seasons in family, friendships, employment, and communities will bring each of us face-to-face with the feeling of being on the outside looking in. Because we are made for connection, this will often lead us down one of two roads. Either we will hop on the popular but crowded highway that asks us to do whatever it takes to get noticed, or we'll stand still, paralyzed by the fear that we're not important, loveable, or worth other people's time and attention.But what if there is another way? With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way--the back road way--to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you. Along the way, you will learn simple, doable actions that not only will help you feel and know that you belong but will welcome others in as well.

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	06 août 2019
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493417902
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0432€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Endorsements
“It’s time to trade in the lie of being left out for the truth that there’s a place where you were made to belong! Don’t know how to get from here to there? Kristen is the kind of guide who will pick you up with coffee in one hand and a bouquet of real, honest stories in the other and drive you there in person, with music and laughter blaring all the way. This book is your instant invitation to belonging. All you have to do is accept it.”
Lisa- Jo Baker , bestselling author of Never Unfriended and Surprised by Motherhood
“This book is an invitation to sit on a front porch swing with Kristen Strong—a woman who truly knows how to encourage and who understands what it’s like to feel alone and finally find your heart’s real home. I’ve considered Kristen a dear friend for years, and now I’ll also think of her as my wise and helpful ‘Belonging Mentor.’ Take a seat, turn to the first page, and you will too.”
Holley Gerth , bestselling author of You’ re Already Amazing and Fiercehearted
“Maybe this sounds like you: you’re on the isolating back roads of life—miles away from where you want to be—and feeling like you’ll never find your way, like you’ ll never really belong. Along comes our friend Kristen, who deeply understand the struggle you face. She is a trusted companion who will point you to the One who is on those back roads with you. This book contains unforgettable lessons on belonging as well as specific action steps to help you find peace on days when it seems like you’re all alone. Don’t miss this book!”
Jennifer Dukes Lee , author of It’ s All Under Control and The Happiness Dare
“ Back Roads to Belonging is a gentle, walk-beside-you companion for those longing for community and connection. The phrase ‘back roads’ says it all. This is no strident, finger-wagging book. This isn’t a book of instant solutions. It is a loving message from a friend who has been there and back again and speaks to us in a voice that is folksy and friendly, wise and warm. Now I understand that back roads, though they require patience, attentiveness, and a willingness to walk a quieter way, also offer beautiful views and intimate encounters. Kristen shares her own hard-earned wisdom and the wisdom of many others in order to remind us that no matter how far we wander, we can never wander outside of God’s love.”
Christie Purifoy , author of Roots and Sky and Placemaker
“ Kristen ’ s generous voice , using storytelling that is both hilarious and poignant , offers us the comfy cushion on the couch and the best throw pillow to hug against our fluffy spots as she scooches over to make room for our fears , our insecurities , and our ‘ we don ’ t belong ’ feelings , and then she leans in close and whispers in the pages , ‘ Belonging is woven into our being .’ It is a gift for us all , nothing asked , nothing earned . Back Roads to Belonging invites us to explore those woven places with Kristen , a trusted companion , who ’ s picked at the threads herself and discovered a God who ’ s stitched a masterpiece in each one of us and called us beloved .”
Alia Joy , author of Glorious Weakness
“We were created to belong, yet so many of us feel like we don’t. On the outside looking in, we hold on to a hidden ache, wondering what defect we have that keeps us from being invited in. Our only option is to try harder, offer more, do whatever it takes. Or perhaps stop trying, stop caring, stop feeling. But what if there is another option? Kristen Strong shows us there is! Filled with stories we can relate to and powerful truths we need, Back Roads to Belonging shows us an uncommon path that leads to the place where we already belong.”
Renee Swope , bestselling author of A Confident Heart and former radio cohost for Proverbs 31 Ministries
“Kristen’s book is a wonderful testimony to the power of belonging. In a time when so many are held back by uncertainty, wrestle with insecurity, and are confused about their identity and calling, this book provides a needed—and deeply practical—path forward: rest and contentment in Jesus. Kristen’s words are deep and brimming with honesty, humor, and a realness that you’ll love and relate to. I found myself refreshed, challenged, and inspired.”
Dominic Done , author of When Faith Fails: Finding God in the Shadow of Doubt
“Who hasn’t wondered, Do I belong here? And who hasn’t staked her entire identity on the answer to that question? In Back Roads to Belonging , Kristen vulnerably tells her own stories of feeling out and finding her way in . . . but maybe not in the exact ways you’d think. Kristen shows us the view from the ‘back roads,’ which require us to first belong to ourselves and to God before we will ever experience belonging with others. Finding our seat at the table is fulfilling, to be sure, and Kristen beautifully reminds us that our chair was there all along.”
Leeana Tankersley , author of Begin Again
“Our hearts ache for a place to belong, yet so often our fears and insecurities keep us from the journey God intends. With biblical insight and practical encouragement, Kristen’s grace-filled and powerful storytelling compels us to take the slow route to our own place of genuine belonging. The more I read Back Roads to Belonging , the more I want to find that place. Definitely a recommended read.”
Jen Schmidt , speaker, host of the Beco ming Conference, author of Just Open the Door , and founder of the Balancing Beauty and Bedlam blog
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Kristen Strong
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1790-2
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ® (ESV ® ), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations labeled CSB are from the Christian Standard Bible ® , copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible ® and CSB ® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations labeled GNT are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version-Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled Message are from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version ® . NIV ® . Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. ™
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version ® . Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
Dedication
To two of the dearest, kindest men: my daddy, James Hoyd O’Neill, and my father-in-law, Dan Strong. Thank you for your real-deal examples of welcoming others in.
Contents
Cover 1
Endorsements 2
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Foreword by Shannan Martin 9
Acknowledgments 11
Introduction 13
Part I: Wandering 21
1. Sitting Out 23
2. Traveling Extremes 31
3. Getting You 39
4. Extending Kindness to Yourself 50
5. Singing Loudly 59
6. Belonging to Change 68
Part II: Finding 77
7. Growing in the Dark 79
8. Eating Well 87
9. Looking in the Quiet 95
10. Looking into Your People 103
11. Growing Up and Out 112
12. Talking More, Listening Less 120
13. Helping the Hard (but Worth It) Way 129
14. Belonging Isn’t for You 136
15. Speaking Up and Out 144
Part III: Inviting 153
16. Being Belong-Makers 155
17. Going There Anyway 164
18. Persevering on the Path 172
19. Arriving at Your Pathway’s End 180
Helpful Resources 189
Scriptures That Affirm You Belong 195
Notes 199
About the Author 205
Back Ads 207
Back Cover 209
Foreword
I SPEND A LOT OF TIME looking out my living room windows and into the street. On any given day, I see kids trudging to school, mamas pushing strollers and pulling wagons piled high with laundry, businessmen in slacks conducting “walking meetings,” joggers, night-shifters, and preschoolers riding tricycles. There are also the black squirrels, the stray cats, the cars driving too fast, and the maple trees reminding us to slow down.
I never imagined my life here.
My family arrived six years ago, fresh off the farm. I thought I