Over the last year, my friends at Zondervan have been hard at work taking the hardback version of The Organic God and bringing it to paperback. Since the book’s release in 2007, more than 50,000 people have been through The Organic God book and 6-session DVD Bible Study.
The new paperback version makes my husband, Leif, who carries the majority of books around the country to events, very happy.
But it also made me happy, because the re-release gave me the opportunity to take a good, hard look at the book and reflect on how I’ve changed since The Organic God over the last six years. Here are some areas of change:
1. God’s faithfulness. God has always been faithful, but I stand in awe of how He’s proven Himself to be true that the work He has begun in me… and you… He has not given up on, not deviated, not let go of…but is committed to bringing it to fruition that you and I may radiate Christ even more. Gratitude abounds.
2. Affection for God. The prose in The Organic God is so simple yet expresses this heartfelt delight and adoration and desire for God. The same hunger for God expressed in the pages of The Organic God remains with me today. Only now it’s deeper. Stronger. Wider. It’s weathered more storms. Seen more answered prayer. Watched miracles unfold. The hunger for God—and the prayer for hunger—remains. In fact, the last time I prayed for hunger was…today.
3. Comfort level with such a non-traditional upbringing. Surfboards and starfish and sailboats and ski bums. My childhood contained wild twists and turns that shaped me into who I am today. Since The Organic God, I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin—which includes my unorthodox childhood. Future books will contain even more wild tales. (Hint: Cactus Jack from Wonderstruck, anyone?)
4. Growth as a writer. I care far more about tight sentences, surprising turns of phrase, and punchy verbs than ever before. In another 50 years, I hope to write something breathtaking. For 21 ideas on how to become a better writer, click here.
5. I’ve both been healed and hurt and hurt and healed many times since. One of the chapters that I’ve gotten the most letters about over the years is the chapter on being hurt in the church. Turns out that almost everyone who gets near a church becomes bruised.
When I re-read the chapter about being hurt in the church, I grinned and winced. I smiled at God’ ginormous love, healing strength, and ability to take wounded saints like us, patch us up, and get us back out on the field. And I’m grateful—not just for my healing, but His healing for all His children. Indeed God is The Healer. The Restorer. The Redeemer. Of. All. Things.
Despite the smears of makeup and stains on her dress, the Church remains the bride of Christ—to be strengthened, honored and adored. [Tweet this]
Overall, republishing The Organic God has reminded me how much I am head over heals in love with God, His beloved Son, and The Holy Spirit—and want to be even more so with each passing day.
Are you ready to fall in love with God all over again? Pick up a copy of The Organic God or lead a group through the Bible study—filmed in Alaska—today!
This is so fascinating.
I talked with a (yet-unpublished) writer friend of mine a couple weeks ago. He’s a brilliant writer with a huge platform. But one of the things that holds him back from writing the book within him is this: That he’ll look back in five to ten years and not like what he wrote, or that he won’t believe the same things anymore. I don’t hear you saying that at all — that you don’t like the book you wrote. But I’m fascinated at how, in only a few years, you can see how your faith has deepened and how your writing has grown. I find this both exciting and scary, quite frankly, as my first book comes out in early 2014. … I look back at blog posts from even two or three years ago, and I actually cringe.
Thank you for sharing, Margaret. I’ll be picking The Organic God up. Haven’t read that one yet.
Shine on, sister.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the Organic God! And I can’t wait to read your book in 2014!
Margaret
Can’t wait to read this one… I wonder when the PB will reach Oz.
But also looking forward to your next writing adventure…
Bless,
Ian
Ian, can’t wait to hear what you think!
“Turns out that almost everyone who gets near a church becomes bruised.
I smiled at God’ ginormous love, healing strength, and ability to take wounded saints like us, patch us up, and get us back out on the field. And I’m grateful—not just for my healing, but His healing for all His children. Indeed God is The Healer. The Restorer. The Redeemer. Of. All. Things.”
Yes, thank you. The love and faith that He strengthens in us through the broken body is so worth all the bruising. The relationship grows because of the bruising! So so thankful for being led to His face through the pain. In love with the Healer, Restorer & Redeemer and reaching back to share that with others. Looking forward to picking up this book 🙂
Tricia, so glad it resonated with you!
Each time I hear a story from someone hurt by the church, I want to say ‘thank you for making yourself vulnerable to the church which is the body of Christ.’ We are all in various stages of our own messiness with God working to perfect us into the likeness of Jesus. Christ was hurt by the church time and time again, but always went back in for the joy that was set before him. For the joy set before us, we too must get up and go back in. At times it may be hard to find, but its the only place where there should always be Grace On Tap.
Ron, love this!
Margret–I save your posts and read them in batches when I have some time to think a bit. This one strikes home because I have been working through “reevaluation faith” issues.
I sometimes tell people I have been a “professional God-guy” for thirty years. In some respects I have been paid to believe and profess for all my adult life. On three specific occasions in my life I have worked through serious reevaluations of my faith.
This post came at a particularly helpful moment as I am working on “how my faith has changed.”
Thank you for your continued upbeat and encouraging words to all of us out here reading.
Be well and all God’s blessings to you,
Darrell