Securely attached to God: His little-experienced promise to us | with Summer Joy Gross

Stephanie here! I had the most delightful encounter today with Summer Joy Gross. Let me tell you about her through reading a sample of the book we're going to talk about. It's called The Emmanuel Promise, and it's a book that I lingered over. I took time. As you know, I read several books a week to decide which ones I'm going to have on the show. And this one, I just couldn't, read it quick. I just had to take my time with it. So here's what she writes.

“Try it out. Go to a busy Starbucks at 7 in the morning, and as people rush in and out, ask Emmanuel to give you eyes to see his love for this one unique expression of his creativity or to gift you with a picture of their pain? Practice the presence of God with this person standing on the threshold of their day, one glorious being, broken and beautiful at a time. Ask, and then pray his heart for them. Look around at the faces of those lost in the glow of their screens and ask Emmanuel to flood you with his first majestic idea of their creation, what he meant when he create he carefully crafted them. Become easily delighted with created art in human form. Fall in love a 1000 times over. Then, attached and courageous enough to risk, make yourself available to Emmanuel's mission to speak good news to the poor, rescue captives, bind up broken hearts, comfort mourners, to draw all people into attachment love with their Emmanuel, the one who longs to fill every empty heart. Then go to the homeless shelter, to the prison, to the boutique, to the boat docks. Walk the light of Christ into the corners of the world. Pray God would make every ordinary location a sanctuary of His presence. “

Now, let me tell you: Someone who inspires me to do that is someone I want to hang out with. And that's Summer Joy Gross. She is an Anglican priest, retreat leader, spiritual director whose work is guided by the belief that our stories can be transformed by God's invitation to make his love our home base. She's an associate faculty of spiritual formation and the art of spiritual direction at the Healing Care Ministries Spiritual Direction School. She's the host of the Presence podcast. She lives in North Georgia with her husband. They have 3 teenagers, and a Britney Spaniel who points lawn ornament rabbits around their suburban neighborhood.

Now, let me tell you about our conversation. Summer Joy Gross beautifully invites us into the essence of believing in the constant presence of God, drawing inspiration from Brother Lawrence who found comfort in God's presence during pandemics and war. She emphasizes the use of physical objects to remind oneself of God's presence.

We talk about the transformative power of suffering, embracing all emotions, and finding rest in God even through the dark night of the soul. Summer Joy Gross courageously shares her personal experience of questioning God's goodness after enduring sexual abuse. Her journey, spanning over 7-8 years of doubt, resonates deeply and beautifully reflects the resilience to find belief in the goodness of God. The conversation uncovers the struggle of false beliefs and the freedom found in believing in God's heart for humanity. They expand on the power of spiritual practices and the deep, soul-nourishing experience of Lectio Divina.

Summer highlights the importance of acknowledging and bringing our needs before God, creating a pathway for a rich, fulfilling relationship with Him. Together, we invite you into the impact of early wounds and the beauty in merging spiritual practices with science.

Here are 5 key topics in this episode:

1. The importance of practicing the presence of God, particularly in challenging times, and how it can bring comfort and peace.

2. Exploring the use of physical objects like candles and jewelry to remind ourselves of God's presence in our daily lives.

3. Embracing a more embodied experience of faith rather than relying solely on intellectual understanding.

4. Overcoming doubt and false beliefs about God's heart through transformative experiences of His goodness and compassion.

5. Using spiritual practices like Lectio Divina and imaginative prayer to deepen our connection with God and find freedom and healing.

So make sure to join us!

Find Summer at https://www.athirstforgod.com/  

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with.

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