from Becca stevens
Practically Divine
There is no secret formula to experiencing the sacred in our lives - it just takes practice and practicality.
Signs of love abound everywhere: walking in the woods, in a sacred building, or in a dusty refugee camp. When we allow ourselves to embrace both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, we can feel the divine anywhere.
Part poetry, part rant, part rumination on her mother's wit and wisdom, Becca weaves an invitation to create something from nothing.
Experience is 9/10 of Love
Standing in a geranium field, smelling dark soil fertilized by rabbit poop is different from reading about the healing properties of geraniums.
Walking beside a woman in a refugee camp covering her baby's face from the dust rising from the dry, red dirt is different thatn imagining how hard it is for moms in camps.
The senses transform information into holy compassion. When we open our hearts to it, we can experience the divine anywhere - like sacred breadcrumbs marking our path.
Isabel Allende
Activist and Bestselling Author
"These are the moving stories of broken women and wounded communities healed by the immense power of practical love. Practically Divine is a prayer book, a manual for living with an open heart."
Jon Acuff
NY Times Bestselling Author
"If you read this book, you will: 1. See the power of love in a whole new light. 2. You will think, "I bet I would be great friends with Becca Stevens!" 3. You will visit Thistle Farms and volunteer as fast as you can. Because that's what happened to me and dozens of other people I've taken on field trips to this special part of Nashville."
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop
"This extraordinary book just might be Becca Stevens' best - and that is saying a lot! Like the healing oils from her famous Thistle Farms, Practically Divine is gentle, powerful, and yes, very practical indeed. Open these pages and prepare to experience the practice of love, a balm for your soul."
Fiona Prine
Humanitarian and Activist
"This book reveals where Becca gets her quick-witted humor, her drive to make things happen, and her undying compassion for all (women) who struggle to be seen and heard. Becca is our very own practically divine superhero in a knitted cape!"
34
Practically Divine
The divine is all around us, calling us to see and taste it for ourselves.
- We can find our deep truth and purpose while we are on the way to the grocery store or struggling to make a marriage work.
- We can find beauty while we go through a TSA checkpoint or walk along any sidewalk.
- We can feel gratitude sitting in a waiting room or forgiving ourselves for one thing we didn’t get done.
Love is where the temporal and the eternal meet. The love explored in this writing is love that feels practical and specific. It is the kind of love that moves from ideals into practices that take on flesh and bone.
Practically Divine is not an oxymoron. It is as poetic as being optimistic in the midst of depression or as vital as sitting in silence with a friend who can’t take any more advice. It is both and, not either or.
Practice might not lead to perfection, but it will lead us closer to love.
