Last week, we host our first virtual author conversation for paid subscribers. Our guest was Marlena Graves, whose latest book is Bearing God: A Christ-formed Life in Uncharted Waters (NavPress, September 2023).
We had a nice turnout of Substack readers, but for those who weren’t able to participate, we’ve posted a video of the conversation below. If you plan to watch it, I encourage you to watch to the very end, as there are some very good questions that readers asked about the book. Also at the end of the video, is a short teaser about our next author conversation. (NOTE: after we recorded the video, we were able to nail down a date and time for this next converstion: Wednesday April 17 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. Mark your calendars now!
Book Description:
When the priest read this Gospel story in Mark 4, Marlena Graves didn’t see herself as the terrified disciples, lacking faith. She wasn’t Jesus, peacefully sleeping through the danger. She wasn’t the wind or the waves. According to Graves, “I was the boat! And then it occurred to me that, like Jesus’ mother, Mary, I, too, am a God bearer.”
Journey with Graves and discover these things:
We are all vessels that carry Jesus as we journey throughout our lives.
Boats are made for the water―they have a mission―and that mission always involves others.
Jesus is not disturbed by any storms (or our reactions to them).
Our lives, which carry Christ and the gospel, are to bring salvation to others, especially those who have been thrown overboard in life.
There is a destination―life with God―at the heart of spiritual formation. As we bear God and go out to sea, God is also bearing us into oneness with him.
Bearing God is a short and enthralling read that will awaken you as a disciple of Jesus to a sense of adventure in your calling. Using the metaphor of Christians as vessels for Christ, Bearing God is packed with inspirational lessons and principles to help readers grow in their spirituality.