Courtney Ellis is an author, speaker, and pastor. Her books include Looking Up, Weathering Change, Uncluttered, Present, and Almost Holy Mama. Ellis serves as a Presbyterian pastor in southern California and is the host of The Thing with Feathers podcast. Born in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, she graduated from Wheaton College, Loyola University Chicago, and Princeton Theological Seminary. She and her husband are the parents of three children.
Description
Welcome Part I God Sees You 1 When You Rise Early | Sunrise 2 When You Feel Unnoticed | Snow 3 When You Feel Unheard | Waves 4 When You Feel Lost | Soil 5 When You Just Don't Fit In | Seahorses 6 When You Haven't Been Celebrated | Orangutans 7 When You Feel Like You Are Too Much | A Very Good Dog 8 When You Long for a Blessing | Stars Part II God Is Kind 9 When You Ignore Your Own Pressing Needs | Water 10 When You Seek Wonder | Jellyfish 11 When You Need to Play | Foxes 12 When You Feel Angry | Cleaner Wrasse 13 When You Want to Pay Holy Attention | Norway Maple 14 When You Feel Grumpy | Awe Walk Part III Fear Not 15 When You Fear What You Don't Understand | Saw-scaled Viper 16 When You Feel Like Everything is Falling Apart | Strawberries and Tomatoes 17 When You Are Unsettled by the Dark | Night 18 When You Struggle to Sleep | Cats 19 When You Want to Stop Hiding | Red-tailed Hawks 20 When You Feel Frantic | Clouds 21 When You Feel Overwhelmed | Trees 22 When You Are Shaken | Breath Part IV My Peace I Give You 23 When You Need Stability | Fungi 24 When You Struggle to Believe in What You Cannot See | Wind 25 When You Need a Little Encouragement | Eelgrass 26 When You Struggle to Be With People | Owls 27 When You Feel Behind | Elephants 28 When You Haven't Smiled in a Long Time | Sea Turtles Part V What Do You Long For? 29 When You Are Hungry for Beauty | Birds 30 When You Long for the New Creation | Pests 31 When You Need a Good Cry | Onions 32 When You Want to Forget Yourself | Parks 33 When You Need Softness | Feathers 34 When You Need a Hug | Bark 35 When You Feel Annoyed | Northern Parula 36 When You Experience Stale Worship | Citrus Part VI Be of Good Courage 37 When You Need Permission to Say Hard Things to God | Quaking Aspen 38 When You Struggle to Name the Truth | Coral 39 When You Need a Gentle Push in the Right Direction | Rattlesnakes 40 When You Long to See Growth | Celery 41 When You Want to Learn How to See | Moths 42 When You Struggle to Love Others | Spiders 43 When You Ache Because of the State of the World | White-crowned Sparrow 44 When You Feel Stuck in a Rut | Mangrove Tree Crabs Part VII Find Rest 45 When You Are Over It | Rocks 46 When You Are Tired of Surviving Extremes | Tardigrades 47 When You Seek to Embrace a Fallow Season | Farm Fields 48 When You Feel Exhausted | Koalas 49 When You Are Running Ragged | Blue Whales 50 When You Need a Lift | Condors 51 When You Need Time to Soak Things In | Moss 52 When You Need Rest | Sunsets Acknowledgments Notes
"This book is a seed: nourishing, quiet, humble, and deeply hopeful. More than once, my eyes filled as Courtney Ellis described in clear, friendly prose the massive and minute dramas of the natural world, each one noticed by a God whose attention never wanes. If God attends to sunsets and soil, jellyfish and sparrows, as the Bible and nature itself suggest, then Ellis challenges us to trust that God's tender regard extends to you and me too. Take a deep breath, settle yourself in a chair with a view, and then pick up this book to be reminded that we are not alone on this planet, and we never were-thank God." --LIZ CHARLOTTE GRANT, author of Knock at the Sky and By Fire, By Song "Most of us picked up the message somewhere that 'good' Christians are disciplined, devoted, and doing all the right spiritual things, even if sometimes we're not sure who made the list. Courtney Ellis names the anxiety that we're not 'doing enough' so we can move past performing and get to the good stuff: noticing God's nearness in all of creation. She helps us open our eyes to the extraordinary things hiding in ordinary time, to a God who does the good work of formation right where we are, moving through ordinary time in an extraordinary world." --SARA BILLUPS, author of Orphaned Believers and Nervous Systems "A gentle invitation to stop trying so hard and begin noticing again. With warmth, wisdom, and wonderful humor, Courtney Ellis reminds us that God is already here-in birdsong and breath, trees and tides, wonder and rest. These pages are a gift for weary souls: permission to pay attention, to be curious, and to trust that grace has been closer than we imagined all along." --ROGER HUTCHISON, author of Into the Woulds: A Field Guide for Tender Souls "If you have questions about your relationship with God that you can't seem to find a good answer to, or you find yourself wondering (and wandering) and really need something that tethers you back to the crawl-space faith that you have been trying to hang on to by a thread, this book is for you. As someone who walks alongside grievers of all kinds, I believe the synergy of welcome and connection to God through nature is just the nervous-system regulator we need in this season. I highly recommend The Undevotional for anyone exhausted from the norm and in need of a gentle place to land." --DR. QUANTRILLA ARD, grief coach and founder of It's All Grief to Me "Courtney Ellis's newest book is a breath of fresh air. The format evolved from Ellis's own quest to nurture her faith by letting go of all the 'shoulds' and 'have tos' that often weigh us down as we seek to follow Christ. The fifty-two chapters of The Undevotional are a kind of spiritual menu, and the seeker can choose from entrees such as 'God Is Kind,' 'Finding Rest,' and 'What Do You Long For?' I will be using this book and, as with Ellis's other books, sharing it with family and friends." --KATHLEEN LONG BOSTROM, author "The Undevotional encourages us to slow down and allow the beauty of God's creation to foster our spiritual growth. Courtney Ellis is deeply knowledgeable about nature, refreshingly candid, and impatient with superficial advice. She challenges stereotypes of what Christians are sometimes told to think and feel, and offers antidotes to the neglect of the soul promoted by relentless striving." --CLINTON W. MCLEMORE, PhD, clinical psychologist, author of Christianity for Seekers and Skeptics: Critical Thinking and Passionate Faith