Do you crave comfort food when you’re feeling tired and overwrought? How do you look to God in times like these?
That’s a question I explore in Holding onto Hope, the new book of my reflections and my dad’s wonderful artwork. Each week during Lent I post a new video that explores one of the chapters (and it’s played on UCB1). Today we move from the images of creation to those God employs in the Bible about how he welcomes us into the kingdom.
Join me with the video:
Author, retreat leader and mentor Tony Horsfall says about it:
‘I know how difficult it can be to hold onto hope. At times it feels like a very slippery rope. The paradox, however, is that we are being held as much as we are holding. Amy’s carefully crafted devotions and deeply relevant prayers, together with her father’s simple yet illuminating artwork, provide us with the assurance we need in our distress. They help us to reach out to the God who is already reaching out to us. Here is a beautiful resource to enrich our times of reflection and longing for God, rekindling hope within us.’
I’m so pleased to welcome you to a journey of hope this season of Lent through our new book, Holding onto Hope. My reflections and my dad’s lovely artwork will help you encounter the living, loving God. When our hope is waning we can explore the biblical images that God graciously gives us – the trees clapping their hands, the streams in the desert, a God who became a person and gave himself for us.
Would you like to join our closed Facebook group? There’s no charge; I only ask that you purchase a copy of the book. Email me for more information (amy@amyboucherpye.com); it promises to be a space to support others and receive encouragement.
I will also release weekly videos with excerpts from my new book to boost your faith in God. Find them and more prayer practices on my YouTube channel.
Author and spiritual director Sharon Garlough Brown says about it:
‘In this beautiful pairing of words and art, Amy Boucher Pye and her father, Leo Boucher, invite us into a journey of hope by meditating on the steadfast faithfulness of a kind and trustworthy God. Amy’s insightful reflections on scripture and poignant prayers bring the word to life, while Leo’s gentle paintings provide visual opportunities to savour the goodness of God’s care for us. In a time when so many are weary and heavy-laden, Holding Onto Hope bids us to come, rest and be renewed in the Lord’s love.’
“Can you really not throw this away?” I say to my husband with irritation, holding up a crumpled piece of paper that I know, before I pick it up, is a list of groceries that he bought at the store.
He sighs and says he’ll try. Later I apologize for my grumpiness when it comes to those many shopping lists strewn around our home. I have tried to train myself to stop, apologize, and ask for forgiveness when I get annoyed or lose my temper with family members, often over the little things of life. Sometimes it’s easier to adhere to the “stopping” part of that cycle than at other times, even though after the fact I wish I could reel in my tongue sooner.
Can you recall a time you didn’t honor Christ in the day-to-day of life? Unfortunately, I could share several other stories! But a wonderful and freeing part of serving our forgiving God is how He runs toward us with grace and love. Though we fail, in the little moments of the day or the big ones, He offers us a fresh start, a clean slate. We’re His beloved—He doesn’t label us by our wrongdoings.
The Beloved Daughter
God running toward us, arms outstretched with love, is pictured in the well-known parable Jesus tells of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11–31). Imagine a slice of this familiar story—with a twist—and see how your heart reacts:
[Read the rest over at the God Hears Her website and join in with this wonderful community]
Books of 2023. Of the making of books there is no end! And I wouldn’t have it any other way, although after launching seven books/resources over the past years, I’m taking a wee break. I’d love for you to read the books I’ve published and endorsed in 2023 – a baker’s dozen plus one! Also, don’t miss my favorite reads of 2023.
My heartfelt plea to find intimacy in friendship with Jesus, as modeled through the friendships of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the gospels. A fresh look at these stories, which includes prayer practices to help you encounter our living, loving God. How to buy and a sneak peak at the introduction and first chapter.
From Sheridan Voysey’s foreword:
“With imaginative exploration of these biblical stories and sensitivity to overlooked cultural details, Amy teases out this unique relationship and the transformative effect it has on Mary, Martha and Lazarus…. Combined with Amy’s guiding prayers and creative spiritual practices, the result is a rich, graceful exploration of how Jesus befriends and changes us.”
We all need our stores of hope renewed, especially in these wearying times. That’s why my dad and I have collaborated on our second project with his art and my reflections, this time on the theme of hope. Engage with biblical images of hope through word and image – trees clapping their hands, streams in the desert – as God fills you with hope in him. How to buy and sample the introduction and first chapter.
About it, popular author Sharon Garlough Brown said:
“In this beautiful pairing of words and art, Amy Boucher Pye and her father, Leo Boucher, invite us into a journey of hope by meditating on the steadfast faithfulness of a kind and trustworthy God. Amy’s insightful reflections on Scripture and poignant prayers bring the Word to life, while Leo’s gentle paintings provide visual opportunities to savour the goodness of God’s care for us. In a time when so many are weary and heavy-laden, Holding onto Hope bids us to come, rest, and be renewed in the Lord’s love.”
Following are the 12 books I endorsed in 2023, some of which came out last year and some of which will appear this year. I stand behind my words and hope you will pick them up.
January 2023
The God Who Sees You by Georgie Tennant
Join Georgie Tennant as she gracefully digs into Scripture and reveals the God who sees us and loves us. Bringing to life stories and key passages from the Old Testament and the New, she leads us in a thirty-day journey to the heart of God. With her as a guide we find ourselves encouraged and strengthened in our faith in God.
April 2023
Why Less Means More by Cathy Madavan
Could less really entail more? Cathy Madavan says yes, having experienced a season of winnowing over several years. She invites us to consider ten principles to choose less of what we don’t need in favour of more of what we desire. She’s encouraging and real, sharing from her failures and triumphs, while welcoming us to embrace the life we long for. We can have more by embracing less – more margin and rhythm, more relationships and joy, more significance and space. Don’t miss her authentic, compelling and freeing wisdom for winning at life. I loved it!
June 2023
Valuable: Why Your Worth Is Not Defined By How Useful You Feel by Liz Carter
A gentle and fierce call to eschew the falsehood that our worth depends on our usefulness. Liz writes with clarity, compassion and authenticity in words that will empower everyone, from those seen as ‘useful’ or broken, or anywhere in between.
September 2023
Knowing You, Jesus: 365 Devotional by Tony Horsfall, Mags Duggan et al
What a brilliant way to get to know Jesus better – spending time each day with his stories and teachings. With depth and insight, Tony Horsfall and crew lead us through a chronological account of the gospels to help us to understand and love Jesus more. Encouraging, powerful, transformative – don’t miss this life-changing devotional that enlarges our love for Jesus and helps us become more like him.
Waiting for Jedidiah: How to Experience Healing after a Miscarriage by Betty Ringeisen
Betty Ringeisen knows the pain of miscarriage. She’s also experienced the refreshing and renewing love of the Father. She welcomes those of us who have suffered this particular pain into a strong relationship with the One who knows and loves us and our babies. Read her book and find hope, peace, and healing.
October 2023
To the Ocean Floor by Kate Nicholas
A gripping account of Kate’s latest experience with cancer – how and why does someone manage to contract three different types of this mutating disease? With powerful writing, she describes the indescribable: the numinous; the Creator; the indwelling Christ; her loving God. Her poetic sharing of her experience on the ocean floor led me to wonder and awe. A memoir to ponder and consider; one to read while receiving from Kate’s deep sharing of herself and her journey while joining her in praise to the unknowable God who makes himself known.
November 2023
Winter Lights by Deborah Jenkins
Sink into this comforting and enjoyable collection of stories that will help you to relax and to hope. Unwrap them without fearing that you’ll encounter one that you won’t like, such as with a box of chocolates. Delightful.
January 2024
The Tangled Tale of the Woolgathering Castoffs by Sharon Mondragon
A novel that takes us beyond the meet-cute, showing us what tried and tested love looks like. I didn’t know that I’d so love and savor this story about the knitting adventures of septuagenarians and octogenarians! As the Woolgatherers create prayer shawls for the caregivers of loved ones with memory loss, they don’t realize that they too are on a journey of discovery with God. They receive and give God’s loving embrace as they respond to nudges of grace, one stitch at a time. Read, savor, and make a list of people you could bless with this enriching story; I loved it!
March 2024
Notes on Feminism by Lauren Windle
Funny, controversial, grace-filled, gritty, thought provoking. . . Notes on Feminism is all this and more. Lauren curates the open conversation that you’ll want to join, so read it and share how you agree, disagree, and all the in betweens.
April 2024
Peace through Prayer by James Banks
Reading Peace through Prayer feels like receiving an encircling hug from a safe and caring pastor—one who shares with you the life-changing, unconditional love of Jesus. Profound but accessible, this exploration into the gift of peace is one I recommend wholeheartedly.
May 2024
Shaped by the Spirit by Kate Pocklington
Kate invites us to pause and ponder, examining how God shapes us—not as a navel-gazing exercise, but one that helps us be outward-focused as we share God’s love with others. Her intertwining of various strands weaves together a Spirit-breathed creation that will challenge and inspire. I pray the Spirit uses her words as he shapes and forms you!
September 2024
Dwell:Inviting God’s Word to make a home in our lives, one verse at a time by Anne LeTissier
This book could change your life. Really. As week by week Anne LeTissier helps us to dive deeply into God’s life-giving words in Scripture, God will meet us and change us to be more like Jesus. Without reservation I recommend that you accept her gentle invitation, backed up by her embodied example, to dwell in God’s word. From a hesitant star giver, five stars.
For the last decade I’ve enjoyed choosing a word for the year instead of making New Year’s resolutions – amazing to think it’s been that many years. I’ve blogged about this topic a bit over the years if you’d like to read more, including how to discern your word with God.
I haven’t yet settled on my word for 2024. I think it will have a “re” at the beginning – some of the words I’m playing with are renew, restore, rejuvenate, recover, rejoice. My word last year was “renew” – I’m wondering about renewing renew as my word, as a friend commented! Shifting the narrative from having failed at the word in 2023 to renewing its place in my life. Hmm.
I’d love to hear your word, if you have one and feel able to share.
Books of 2023. Here are six of my favorite reads of the 42 I read last year… One children’s book; two memoirs; one general non-fiction; one novel; one focused on spirituality. Later I’ll post the 12 books I endorsed in 2023, and here are previous years’ reads.
I’m thought I had read fewer books in 2023 than previously, but I see from my 2022 round up, I’m up by seven when comparing those two years. Still, I hope to read more in 2024, and especially some of the theology books that have been piling up.
I continue to enjoy audiobooks, not for non-fiction (my learning style means that I can’t remember what I hear) but for novels. I’m currently listening to Meryl Streep narrate Tom Lake, which is an absolute delight on both accounts. Of the top six picks I’ve just noticed that I listened to five of them! For one I bought a print copy of and another of those five I may yet buy in print too.
Onto the books…
A Beloved Children’s Story
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
What could be better than the old favorite of a spider and a pig, especially when narrated by the author himself? I’d read this novel as a child and seen the movie (which White said wasn’t as bad as he feared) but found much to marvel over when listening. Namely I loved how Charlotte exhibits sacrificial love and how she shines a light on Wilbur, giving all of herself for him while not seeking any of the acclaim. She did her good acts in secret.
I loved the characterization of the animals with all of their unique personalities. And yes, Templeton the rat steals the show when he appears in his dislikable glory. I’ll listen to this again.
Last memorable lines:
Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.
Two Memoirs
All my Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore
I’ve followed Beth Moore on X/Twitter, and I find her bravery and love for Jesus compelling. I was excited to listen to her memoir, especially to hear her share her story in her lovely Southern accent. It felt like a friend was taking me through the events of her life, so engagingly does she tell her stories. I was at times cheering her on and other times weeping for the atrocities and hardships she’s endured.
I highly recommend this snapshot into one of the best-known white evangelical women of our time. Her love for Jesus and the Bible shines through, and the stories of what she’s been through give me more respect for her. I loved this book.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
I so enjoyed listening to this autobiography, narrated by the author. Yes, parts of it are eerie now, after his death, and it was strange listening to this well-known voice knowing that he’s no longer with us. There are a lot of f-bombs and others, so be warned if that’s not your thing. And yes, he never speaks of Jesus, as someone said to me, but I was moved by his accounts of God filling his kitchen as bright light, and how through that one lone encounter he was able to be clean for 2 years.
I recommend this one for a thought-provoking listen. I learned a lot about addiction – the big terrible thing he mentions in the title.
A Compelling Non-Fiction Read
The Art of Rest by Claudia Hammond
I have recommended this book so many times, and this is the one I listened to and then bought a print version of. It’s a fascinating look at the top ten ways people find rest. I was delighted to learn that number one is reading a book! The author does a good job of not only present the results of The Rest Test (the research she was part of conducting) but delving into the studies on each of the top ten ways people rest (the ten form the chapters of the book). She brings the social science results but in an approachable way.
Why do we need to rest? How can we be MORE productive when we do rest? Lots to ponder here, especially for a 3 on the Enneagram (someone who likes to achieve).
A Top Novel
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie
A lovely imagining of the lives of two medieval women, Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. I loved this novel of their backstory and meeting, reading it far too fast. I’ll read it again. I received it as a special gift from a friend who also loved reading it.
Julian was compelling, and I so enjoyed how the author brought out what could have been her struggles when she first settled into life in her cell – all that she gave up to be there. Margery was much less compelling, but that’s probably true to life, and made the story believable.
Because I had this characterization of Julian in my imagination, I found I’ve not been able to shift to Claire Gilbert’s in I, Julian – even though I went to the book launch for it! Hopefully in 2024 I can read it.
Memorable mention. . . Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.
A Spiritual-Formation Winner
When the Soul Listens by Jan Johnson
A wonderful exploration of what the author calls contemplative prayer, with her definition being more broad-ranging and inclusive than I might make. I loved how she weaves her stories of God changing her to be more like Jesus through her slow but steady noticing of, and welcoming, his presence in her life. I’m very familiar with the concepts that she writes about but thought she does so in a fresh, inviting way.
My only sadness is that I listened to this book and therefore am considering getting a print version, not least for the prayer exercises at the end of each chapter.
If you’d like a monthly boost for a fresh prayer practice, sign up to my monthly newsletter. I always give away some kind of great resource or gift too, and I don’t restrict the winner by geographical location.
Want me to lead you in a prayer exercise right here, right now? Check out my YouTube channel and let me know how you met with God; I so appreciate hearing your stories.
Thinking about choosing a word for the year? Here are my blogs on the topic. I love this practice!
May you know the presence of our loving God this day, this week, this month, and this year.
Happy new year! I’m glad to share this prayer for 2024 by George Dawson from the 1800s – still applicable today.
You might also want to consider three simple prayer practices you might want to add in the new year to strengthen your relationship with God. Read the blog hosted at God Hears Her here.
I pray you will have a peaceful and joyous start to the new year as you cling to the loving presence of God.
Haven’t had time to book an Advent retreat? Now you can access my Advent retreat online, at a time that suits you!
Just set aside an hour and 45 minutes (you can spread it out however you wish) and prepare to experience God’s loving affirmation as you ponder Jesus from the start, Jesus in our darkness, and Jesus, God with us. Each session has not only teaching but time for prayer exercises, including guided times.
I hope you can join me and be refreshed by God during a busy season.
Comments from some participants:
“I was able to lose myself in my time with Jesus.”
“You helped me encounter God in a new way.”
“I’m very visual, and am learning that the Spirit really speaks to me through beautiful art… Leo’s lovely paintings really blessed me. The journal was beautifully presented.”
Today here in the UK I’ve learned that it’s National Poetry Day! This just so happened to coincide with me leading one of Coracle’s Space for God slots, where we coming together as a community to encounter God, and I led us in writing a pantoum, a kind of poem. (You are more than welcome to join the Tuesday and/or the Thursday cohort! Links for both on the Coracle website. If you would like to engage with this prayer practice through the Space for God video, it is here.)
I’ve been thinking about liminal space ever since Gabriel Dodd shared his excellent thoughts on the topic in his Space for God. I later that afternoon wrote a pantoum about my own encounters with liminal space—the already but not yet experience that we encounter so often in life as followers of Jesus.
Today I encouraged us to wrestle with and sink into a passage from Romans, which pulses with the already-but-not-yet:
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:22–27, NIV)
It’s deceptively simple to craft a pantoum—if you can jot down six phrases or lines, you have got it! I invite you to join in with this special practice:
ponder with God what liminal space you’re in
pray through the Romans passage
go where the Spirit leads
remember that the Spirit intercedes on your behalf
How to create a pantoum:
write six lines or phrases
label them A through F
choose most important line as A
make the second most important F
order the lines in the following pattern:
A
B
C
D
B
E
D
F
E
C
F
A
I would love to hear from you if you engage in the practice, and if you meet God through it!
