
Field Notes for the Wilderness
Practices for an Evolving Faith
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Narrated by:
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Sarah Bessey
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By:
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Sarah Bessey
About this listen
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A nurturing and hopeful collection of practices to help an emerging generation of Christians reconnect to their faith, find inner healing, and build spiritual community—from Glennon Doyle’s “favorite faith writer” and the author of Jesus Feminist and editor of A Rhythm of Prayer
“This is the perfect guide for all those of who need to be reintroduced to a faith full of grace, mercy, and love.”—Kate Bowler, author of Good Enough
It’s hard to leave a faith that has raised us. Maybe it’s even harder to stay. But what can feel impossible is living in the tension. Living with a faith that evolves.
Sarah Bessey is an expert at faithfully stumbling forward. As a New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Evolving Faith, the foremost community for progressive Christians, she has been trusted by thousands of people to pursue a reconstruction of faith centered on compassion, truth, and inclusion. Bessey has found a deeply underserved and underestimated remnant in the wilderness of Christianity who are still devoted to Jesus, deeply rooted in the Gospel, fascinated with Scripture, and committed to reimagining their faith.
Field Notes for the Wilderness guides us through multiple principles to live by for an evolving faith, including
• practicing wonder and curiosity as spiritual disciplines
• mothering ourselves with compassion and empathy
• making space for lament and righteous rage
• finding good spiritual teachers
• discovering what we are for in this life, and moving in that direction
In this groundbreaking and nurturing book, Bessey becomes a shepherd for our curiosity, giving us a table for our questions, tools to cultivate what we crave, and a blessing for what was—even as we leave it behind.
©2024 Sarah Bessey (P)2024 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"I have had a lot of fathers in faith, but never a mother—at least until I met Sarah Bessey. Now she is the writer I recommend to anyone who needs to be seen, loved, and held before they ever say why. Reading her new book is like opening a boxed lunch in the wilderness packed by someone who knew just what would get you through—along with a note that says, ‘Your soul is just fine.’ The only difference is that this book keeps feeding you after you have finished the last page (the one you hoped would never come). Take heart! You can start all over again whenever you want, safe in the embrace of a very wise mum.”—Barbara Brown Taylor, author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark
“In a time when so many of us feel like we are spiritual wanderers, Sarah Bessey reaches out a hand and offers wise and careful company on the journey. Through the tenderness and intimacy of letters, this book shows us the many ways we might survive together in the liminal.”—Cole Arthur Riley, New York Times bestselling author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies
“Sarah Bessey shines. A book full of gentle wisdom and stunning empathy for all those of us who are bruised by the faithful but want to keep our faith. Faithful without being pious. Useful without being bossy. This is the perfect guide for all those of who need to be reintroduced to a faith full of grace, mercy, and love.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Good Enough
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Make the breakthrough you need to gently and creatively transform your faith, with this practical companion journal to Field Notes for the Wilderness, Sarah Bessey’s meditation on finding God in the mystery. Field Notes for the Wilderness is a nurturing and hopeful collection of practices for the emerging generation of faith followers—the wounded, the curious, the lost, and the miraculously hopeful.
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- Narrated by: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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From the New York Times best-selling author of An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark provides a way to find spirituality in those times when we don’t have all the answers. Taylor has become increasingly uncomfortable with our tendency to associate all that is good with lightness and all that is evil and dangerous with darkness. Taylor asks us to put aside our fears and anxieties and to explore all that God has to teach us “in the dark.”
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Words for the nudgings I couldn't quite articulate
- By Danielle on 12-18-15
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Jesus Feminist
- An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women
- By: Sarah Bessey
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In Jesus Feminist, Bessey shares her spiritual journey, which ranges from growing up in a post–gender-debate home to learning about the worldwide struggles of women and the obstacles even a well-meaning church can pose. Through disarmingly intimate storytelling, she tells how she grew to understand the story of God and the vastness of his work through women.
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Love the book; HATE the reader.
- By bsamps on 01-27-17
By: Sarah Bessey
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I've Got Questions
- The Spiritual Practice of Having It Out with God
- By: Erin Hicks Moon, Sarah Bessey - foreword
- Narrated by: Erin Hicks Moon
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When your faith as you know it has been commodified, nationalized, scandalized, and rebranded beyond recognition, is it even possible to recover the "good" of Jesus from this cluster of epic proportions? Writer and podcaster Erin Moon has questions, and this book is her open letter for anyone who feels iffy, conflicted, or just downright devastated by this disconnect. With empathy, insight, and the therapy of memes and a good laugh, Erin maps out not a rigid prescription but an open-hearted pathway for you to reclaim what you once loved about your faith home and light a match to the rest.
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Phenomenal
- By Sarah Charles on 03-17-25
By: Erin Hicks Moon, and others
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Do You Still Talk to Grandma?
- When the Problematic People in Our Lives Are the Ones We Love
- By: Brit Barron
- Narrated by: Brit Barron
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Brit Barron gets it. Those people who hurt us with their bigotry and ignorance . . . they’re often the people we love: They’re our friends, our parents, our grandparents, and even our religious leaders. And what we want is for them to grow, not to be canceled by an online mob. So what can it look like to strive for justice without causing new harm or giving up on the people we love? Barron shows that the way forward is to create a gracious and risky space for people to learn and evolve. We need to form the sorts of relationships where we can tell difficult truths, set boundaries, forgive, and share stories of our own failings.
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What stood out most was the fact that it had nothing to do with grandma
- By Swell Gurl on 04-03-25
By: Brit Barron
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Holy Envy
- Finding God in the Faith of Others
- By: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The renowned and beloved New York Times best-selling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world’s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia, revealing how God delights in confounding our expectations.
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Narrator’s use of a “Southern Accent” was extremely distracting
- By Mary Pat on 03-13-19
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Faith Unraveled
- How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions
- By: Rachel Held Evans, Sarah Bessey
- Narrated by: Rachel Held Evans
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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From New York Times best-selling author Rachel Held Evans: a must-listen for anyone on the journey of doubt, deconstruction, and ultimately faith reborn. Eighty years after the Scopes Monkey Trial made a spectacle of Christian fundamentalism and brought national attention to her hometown, Rachel Held Evans faced a trial of her own when she began to have doubts about her faith. Rachel recounts growing up in a culture obsessed with apologetics, struggling as her own faith unraveled one unexpected question at a time.
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Recharging my faith
- By nitasue11 on 09-07-20
By: Rachel Held Evans, and others
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A Rhythm of Prayer
- A Collection of Meditations for Renewal
- By: Sarah Bessey - editor, Amena Brown - contributor, Barbara Brown Taylor - contributor, and others
- Narrated by: Chanté McCormick, Gisela Chípe, Rachel Perry, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time - and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another. This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form.
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A work of authentic and vulnerable prayers
- By Scott E. Coleman on 04-07-21
By: Sarah Bessey - editor, and others
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The Book of Belonging
- Bible Stories for Kind and Contemplative Kids
- By: Mariko Clark
- Narrated by: Rae Pérez
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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The Book of Belonging is designed for families seeking a Bible storybook that reflects the diversity of God’s people and for every listener seeking a more expansive and wondrous view of God. The thoughtful text present some of Scripture’s most important and overlooked stories—including many female-centered ones—alongside old favorites reimagined to convey greater inclusivity, diversity, and historical representation.
By: Mariko Clark
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Awake
- A Memoir
- By: Jen Hatmaker
- Narrated by: Jen Hatmaker
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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An Avid Reader Press book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener.At 2:30 a.m. on July 11th, 2020, Jen Hatmaker woke up to her husband of twenty-six years whispering in his phone to another woman from their bed. It was the end of life as she knew it. In the months that followed, she went from being a shiny, funny, popular leader, to a divorced wreck on antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds parenting five kids alone with no clue about her own bank accounts.
By: Jen Hatmaker
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The Making of Biblical Womanhood
- How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
- By: Beth Allison Barr
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Biblical womanhood - the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers - pervades North American Christianity. From choices about careers to roles in local churches to relationship dynamics, this belief shapes the everyday lives of evangelical women. Yet biblical womanhood isn't biblical, says Baylor University historian Beth Allison Barr. It was born in a series of clearly definable historical moments.
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Fantastic thought provoking book
- By busymom on 04-22-21
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An Altar in the World
- A Geography of Faith
- By: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Narrated by: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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From simple practices such as walking, working, and getting lost to deep meditations on topics like prayer and pronouncing blessings, Taylor reveals concrete ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of devotion if we pay attention to what we are doing and take time to attend to the sights, smells, and sounds around us. Making eye contact with the cashier at the grocery store becomes a moment of true human connection.
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Sorry Audible.
- By Evert on 07-19-13
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Leaving Church
- A Memoir of Faith
- By: Barbara Brown Taylor
- Narrated by: Karen Saltus
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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After nine years serving on the staff of a big urban church in Atlanta, Barbara Brown Taylor arrives in rural Clarkesville, Georgia (population 1,500), following her dream to become the pastor of her own small congregation. The adjustment from city life to country dweller is something of a shock - but small-town life offers many of its own unique joys. Taylor has five successful years that see significant growth in the church she serves, but ultimately she finds herself experiencing "compassion fatigue".
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Worth the listen
- By Lena Warren on 01-18-15
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The Lives We Actually Have
- 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days
- By: Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie
- Narrated by: Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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We live in a world that demands relentless perfection. Happy marriages and easy friendships. Bucket list–level adventures and matching family photos. But what if our actual lives don’t feel very #blessed? Might our everyday existence be worthy of a blessing too? Even an average Tuesday?
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A reminder to bless everything
- By Julie Moore on 12-27-24
By: Kate Bowler, and others
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The Universal Christ
- How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe
- By: Richard Rohr
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world.
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Off the Reservation
- By Amazon Customer on 07-04-19
By: Richard Rohr
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Even After Everything
- The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway
- By: Stephanie Duncan Smith
- Narrated by: Stephanie Duncan Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Exquisitely told and urgently resonant, Even After Everything is a love letter to anyone who has opened their heart only to be hurt. Stephanie Duncan Smith proposes that it’s not through grit or forced resilience that you will find a way forward, but through receiving the full spectrum of our lives, just as we receive the empathy of God-with-us in every moment.
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Beautiful
- By Amy Sytsma on 11-27-24
What listeners say about Field Notes for the Wilderness
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- keely surprenant
- 01-22-25
Relevant for me and so many!
As someone who grew up in and around so many fundamentalist churches/conservative church cultures, I have lived through and continue to witness so many hurtful things at the hands of Gods people that have made faith so complicated, exclusive, and which seem to directly contradict the nature of God. This is such a helpful tool in healing, navigating through it all and figuring out how to guide others back to what matters. Thank you Sarah! Can’t wait to share this.
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- Jesie S
- 08-17-24
Nourishment for the soul
Sarah is a gift, her work is a miracle, and this book is like a stream in the desert.
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- Jennifer Trautmann
- 03-03-24
Wow, I needed this book.
Such need words for the place many of us find ourselves. I feel more anchored in the love of God. I will sit with this book for a long time and reference it no doubt.
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- KayLou
- 03-23-24
What’s saving your life right now?
THIS. This book is saving my life right now, my faith, instilling hope again. There’s someone out there who “gets it” and she’s kind. She’s kind in her presentation of deconstruction, and I need that. When the last chapter came, I cried. I didn’t want it to end! So I’ll start it again and I’ll buy the hard copy for underlining. I already bought two copies for friends on their journey through the wilderness. Thank you for this it means so much.
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- Jenifer Baxter
- 08-07-24
slow wise comfort
A warm welcome into religious expansion when organized religion injures and judges. Warm validation when all you know gets upended and growth is required. Questions and discomfort are welcome here!
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- KeiL
- 02-21-25
Yes! to every ounce of healing water and true freedom in Christ this book graciously, thoughtfully, and kindly delivers.
I haven’t been able to step into a church for years. Can’t listen to the worship music or read books about Christianity. Both are too triggering. This book was recommended by a friend who I trust and who knows my story so I took a chance. I’m so glad I did. For the first time, the wilderness I’ve been wondering in doesn’t feel so scary. It feels like exactly where I’m supposed to be. “May you receive losing your religion like the gift it will be to you in the end.” I now have faith this is true. In the meantime, “People will talk, and still my souls is fine.”
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- Kristin
- 01-24-25
It was healing for my soul
It can sure feeling lonely in the wilderness, but Sarah made the journey less so and I cried so many healing tears while listening to this book.
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- Brooke C.
- 02-25-25
beautiful and practical
this was balm to my soul, clinging to faith in this age of Christian nationalism is wearying and this book definitely bolstered my faith and gave me so much to think about and so much hope
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- Tea Drinker
- 02-25-24
Beautiful & Encouraging
Heartfelt, Personal stories from an author who knows how much we need to hear her encouraging words. Thank you, Sarah! ❤️
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-26-24
What I am For
I am for agency for all. I am for questions without solid answers. I am for the wondering and wandering in the wilderness. I am for sitting on the quilt and being among the masses who don’t have all the answers, but continue to have more questions. Thank you, Sarah. I have found some peace with this journey as I sit on my battered quilt in your yard.
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