Mystics and Misfits
Meeting God Through St. Francis and Other Unlikely Saints
Jon Sweeney
(Foreword by)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
"A lively memoir mixed with short biographies of appealing religious outcasts." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With untested ideals and a thirst for adventure, Christiana Peterson and her family moved to an intentional Christian farming community in the rural Midwest. It sounded like a simple and faithful way to follow Jesus, not to mention a great place to raise kids. In Mystics and Misfits, Peterson discovers that community life is never really simple and that she needs resources beyond her own to weather the anxiety and exhaustion of trying to save a dying farm and a floundering congregation. She turns to Christian mystics like Francis of Assisi, Simone Weil, and Dorothy Day to find sustenance for the everyday struggles and unique hardships of community life. With a contemplative's spirit and poet's eye, Peterson leads readers into an encounter with the God of the wild mystics and the weird misfits.
With untested ideals and a thirst for adventure, Christiana Peterson and her family moved to an intentional Christian farming community in the rural Midwest. It sounded like a simple and faithful way to follow Jesus, not to mention a great place to raise kids. In Mystics and Misfits, Peterson discovers that community life is never really simple and that she needs resources beyond her own to weather the anxiety and exhaustion of trying to save a dying farm and a floundering congregation. She turns to Christian mystics like Francis of Assisi, Simone Weil, and Dorothy Day to find sustenance for the everyday struggles and unique hardships of community life. With a contemplative's spirit and poet's eye, Peterson leads readers into an encounter with the God of the wild mystics and the weird misfits.
Product Details
| Publisher | Herald Press (VA) |
| Publish Date | April 01, 2018 |
| Pages | 256 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781513801643 |
| Dimensions | 8.4 X 5.5 X 0.9 inches | 0.4 pounds |
About the Author
Christiana N. Peterson is regular contributor to Good Letters, an Image Journal blog, and she has published pieces on death, fairytales, and farm life at Christianity Today Women, Off the Page, and Art House America. Peterson lives with her husband and their four children in Ohio.
Reviews
"I cried healing tears as I read Mystics and Misfits. Christiana N. Peterson's breathtaking way with words, coupled with her rare perception, left me pared back and longing for the deeper, more honest things of faith. Anyone grappling for words to express the strange intermingling of joy and suffering needs to look no further."--Amber Haines "Reviews"
"In Christiana N. Peterson's beautifully told memoir, the reader comes to understand that our relationships with saints living and dead can take many forms but that, at their heart, they are about the compassion that draws us into community."--Kaya Oakes "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is a generous invitation to join the saints in everyday conversation about the marrow of life and essence of faith. If you are looking for spiritual companions for your journey, Christiana N. Peterson is ready to offer worthy introductions to Saint Francis and others. With candor and care, Peterson creates a new conversation for those who are hungry for deeper goodness."--Kelley Nikondeha "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is achingly beautiful. It is like a long love letter to holiness. The mystics with whom Christiana N. Peterson engages are ones who wanted so much to be holy, as Jesus asked us all to be, and did it in ordinary and extraordinary ways."--Jon M Sweeney "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is part memoir, part biography, part handbook, and entirely wonderful. Mystics and Misfits is a practical and intelligent introduction to the spiritual wisdom of figures as diverse as Francis of Assisi, Margery Kempe, and Dorothy Day, yet it is also a personal story, at once gentle and deeply inspiring."--Christie Purifoy "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is the perfect blend of idealism tinged with mortality, of contemplation marred by depression and the mundane realities of moldy rugs. This is a gorgeous, quirky, and heartfelt book inviting the reader to love the mystics and misfits of our world--both those around us currently and those who came as guides long before."--D.L. Mayfield "Reviews"
"Read Mystics and Misfits by Christiana N. Peterson--even if you think you don't have time."--Richard Rohr "Reviews"
"Rich and resonant, this book speaks to all who dare to hope that the God of Saint Francis still speaks to us today."--Amy Peterson "Reviews"
"This unflinching narrative of spiritual transformation will first captivate and then challenge readers at the depths of their souls. Despite their eccentricities, the mystics model a deeply human, resilient faith that offers sustenance and hope as Peterson navigates a perilous journey from youthful idealism, through disillusionment, and to a more authentic life."--Marlene Kropf "Reviews"
"In Christiana N. Peterson's beautifully told memoir, the reader comes to understand that our relationships with saints living and dead can take many forms but that, at their heart, they are about the compassion that draws us into community."--Kaya Oakes "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is a generous invitation to join the saints in everyday conversation about the marrow of life and essence of faith. If you are looking for spiritual companions for your journey, Christiana N. Peterson is ready to offer worthy introductions to Saint Francis and others. With candor and care, Peterson creates a new conversation for those who are hungry for deeper goodness."--Kelley Nikondeha "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is achingly beautiful. It is like a long love letter to holiness. The mystics with whom Christiana N. Peterson engages are ones who wanted so much to be holy, as Jesus asked us all to be, and did it in ordinary and extraordinary ways."--Jon M Sweeney "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is part memoir, part biography, part handbook, and entirely wonderful. Mystics and Misfits is a practical and intelligent introduction to the spiritual wisdom of figures as diverse as Francis of Assisi, Margery Kempe, and Dorothy Day, yet it is also a personal story, at once gentle and deeply inspiring."--Christie Purifoy "Reviews"
"Mystics and Misfits is the perfect blend of idealism tinged with mortality, of contemplation marred by depression and the mundane realities of moldy rugs. This is a gorgeous, quirky, and heartfelt book inviting the reader to love the mystics and misfits of our world--both those around us currently and those who came as guides long before."--D.L. Mayfield "Reviews"
"Read Mystics and Misfits by Christiana N. Peterson--even if you think you don't have time."--Richard Rohr "Reviews"
"Rich and resonant, this book speaks to all who dare to hope that the God of Saint Francis still speaks to us today."--Amy Peterson "Reviews"
"This unflinching narrative of spiritual transformation will first captivate and then challenge readers at the depths of their souls. Despite their eccentricities, the mystics model a deeply human, resilient faith that offers sustenance and hope as Peterson navigates a perilous journey from youthful idealism, through disillusionment, and to a more authentic life."--Marlene Kropf "Reviews"
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