Hearthstone Book Club: Early Summer
'A Theology of the Ordinary' by Julie Canlis
“These meditations aim to articulate the theology that lies beneath all this talk of the ‘holy ordinary,’ ensuring that it is not just a reaction to fundamentalism or to extreme burnout. This theology must be marked by the benediction of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the overflow of the Spirit.”
Julie Canlis, A Theology of the Ordinary
Welcome! Whether you’re a longtime friend or a new kindred spirit here (I recommend visiting the Village Green to get your bearings), I’m delighted to be a companion to you through the liturgical year.
I’m so thrilled to be entering into a new season of book club with you - feel free to peek back through our previous book selections & discussions, which are always so fun.
Pax+bonum, Kristin.
Small-world summer story: years ago, I crossed paths with the Canlis family via our mutual love of apricots. They grow a wonderful orchard of ‘cots - they’re a bit further east, where the climate is dryer and more beloved by stone fruit, so we’ve bought from them most every summer and then sell the apricots in our barn to our farm members.
Later, a friend1 sent me the link to a beautiful and profound documentary called Godspeed, featuring Fr. Matt (currently serving as an Anglican priest) and his wife, Julie Canlis…who, it turns out, were the “apricot” Canlis family!
Finding Matt & Julie through those two separate paths - first through the farm, then through the faith - was a surreal delight.
The Canlis family had found themselves in Scotland as Matt’s wife, Julie, pursued her PhD in Theology there, and life in those small country villages totally re-oriented their perspective. In Godspeed, we see Fr. Matt reflect on the transformative impact that life in a Scottish parish had on his fast-paced American approach to the practice of faith in community.
Julie’s book A Theology of the Ordinary was one of the beautiful blooms from that time in Scotland…and I’m delighted to get to discuss it with you and with the author herself, Julie Canlis!
So, as we look toward entering the Church’s summertime season of Ordinary Time, we’ll be reading through this insightful little book that helps to reacquaint us with the sanctity of the ordinary.
What originally brought Matt to Scotland was his wife Julie’s pursuit of a PhD in Theology. After winning awards for her thesis, she settled into raising four kids in Methlick and dove into the ordinary “school of the parish.” The joys and challenges of living an ordinary life in the presence of God gave rise to this little book, and is the lived theology behind what Godspeed is about.
With an easy, conversational style, she writes about
- The blessing of the Father on ordinary life and creation
- The inhabitation of the Son in ordinary life as the rule, not exception, for redemption
- The ways the Spirit works in our ordinary lives to bring us into the new creationWith each section, she also examines a 'cultural temptation' that threatens to undermine our ability to offer God our ordinary lives. The questions at the end of each chapter make this an appropriate book for small groups and book groups alike.
(via livegodspeed.org)
Julie Canlis teaches theology and holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. For her work Calvin’s Ladder (2010), she won a Templeton Prize and a Christianity Today Award of Merit. She and her husband, Matt, ministered in the Church of Scotland for thirteen years before returning to Wenatchee, Washington. Together they are writing materials for their Godspeed project, and raising four children, five chickens, and six sheep.
GATHERINGS
Hearthstone Book Club is open to all subscribers - whether you’d like to use each book selection as a prompt for your own personal reading and reflection, or you’d like to join in the conversation here (feel free to discuss in the HF Chat, or in the comments thread on this post)!
Paid members also get to be a part of additional live video gatherings (including a discussion with the author)…and over the past year, I’ve found all these meetings to be a beautiful combination of fun & wisdom. The videos are recorded, in case you can’t attend live!
Early Summer Book Club Gatherings:
LIVE VIDEOS
For paid members.
Details and a Google Meet link will be sent the week of each discussion, and a reminder (with link) will be posted in Chat. If you can’t make it to these gatherings live, no worries; they’ll be recorded and posted for you to watch on the re-play.
Friday, May 30 at 5 pm Pacific Time
Just an informal gathering as we launch our summer book club as a group!Saturday, June 7 at 11 am Pacific Time - WITH THE AUTHOR!
Author Julie Canlis will be joining us to discuss her book!
SUBSTACK CHAT
For all subscribers.
As you read, feel free to hop into our Chat space to discuss with other subscribers!
The best place to find Julie’s book is directly through the Canlis’ web site!
This feels like such a refreshing way to begin Ordinary Time together, doesn’t it? It’s the perfect opportunity to dig into an insightful, pocket-sized book that can accompany us as we transition out of Eastertide and into summer days of picnics and bare feet on the grass.
Pax et bonum,
Kristin
READ ON
Hi, Danielle!!
I saw the video last year and enjoyed it immensely as we spent time in Scotland and both grew up in small country villages on farms. I could relate to that but also to Father Matt. I think I will re watch it. It struck me last year as being pertinent to my usual hyperactive speed. What a small world.
Oh Kristin, this looks fascinating.... the video is remarkable of Godspeed and I'm intrigued!
(p.s. is/are Julie and or Matt related to the Seattle restaurant Canlis family? that would really make it a small world!)