At The Kitchen Window Chapel
"To be with God it is not necessary to always be in church. We may make a chapel of our heart whereto we may escape from time to time... Begin, then; perhaps He is waiting."
--Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection
(17th century Carmelite monk)
@sofiareadwritelove #kitchenwindowchapel
THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO MERMAIDS
by Sofia Livorsi
(New title! Formerly called Reasons For Our Hope.)
Currently looking for a publishing home!
They started out as a circle of friends who gathered at a backyard swimming pool on summer afternoons in Iowa City, calling themselves “The Mermaids.” While their kids ran around and played, the women talked about life, love, God, and everything in between.
Though their temperaments and the paths they’d traveled sometimes couldn’t be further apart, the one thing they all had in common was faith. Poolside chats evolved into a weekly Bible study group, which still continues nearly two decades later, providing a source of hope, spiritual growth, and strength as they walk together along their different roads to God.
Like a bouquet of prairie wildflowers—colorful, distinctive and with roots deep enough to survive even the harshest of winters—I present to you this beautiful group of Iowa women in my book, The Good News According to Mermaids. Each one has her own unique "good news” for which she is grateful and stories she is eager to tell. Meet a few of them here (not their real names):
But this book does more than just tell their stories. At the end of each short chapter is a Bible study section using a passage chosen by that woman or related to her life. Reflection questions help you consider how that particular piece of good news about God might be connected to your own story.
Click on the button below for a free download of the book's introduction, which describes a particularly memorable meeting I attended as one of the group's founding members, Kate, was nearing the end of her life. Another sample chapter is on the way!