Heidi Chiavaroli's Blog

How does the imagination relate to faith?

Are you possibly squirming in your seat, uncomfortable with that question? I get it. Because imagination is so vast, with countless possibilities and paths to both good and evil. 

But as I’ve been pondering the use of the imagination around the sacred, I would like to put forth the thought that as Christians, we are often not imaginative enough. We read Scripture, we see the beauty of Jesus and the goodness of God’s story, and then too often, fail to allow it to write itself into our heart, mind, soul, and being. We don’t embody it. I’m guilty of this as well, and I’m not claiming that better imaginations will be some secret answer to accomplishing this. But if faith is the evidence of things we cannot see, perhaps our imaginations are an integral part of our faith.

A theme we see throughout Scripture is remembering. We are encouraged to remember God’s faithfulness. The Hebrews were told to remember what God had done through their many feasts and festivals. Jesus tells us to break bread with one another “in memory of me.”

Remember. But remember not just as a mental assent. The very point of sharing the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples was to place themselves in the story. To taste the bitter herbs that called to mind the bitterness of slavery under the Egyptians. To eat the unleavened bread to remember the urgency of their escape. And to partake of the sacrificed lamb to remember God’s provision to save. 

How could Jesus and his contemporaries do this without the use of their imaginations? I don’t think they could.

Before I wrote Draw Close to Jesus, which uses imagination quite frequently, I sat with this idea. I wanted to make sure my conscience held no qualms about telling stories based on Scripture in this manner.

Someone asked me the other day what I might say to those who will not read Biblical fiction because it makes them uncomfortable. My answer was, I would say it’s okay. We are all unique individuals and none of us relates to God exactly like another. That’s the beauty of a community embodying Christ! Some might not feel comfortable reading Biblical fiction or exploring Scripture in the way I have done in Draw Close to Jesus. And for those, I would say, no sweat. I think of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8 as he was wrestling through the fact that some Corinthians felt strongly against eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, while some held no qualms about it. Paul paved the way for those with more tender consciences. Though there was nothing inherently wrong with eating this food, Paul respected those who did not feel good doing so.

I pray this book is a stumbling block for no one. I pray it blesses those who find it in their hands. And I pray that, through the use of your imagination, you might find yourself more intimately walking with Jesus.

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The most painful time in my adult life occurred during the year that I walked away from the church. 

After a flourishing relationship with Christ and an impressive resume of service to my local church, I woke up one day to realize with fearful clarity that I’d lost something along the way. Something quite important.

I was incredibly fearful I had lost Jesus himself.

I’d gotten so caught up in doing things for Jesus, I neglected to spend time with Jesus.

This was a long, painful journey where I groped around in the dark with my doubts for what had once been mine–the joy of knowing Jesus.

Like a spoon-fed toddler, I could only handle small bits of Scripture. Too often, I equated God and his Word to the hurt I’d experienced and to the stress I’d placed on myself surrounding church.

One small passage that came to me during this time, however, was enough to keep my hope alive. Beautiful, grace-drenched words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

This is not what I had been living. Then again, I hadn’t been tarrying with Jesus–I’d been seeking the approval of religious culture. But this invitation to rest in my Savior? I wanted that.

It just so happened that this new calling found me in the season of Lent. And with immense gratitude, I stoked to life the embers of a sacred season laid dormant with my childhood.

In this exploration, I stumbled into a sea of grace contained within the magnificent rhythms of the church year–rhythms that reminded me of the gospel story and God’s immeasurable grace.

Through Scripture, God pushed back the curtain of church hurt and gave me fresh hope. He restored my faith. He compelled me to use my imagination to place myself in the stories in order to better glimpse what God has done and who He is.

The season of Lent helped me recover the intended beauty of the liturgy and of the church. This is a season for repenting. But it’s also a season for remembering. For aligning ourselves with the workings of the Lord. For coming to the one who stepped into our sin, our inadequacies, and our shortcomings. For remembering and then anticipating because we know the amazing splendor of the empty grave is upon us. Death is defeated. Grace sweeps in.

Draw Close to Jesus contains forty stories based on Scripture and historical research. These are fictional narratives based on biblical accounts. I pray these retellings draw you deeper into the Gospel stories but would not replace your time in God’s Word. I pray they stir you to marinate in the Scriptures, to answer Jesus’s call when he says, “Come to me.”

With Hope,

Heidi

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     It’s the middle of January—the time when most resolutions and Bible-in-a-year reading plans fall by the wayside.     Last year, being worn out on Bible-in-a-year reading plans, I decided to change it up by taking a different approach. Instead of giving myself something that ended up feeling like a checkbox I needed to complete, I took smaller bits of Scripture and sat with them. I spent more time in silence, read in the lectionary and the Common Book of Prayer. I haven’t kept up with all of these, but it was nice to change up the routine.     We shouldn’t be afraid to approach Scripture from a different angle. Maybe try listening to it. Maybe try kneeling in prayer and contemplation or practice Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). Memorize and sit with small passages. Take it on a hike. Read with others! If Scripture is living and active (Hebrews 4:12!) and EXCITING, why do we sometimes treat it as if there are only a couple of “right” ways to go about reading it?     One of the reasons I LOVED writing Draw Close to Jesus was because my research work included spending time in short passages of Scripture DEEPLY. I read commentaries and historical and cultural backgrounds, I prayed, I imagined, I drew close. (And this was all for “work”!) What a blessing that time was.     I haven’t experimented with doing more of this simply as a way of spending time in Scripture, but perhaps I should.     I know many ARE blessed by Bible-in-a-year reading plans, and to that I give a big cheer! But if you are struggling mid-January, I encourage you to try something new.

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I’m so excited to officially introduce you to Covenant of the Heart, my first biblical fiction novel (and my 16th novel!). The research for this book was just as compelling as writing the book itself. 

For this novel, I dove into the book of Jeremiah, creating a fictional daughter of Pashhur, the priest in charge of the temple (Jeremiah 20). Pashhur “had Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks” after he prophesied unfavorably against the leaders and the city of Jerusalem. I thought it would be interesting to create a daughter, Odelia, who did not agree with her father’s stance on Jeremiah. What if she explored the underground tunnels beneath the Holy City as a child, and what if she was asked to smuggle the ark out of the city before the Babylonians are able to break through the city walls–all against her father’s wishes?

I’ll be the first to admit that there’s a lot of imagining going on in this story. But like all my historical fiction novels, I have sought to ground that fiction in historical truth. The writing of this story helped me dive deeper into this ancient time period and better understand the complexities of the struggles the ancient Israelites faced at the prospect of the Babylonian siege. It helped me glimpse what the Israelite exiles faced as well.

I hope you appreciate it. I hope the journey not only entertains you, but encourages and inspires you. ♥️

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Celebrated since at least the third century, Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season, the birth of the church, and the celebration of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all believers. It’s quite a feast! Today, we remember the events of Acts 2—a roaring wind and a holy fire resting on the disciples. We see the reversal of the Tower of Babel and a new, emboldened Peter still inspiring us today. 

This also marks the conclusion of the Cycle of Life. From Advent to Christmas to Epiphany to Lent to Easter to Pentecost, we have come full circle in the life of Jesus and in the seasons of the earth. We now prepare to enter Ordinary Time (which in my opinion, is not really ordinary at all). It’s an adventure. It’s the working out of what God has done for us in the world. It’s working toward His new creation in our relationships and lives. 

Bobby Gross in his book Living the Christian Year, says “We reveal his light, we exhibit his life and we embody his love.”

I love how that can play out in a number of different ways. It’s a rhythm of work and rest, of belonging to the church, of living on mission, and of loving our neighbors. Not so ordinary after all, really!

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Today, the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, we remember the ascension of Jesus that he spoke of in John 16 and which we see happen in Acts 1:9. Since the first century, Christians have observed this day as the day Jesus ascended to heaven. They remember his return to the Father, anticipate in gratitude the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and set their eyes ahead on doing His good work!

I can’t think about this day without remembering that Jesus, from where He sits at the right hand of God, intercedes for us through the power of the Holy Spirit. I love that. (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25) 

Consider commemorating this day (or sometime this week!) with a hike to a hilltop or perhaps having a picnic! If it’s raining like it is here in Massachusetts, perhaps simply observe the sky or a canopy of trees and remember that day of long ago. 

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Each book I write has an origin story, and this book’s inception (my fifteenth book!) began at Walmart.

 Most of you know I spent a good chunk of the last decade employed by Walmart. At first, it was a way for me to help out with house renovation bills. I started in the Lawn & Garden Center. I will never forget that May night nearly nine years ago when my husband and young boys came into the Garden center. I put down my leaky hose, wiped my hands on my super-attractive blue smock, and nearly fell into the petunias when my husband told me that my agent had left a message on the home phone with news of a contract offer from my dream publishing house. Talk about a Cinderella moment! ♥️ Shortly after this, I moved to the pharmacy department and obtained my technician’s license. Except for the night and weekend hours, I enjoyed this job. And, my imagination came alive.

 You’ll see some of Scout’s experiences in the beginning chapters of The Way Home reflected in my own. But the pharmacy is just a springboard to a larger story. A story that will lead us to coastal Maine and back to the Beacon Bed and Breakfast. It’s a story about forgiveness and healing and second-chance romance. It’s a story about grace and compassion and humanity. 

 I sincerely hope you enjoy!

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Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Easter was two days ago, why are we still talking about it?

But did you know that in the church calendar, Easter (like Christmas!) is actually an entire season?! A season even longer than Lent, at 49 days. Easter is the hope of the Christian faith and the holiest day of the year, but it expands to a time of communal observance in the following weeks. And why shouldn’t it?! This is the cornerstone of the faith, the bedrock of our hope. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things the church calendar can help us meditate on and observe. 

Easter gives us space to place our faith in the victory of God. Jesus ushered in a new way of being human when he burst from the grave—a way born of forgiveness. Forgiveness by God, forgiveness for one another. He gives us hope that death does not have the last word, that we will be given new bodies and someday, a new creation. He gives us the hope that his Spirit is with us, testifying to his love.

“Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.”

~ N.T. Wright

I love this! Our life in Christ is not just a distant hope of a heavenly future, it’s also a beautiful invitation into the kingdom that Jesus inaugurated when he broke out of that tomb all those years ago. It’s an invitation to partner with God in his new creation now and today.

Happy Easter!

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Today is glorious because we’ve seen the darkness of Good Friday. Today is glorious because it speaks of hope and new things. Today is glorious because our Lord has risen!

There is a lot to be said about Easter, the day we commemorate Jesus rising from the dead. Alleluia! But since today marks the beginning of an entire season in the church, I will save that for a later post. For now, Happy Easter!

“Easter is about the wild delight of God’s creative power . . . we ought to shout Alleluias instead of murmuring them; we should light every candle in the building instead of only some; we should give every man, woman, child, cat, dog, and mouse in the place a candle to hold; we should have a real bonfire; we should splash water about as we renew our baptismal vows. Every step back from that is a step toward an ethereal or esoteric Easter experience, and the thing about Easter is that it is neither ethereal or esoteric. It’s about the real Jesus coming out of the real tomb and getting God’s real new creation under way.”

~ N.T. Wright

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There’s a lot to be uncomfortable about on Good Friday. We have become used to associating a cross with Jesus, but the reality of the cross in Judea two thousand years ago was quite different.

The cross was a means of execution, but it was also a means of humiliation. It meant you were cursed, the lowest of the low. 

But why do we call it “good?” One explanation I found is that the “Good Friday” might be an alteration of an earlier English phrase, “God’s Friday.” So, in the same manner that our “good-bye” is a shortened version of the sixteenth-century saying, “God be with ye,” “Good Friday” could have also been translated in the same way.

And yes, of course, when we see the big picture and acknowledge the resurrection on the horizon on this end of history, it is indeed “good!”

I think it’s okay to sit in the uncomfortableness of this day. It is a dark and somber moment as we remember Jesus suffering and dying on the cross, “wounded for our transgressions,” and “crushed for our iniquities.” It’s healthy to sit with that and not be in a rush to celebrate the victory of Sunday. 

Danielle Hitchen in her book “Sacred Seasons” writes “As he hangs on the cross, Christ allows the sins of all humanity in all space and time to converge upon him as he gently, lovingly, agonizingly pours himself out in order to destroy its deadly power. We look on helpless, both grateful and horrified, as we witness this kairos.”

This is often a time of fasting, mourning, prayer, and repentance. Many churches observe the Stations of the Cross.

Today, I’m meditating on Jesus’s final words. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” There’s a whole lot of meaning in these eight words, for Jesus in that moment, and for us now. 

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