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At Home in this Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroads of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises
In the midst of beauty and mess, chaos and monotony, celebrations and mourning, Jerusalem Greer tells her story of finding redemption in what is rather than what could be, by practicing the presence of God through rediscovering ancient contemplative teachings and practices (solitude, study, work, prayer, and service) and pairing them with domestic arts (baking, gardening, sewing).
Jerusalem writes with a raw honesty that reassures readers they are not alone in feeling not good enough, not wise enough, not Christian enough to figure out God s plans.
Jerusalem is active on Facebook and Pinterest and regularly posts on her blog Slow Living in a Fast World where she records what she calls her beautymess attempts at living a sacramental life."
Jerusalem writes with a raw honesty that reassures readers they are not alone in feeling not good enough, not wise enough, not Christian enough to figure out God s plans.
Jerusalem is active on Facebook and Pinterest and regularly posts on her blog Slow Living in a Fast World where she records what she calls her beautymess attempts at living a sacramental life."
208 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2017
About the author
Jerusalem Jackson Greer
6 books44 followersJerusalem Jackson Greer's writing has been called "beautiful," by Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman,) "incarnational" by Sarah Bessey, and that of an "honest friend" by Shauna Niequiest.
In addition to being a writer, Jerusalem is also a minister and speaker. She lives with her husband and two sons in Arkansas, along with their pet pig and a host of chickens. As a family they are attempting to live a slower version of the modern life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. She writes about all of this and more at jerusalemgreer.com.
In addition to being a writer, Jerusalem is also a minister and speaker. She lives with her husband and two sons in Arkansas, along with their pet pig and a host of chickens. As a family they are attempting to live a slower version of the modern life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. She writes about all of this and more at jerusalemgreer.com.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 29, 2017
This book—classified Christian, Home, Hobby—is not the sort of book I typically read, and I suspect I enjoyed it in part because I do follow Jerusalem’s blog and know her as a fellow member of Arkansas Women Bloggers. I found the story of her all-consuming desire to move to the country and lead a more back-to-the-land type life to be in contrast to what I thought I knew of her. Which is the whole point of the story. Life isn’t a Pinterest board. Jerusalem (that’s her real name) lays it all out, her “beautymess”, heartbreak, disappointment, and test of faith. Her message of “growing where you are planted” is relatable. The design of the book is charming and creative, like the author herself, and includes quotes and scripture along with the occasional craft thrown in. For fans of Christian, self-help, blog type books, you will enjoy this. “This is her story, this is her song.”
May 22, 2017
It is so easy to want somebody else’s life, especially when we behold so many carefully curated Instagram feeds and glossy magazine spreads. Even when it isn’t envy but a deep sense of calling that leaves us unsettled with our lot in life, living in a state of thwarted hopes and unrealized dreams can fill us with bitterness and resentment. In At Home In This Life, Jerusalem Jackson Greer casts a vision for what it looks like to make peace with the present, even when the present is rife with disappointment and heartache. Faithful and funny, humble and inspiring, this book is a balm for restless souls.
August 16, 2018
I enjoyed the last half of the book more than the first half. Always enjoy a book that references other books. I was intrigued with her tie in to the book of Jeremiah as well as "The Rule of St. Benedict ".
March 27, 2018
Greer has an almost dreamy style of writing that sort of pulls you along without feeling bludgeoned by her beliefs.
An interesting study on Jeremiah 29 about what happens when God calls you to STAY rather than GO. Well done, short and sweet. I'd recommend.
An interesting study on Jeremiah 29 about what happens when God calls you to STAY rather than GO. Well done, short and sweet. I'd recommend.
August 17, 2017
St. Benedict has gotten some good press recently. Conservative columnist Rod Dreher published The Benedict Option (March 2017) arguing that Christians ought to segregate themselves from modern society in order to live out our Christian calling away from the corrupting influence of liberalism. Dreher’s thesis harkens back to Benedict of Nursia’s monastic rule and the intentional and cloistered Benedictine communities he founded.
Jerusalem Jackson Greer discovered another ‘Benedict Option.’ In At Home in this Life, Greer describes how she dreamed of moving with her family to the country, so she and her husband could impart to their children the virtues of hard work and life on the land and mutual life. Unfortunately, their house in town didn’t sell, and as she listened to God’s voice, and the rule of St. Benedict, she heard the call to stay put where she was. Benedict’s call to stability (not moving from where you are planted) resounded louder than the call to withdraw. Greer was called to stay.
Greer’s book is one part memoir, one part DIY manual for life on the homestead, and one part spiritual disciplines guidebook. Greer shares honestly about her hunger for a deeper spiritual life, how Benedictine spirituality has shapes her practice, and the ways she has learned to embody Christian spirituality in everyday life (not that this is always easy). She takes us on a journey from her angsty desire to be somewhere else (e.g. a country farm), toward learning how to embody Benedictine virtues of humility, hard work and hospitality in ordinary life. She describes what she’s learned from the practices of stability, stewardship, silence, stillness, prayer, Sabbath, manual labor, mutual support, humility and hospitality, and along the way she gives us tips for painting walls, making laundry soap, patching sweaters with doilies, crafting prayer flags, starting worm farms and gardening, cooking (together), hospitality, and organizing garage sale fundraisers.
Greer is a different from me. She’s from the south and loves the country. I’m a North-Westerner and am a city boy. I was drawn into Greer’s story by our mutual love for Benedictine spirituality, and the writings of people like Barbara Brown Taylor, Wendell Berry, Kathleen Norris, Joan Chittister, Dennis Okholm, etc. I enjoyed reading her story about how the wisdom of St. Benedict works out in her everyday life and the ways she’s learned from stability, silence, humility and humbleness. Her description of learning to navigate meal preparation with her husband reminded me of some culinary angst my wife and I had early in our marriage. Greer writes with insight, vulnerability and a good humor. I enjoyed this book. I give this book four stars. ★★★★
Notice of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Paraclete Press in exchange for my honest review.
Jerusalem Jackson Greer discovered another ‘Benedict Option.’ In At Home in this Life, Greer describes how she dreamed of moving with her family to the country, so she and her husband could impart to their children the virtues of hard work and life on the land and mutual life. Unfortunately, their house in town didn’t sell, and as she listened to God’s voice, and the rule of St. Benedict, she heard the call to stay put where she was. Benedict’s call to stability (not moving from where you are planted) resounded louder than the call to withdraw. Greer was called to stay.
Greer’s book is one part memoir, one part DIY manual for life on the homestead, and one part spiritual disciplines guidebook. Greer shares honestly about her hunger for a deeper spiritual life, how Benedictine spirituality has shapes her practice, and the ways she has learned to embody Christian spirituality in everyday life (not that this is always easy). She takes us on a journey from her angsty desire to be somewhere else (e.g. a country farm), toward learning how to embody Benedictine virtues of humility, hard work and hospitality in ordinary life. She describes what she’s learned from the practices of stability, stewardship, silence, stillness, prayer, Sabbath, manual labor, mutual support, humility and hospitality, and along the way she gives us tips for painting walls, making laundry soap, patching sweaters with doilies, crafting prayer flags, starting worm farms and gardening, cooking (together), hospitality, and organizing garage sale fundraisers.
Greer is a different from me. She’s from the south and loves the country. I’m a North-Westerner and am a city boy. I was drawn into Greer’s story by our mutual love for Benedictine spirituality, and the writings of people like Barbara Brown Taylor, Wendell Berry, Kathleen Norris, Joan Chittister, Dennis Okholm, etc. I enjoyed reading her story about how the wisdom of St. Benedict works out in her everyday life and the ways she’s learned from stability, silence, humility and humbleness. Her description of learning to navigate meal preparation with her husband reminded me of some culinary angst my wife and I had early in our marriage. Greer writes with insight, vulnerability and a good humor. I enjoyed this book. I give this book four stars. ★★★★
Notice of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Paraclete Press in exchange for my honest review.
October 4, 2020
Update October 2020:
I reread this while we were (are) in a housing transition, and it was a good reminder to make the most of our current situation, even if it's temporary. The repetition and lack of clear timeline bugged me a little more this time around, but all in all, this still has a lot of insights that make it worth reading.
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(Original Review, September 2017)
I really loved a lot of the thoughts in this--the book centers around how to learn to appreciate where you are exactly right now in life, especially if your heart wants to be somewhere else. The author and her husband had a deep yearning to move their family out to the country and had found the perfect 20-acre farm to buy, but then life handed her a different plan, and they ended up stuck right where they were. This is the story of how she learned to put down deep roots in her current home and community and overcome some of her weaknesses, esp. those concerning control. This book is warm and full of relatable stories; my only real beef is that parts of it did tend to get a bit repetitive near the end.
I reread this while we were (are) in a housing transition, and it was a good reminder to make the most of our current situation, even if it's temporary. The repetition and lack of clear timeline bugged me a little more this time around, but all in all, this still has a lot of insights that make it worth reading.
*********
(Original Review, September 2017)
I really loved a lot of the thoughts in this--the book centers around how to learn to appreciate where you are exactly right now in life, especially if your heart wants to be somewhere else. The author and her husband had a deep yearning to move their family out to the country and had found the perfect 20-acre farm to buy, but then life handed her a different plan, and they ended up stuck right where they were. This is the story of how she learned to put down deep roots in her current home and community and overcome some of her weaknesses, esp. those concerning control. This book is warm and full of relatable stories; my only real beef is that parts of it did tend to get a bit repetitive near the end.
May 16, 2017
Jerusalem Greer's writing is just delectable. She's like Anne Lamott in her Traveling Mercies days: you just can't get enough of it.
June 26, 2022
In some ways this was the book I was expecting, and in some ways it was something different. But I wasn’t disappointed. Published in 2017 (pre-pandemic), it was an honest account of author Greer’s spiritual growth during a specific period of her life. She offers an accurate summary of the book: “At Home in this Life is the story of how everything I thought would make me happy came undone, and then how I found a way to make myself at home in this beautiful, messy, amazing, tender, completely unbalanced life, by imperfectly practicing one spiritual discipline at a time – smack in the middle of raising kids, mending the sweaters, and burning the bread.”
I didn’t know Jerusalem Greer at all before reading this book – I didn’t follow her on social media, listen to her podcasts, or read her first book. So I especially appreciated her candidness in admitting to readers of this book how she curates the images and stories she presents on social media. This book is the opposite of “curating” as Greer shares her failures and how they contributed to her learning and growth.
I especially liked her explanation of Jeremiah 29, and how she applied it to her life. The book could be used as a study about what happens when God calls you to stay where you are rather than to go forth. At the same time, this is a memoir of how - as a family - they attempt to live a slower, more spiritually aware version of modern life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it takes longer. Because life happens.
Greer reads a lot, and I was glad she shared the names of the books and authors so I now have more inspirational books to investigate.
I didn’t know Jerusalem Greer at all before reading this book – I didn’t follow her on social media, listen to her podcasts, or read her first book. So I especially appreciated her candidness in admitting to readers of this book how she curates the images and stories she presents on social media. This book is the opposite of “curating” as Greer shares her failures and how they contributed to her learning and growth.
I especially liked her explanation of Jeremiah 29, and how she applied it to her life. The book could be used as a study about what happens when God calls you to stay where you are rather than to go forth. At the same time, this is a memoir of how - as a family - they attempt to live a slower, more spiritually aware version of modern life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it takes longer. Because life happens.
Greer reads a lot, and I was glad she shared the names of the books and authors so I now have more inspirational books to investigate.
July 8, 2017
"We are the ones who are always waiting for our lives to start, the ones who work overtime creating a smoke screen of contentment, so no one will suspect we are actually biding our time, waiting, for the all elusive "Someday When" to show up and save us." - Jerusalem Jackson Greer.
This is the first quote that I highlighted and wrote down when reading "At Home in This Life." I proceeded to fill several pages of a notebook with inspiration and reflection as I read, laughed, and cried through this book. Jerusalem shares the all too familiar struggle for those of us who have that "if only" mindset while providing insight into how we can "bloom where we are planted" and find contentment in the lives we are living, rather than in the life we think would be our ideal. She takes the reader through a season in her family's lives and lessons she learned from St. Benedict as well as the teachings of others quoted throughout the book. In doing so, she provides not only a narrative of her and her family's personal journey but lessons of how, when we decide to be present in our daily lives , we realize that "someday when" can never take the place of the lives we are living right now.
This is the first quote that I highlighted and wrote down when reading "At Home in This Life." I proceeded to fill several pages of a notebook with inspiration and reflection as I read, laughed, and cried through this book. Jerusalem shares the all too familiar struggle for those of us who have that "if only" mindset while providing insight into how we can "bloom where we are planted" and find contentment in the lives we are living, rather than in the life we think would be our ideal. She takes the reader through a season in her family's lives and lessons she learned from St. Benedict as well as the teachings of others quoted throughout the book. In doing so, she provides not only a narrative of her and her family's personal journey but lessons of how, when we decide to be present in our daily lives , we realize that "someday when" can never take the place of the lives we are living right now.
October 10, 2018
What to do when life stinks! (from a Christian perspective).
While browsing new non-fiction at the library, I saw the phrase "unraveled dreams." I said, "I have a few of those. I'd love to see how she found peace with hers."
Their dream of moving to a farm was dashed when their house refused to sell. Turning to the scriptures revealed Jeremiah 29:4-14. It said, "Make the best of this--you're not getting rescued anytime soon." The trite phrase "Bloom where you're planted" became gospel for this American family.
While browsing new non-fiction at the library, I saw the phrase "unraveled dreams." I said, "I have a few of those. I'd love to see how she found peace with hers."
Their dream of moving to a farm was dashed when their house refused to sell. Turning to the scriptures revealed Jeremiah 29:4-14. It said, "Make the best of this--you're not getting rescued anytime soon." The trite phrase "Bloom where you're planted" became gospel for this American family.
July 16, 2017
Jerusalem Jackson Greer's wonderful collection of essays reminds us to "bloom where we are planted." This book echoes things I know about my life -- I need to be still, be present, see God in the everyday ordinary -- I loved reading how Jerusalem Greer worked through the reality of a life and home that she thought would happen "someday" and turned her life into her home of today! Well worth the read!
July 23, 2017
At Home in this Life is a wonderful book that encourages us to slow down, engage in the life we have: using Jeremiah 29 and the Rule of Benedict as inspiration. Jerusalem Greer honestly provides details from her life, as well as areas where she struggles to share her story, and encourage the reader to slow down, engage in our community and grow where we are planted.
I read this book during a tumultuous season in life, and found it a refreshing call to rest.
I read this book during a tumultuous season in life, and found it a refreshing call to rest.
September 11, 2017
A good book to read to remind yourself that you can start right here, right now, doing the little bits you can do to make your life more meaningful and spiritual and to help others in the process. It's reassuring to remember you can do this without becoming someone you're not, or go somewhere other than where you are. There is no perfect life, and we are not perfect people. But we can make the most out of what we have been given.
September 26, 2018
I love Jerusalem's voice. It really is like sitting down with a friend for a visit. I have felt the same tugging to move "out" to the country, and I loved her message of staying. Benedictine spirituality has appealed to me for years, and I appreciated reading about how Jerusalem figured out ways to live it out with her family. I'm starting a new class at church tomorrow, and this is the first book we'll be discussing. I hope the others hear as much truth in it as I did.
November 2, 2017
Feeling conflicted
I so WANTED to give this book five stars as the author's beautiful heart showed through her story. But, I found myself disagreeing with her theology at times. I wish she had stuck to Scripture more
faithfully. But it was still a good read - I just can't recommend it without some caution. Keep the good and sift out the bad!
I so WANTED to give this book five stars as the author's beautiful heart showed through her story. But, I found myself disagreeing with her theology at times. I wish she had stuck to Scripture more
faithfully. But it was still a good read - I just can't recommend it without some caution. Keep the good and sift out the bad!
March 9, 2018
4.5
This book has my name written all over it: a family who desperately wants a small farm, learning to love where you are planted, and St. Benedict’s Rule. I expected to enjoy it, and it did not disappoint.
This book has my name written all over it: a family who desperately wants a small farm, learning to love where you are planted, and St. Benedict’s Rule. I expected to enjoy it, and it did not disappoint.
May 8, 2018
Great Read!
The author describes her " journey" in life in such relatable terms with a keen sense of humor that reminds us to just settle in right where we are. I loved it! I found myself highlighting many passages in the book. Great food for thought and the spirit!
The author describes her " journey" in life in such relatable terms with a keen sense of humor that reminds us to just settle in right where we are. I loved it! I found myself highlighting many passages in the book. Great food for thought and the spirit!
July 23, 2017
I can't whole-heartedly recommend it because I had a few theological differences. Still gleaned some wisdom about blooming where God has planted.
August 4, 2017
One woman's journey to be at home with herself and her life--to live with dreams even when they don't turn out, to appreciate life as it is and learn from it.
October 13, 2017
Merely okay
This is solid writing and interpretation, but it is some obvious conclusions, some vapid interactions passed off as profound, and at times, overly detailed
This is solid writing and interpretation, but it is some obvious conclusions, some vapid interactions passed off as profound, and at times, overly detailed
August 3, 2019
I loved this book from beginning to end! I could totally relate to the author and her real struggles. I would highly recommend to any mom who is struggling with discontentment.
August 17, 2019
I loved this book! "Sometimes growth happens organically, and sometimes growth requires a lot of intentional attention. Neither way is best and both are necessary."
March 4, 2020
This is a powerfully wonderful book, well-written, challenging to the reader to take noe and learn to bloom where planted.
July 25, 2022
Thankful to go on this journey with Jerusalem. Finding the fullness God provides in our everyday lives.
February 28, 2026
I cried and laughed because I could relate SO much.
May 30, 2017
Oh my goodness! There are not words to describe how much I adore this book! Great recipes, sweet wisdom and a reminder to live where you are!
December 31, 2021
Read this for my book club. Not great, not terrible, just average. Lots of storytelling about the mess of her life and how things didn’t go as she hoped or planned but she still found ways to connect with God.
June 9, 2025
I enjoyed reading it, but it’s pretty repetitive. It feels like a collection of blog posts tacked together without much thought to how many times she’d said something already (eg the story of her breaking her foot & ending up in a moon boot on the couch. She tells this multiple times like it’s the first time she’s mentioned it). I did relate to the constant feeling of wanting to go & do, rather than really embracing where you are & blooming where you’re planted. And social media can have us fantasising about how idyllic our life could be if only it were more like theirs, when it may not be a life suited to us at all.
There are a lot of quotes from different people throughout the book which I didn’t really connect with, & it’s a lot of her comparing her approach to life to that of a Benedictine monk. I’m not opposed to this, but the wording is a bit weird.
The book itself is square shaped, on the big side, & kind of awkward to hold. It kept flopping around while I was trying to read. It is pretty, though, & I really like the graphic of a rope at every chapter & the rope being more frayed as the chapters progress. That’s very clever.
There are a lot of quotes from different people throughout the book which I didn’t really connect with, & it’s a lot of her comparing her approach to life to that of a Benedictine monk. I’m not opposed to this, but the wording is a bit weird.
The book itself is square shaped, on the big side, & kind of awkward to hold. It kept flopping around while I was trying to read. It is pretty, though, & I really like the graphic of a rope at every chapter & the rope being more frayed as the chapters progress. That’s very clever.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews