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What's Here Now?: How to Stop Rehashing the Past and Rehearsing the Future--and Start Receiving the Present
Life is filled with uncertainty, and people have never needed peace more. When it comes down to it, what keeps us from experiencing peace in our lives is either living in the past or living for the future. When we obsess over what's already happened or put all of our efforts into creating a picture-perfect tomorrow, we miss what God has for us here and now. The result is regret over what we can't change, and anxiety over what we feel we must change. That's not what God wants for us.
With honest transparency, hope-filled compassion, and plenty of vulnerable humor, pastor Jeanne Stevens reveals the shockingly simple path to presence. She helps you slow down, center yourself, and ask the all-important question, What's here now? Jeanne gives readers practical tools to move from obsessing about the past or worrying about the future to experiencing peace and purpose in the present moment.
By incorporating this simple question into your everyday life, you will experience freedom from unhealthy patterns of relating to God and others through the avenues of shame, guilt, worry, and anxiety.
With honest transparency, hope-filled compassion, and plenty of vulnerable humor, pastor Jeanne Stevens reveals the shockingly simple path to presence. She helps you slow down, center yourself, and ask the all-important question, What's here now? Jeanne gives readers practical tools to move from obsessing about the past or worrying about the future to experiencing peace and purpose in the present moment.
By incorporating this simple question into your everyday life, you will experience freedom from unhealthy patterns of relating to God and others through the avenues of shame, guilt, worry, and anxiety.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2022
39 people are currently reading
1647 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 7, 2022
What's Here Now is wonderfully written and holds vast amounts of thought-provoking questions, biblical truths, and quotes I can't wait to post on almost every page. I will leave you with a few of my favorites...
"Whenever you start rolling around in your own animosity, you are not only strengthening the steel of your own jail cell, but also your future behavior towards more animosity."
"Growth always leads to letting go of a past that will never change."
"Any lasting spiritual transformations will lead to surrender. It’s what we are created to do"
"To stop pretending, we have to start telling the truth."
"Whenever you start rolling around in your own animosity, you are not only strengthening the steel of your own jail cell, but also your future behavior towards more animosity."
"Growth always leads to letting go of a past that will never change."
"Any lasting spiritual transformations will lead to surrender. It’s what we are created to do"
"To stop pretending, we have to start telling the truth."
July 12, 2022
This book was such a relatable read for anyone who has faced challenges with being in the here & now.
In my life specifically, and maybe someone reading this can relate: I'm a toddler mom and in this busy life of parent, partner, and professional, it's hard to be present sometimes.
I think I generally strive to be present to others and, something I identified in Jeanne's writing that I hadn't realized before, I crave being present to myself. This book has helped me adapt my mindset to build this into a continued practice, with practical examples to boot.
For instance:
- New family rituals have formed to help us with presence, even in the midst of a busy summer season
- I've removed some general anxiety from my workday
- I've even tapped into emotions of longing for things in the past and viewing these feelings through a present lens.
What's Here Now?: How to Stop Rehashing the Past and Rehearsing the Future--And Start Receiving the Present has provided me both peace and food for thought.
Each chapter is filled with relatable details, covering everything from anxiety, grief, shame, guilt as well as mindfulness, peace, and how to overcome. I'm challenged by these things from time to time, so that's why I believe this book is a great resource so that I can carry presence into my future.
In my life specifically, and maybe someone reading this can relate: I'm a toddler mom and in this busy life of parent, partner, and professional, it's hard to be present sometimes.
I think I generally strive to be present to others and, something I identified in Jeanne's writing that I hadn't realized before, I crave being present to myself. This book has helped me adapt my mindset to build this into a continued practice, with practical examples to boot.
For instance:
- New family rituals have formed to help us with presence, even in the midst of a busy summer season
- I've removed some general anxiety from my workday
- I've even tapped into emotions of longing for things in the past and viewing these feelings through a present lens.
What's Here Now?: How to Stop Rehashing the Past and Rehearsing the Future--And Start Receiving the Present has provided me both peace and food for thought.
Each chapter is filled with relatable details, covering everything from anxiety, grief, shame, guilt as well as mindfulness, peace, and how to overcome. I'm challenged by these things from time to time, so that's why I believe this book is a great resource so that I can carry presence into my future.
July 18, 2022
I am an avid reader and this is one of the best books I have read this year. It was the type of book that I had to read slowly and carefully as there was so much wisdom to soak up. I would often pause and reflect as my eyes were opened to new ways to experience, What’s Here Now. This book left me with a healthier relationship with my past, how I deal with my emotions and worry about my future. I often find myself reflecting back to many portions of this book as I now walk through my day to day. Thank you, Jeanne Stevens, for pouring out your heart into this incredible book. I highly recommend to take the time to read and savor the wisdom in this book.
July 16, 2023
"What's Here Now," by Jeanne Stevens, offers a fresh take on finding peace in life's uncertainties. Stevens shows how presence may bring peace in a world of distractions and uncertainty. Stevens understands that our worry with the past or future often affects our peace. By focusing on the past or a flawless future, we overlook God's benefits in the now. Stevens says God doesn't want this. Through her honest and empathetic writing, she leads readers to peace via presence. She offers methods to slow down, center, and ask "What's here now?" Stevens guides the readers to freedom, purpose, and meaningful connections by adopting this basic yet deep inquiry into our daily lives.
"What's Here Now" inspires hope and freedom from the past and future. Her compassionate guidance and practical insight help readers let go of regret and enjoy the present with open hearts and minds. This book helps people find calm, purpose, and a better relationship with God and others.
"What's Here Now" inspires hope and freedom from the past and future. Her compassionate guidance and practical insight help readers let go of regret and enjoy the present with open hearts and minds. This book helps people find calm, purpose, and a better relationship with God and others.
July 20, 2022
I am taking my time with this book because it has become like a devotional for me. I am more intentional about being present with myself and those who cross my path throughout the day. I have cultivated more moments of stillness throughout my day that have brought about so many moments of refreshing that my soul needs daily. I tend to lean into the future and reading this book has allowed me to enjoy the many gifts that are in the here and now. Asking "what's here now" daily has fortified my faith and trust in God...each time I ask myself this I welcome Holy Spirit in to lead and guide me...to reveal what I need to know or focus on at that time. There are many presents in being present!
November 6, 2022
My relationship to religion is complex in that I never bought into the institution but I’ve come to respect many women who write to empower other women to slow down, better know and honor themselves, as an act of bold, important loving. That this can be in concert with Him and His word is a newer idea, radicalized by the progress of female led stories that touch even the most archaic of institutions (and there’s nowhere more archaic than religiosity’s impact on traditional gender and family roles). So when I find authorship that can embrace feminist values and straddle the spiritual thresholds without losing a staunch liberal Democratic Agnostic - I read them. And you should read this one, too.
December 5, 2022
This book is an easy read, but it contains a wealth of wisdom and invaluable guidance on getting anchored in the present. Jeanne delivers a beautiful combination of empathy through personal stories and practical steps for navigating your way to the present when you find yourself oscillating between the past and the future. This book walks with you every step of the way to return to the present and helps you embrace whatever you feel and think in the present moment. It delivers hard-hitting truths in the most loving ways and equips you to surrender your past, present, and future and find peace with your whole self.
May 26, 2022
This book has something for everybody. It is filled with humor, grace and practical teachings that can be applied to whatever season you may be walking in. It will fill you with new life, and give you tools to experience life in the present as we were meant to live. It’s one of those books that can live on your shelf and you can pick up over and over again for when you need it.
June 27, 2022
I don’t think I realized how much I struggle with being present until I read this book. It is helpful, funny, honest, and encouraging. I love asking myself, What’s Here Now? It’s a simple and practical question that makes a difference in my daily life. I'm so thankful to have read this book and to have been given this gift of such a simple yet life-changing tool!
January 17, 2024
I feel that this book is a valuable way to invest in self-reflection. I could not read it fast or slow enough. I did not want to put it down, but I needed to pause between chapters because the content was meaningful. The book is broken into three sections: past, present, and future, full of truths, opportunities to reflect, and new insights.
April 20, 2022
Jeanne is a person that God has given an ability to articulate wisdom that is life transforming. She uses her real-world experiences in an authentic and vulnerable way to help others see how God works in each of our lives. Thankful for this book!
May 18, 2022
I so appreciate Jeanne's words and encouragement to not get wrapped up in the past, to give it space and name it, but to acknowledge our true reality and let that move us *powerfully* into the future. She's a gifted writer, leader, and storyteller.
May 30, 2022
Great advice. Stop looking back at the past or to a better life in the future. Live in the here and now!
Jeanne is a regular, down to earth woman who happens to be a pastor. She was easy for me to relate to.
Jeanne is a regular, down to earth woman who happens to be a pastor. She was easy for me to relate to.
June 15, 2022
Jeanne provides tangible ways to stop harmful thought processes and be present. Also love that God is front and center of this book. Jeanne is down to earth and relatable. I recommend to anyone who is consumed with the past or the future.
June 29, 2022
I believe vulnerability is the language of the soul. In this book, Jeanne has shared her soul’s words with us. Thank you for reminding us we are not alone in the daily challenges to be present with loved ones. A must read for the weary, disconnected soul.
July 11, 2022
Listened
January 2, 2023
Thanks for sharing some of your journey with us Jeanne. Your transparency and vulnerability are so appreciated. I’m stealing your suggestion of a word for myself this year! ❤️
February 23, 2023
Audiobook-read slowly in order to take in each chapter, some chapters more helpful to me than others
February 15, 2024
5 stars. I feared it would be too religious for me, but it was wonderful! As soon as I finished it, I read it again. Highly recommended.
February 21, 2024
Beautifully written and full of wonderful advice. The author is very relatable and was the perfect person to share these insights!
January 2, 2026
Changed my perspective on a few things and gave me ways to express what I was feeling. Mostly importantly tools to actually live in the right now.
September 14, 2023
“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking. The only place where we can really live, is the present“
“My quiet agreement with the thief all those years kept me from the abundantly full and completely alive body I was living in. We cannot ignore the bodies we live in and expect an abundant life.”
“The danger of isolation is greater than the risk of intimacy”
“Entitlement is a wounded state where you cannot look outside of yourself because you are excessively preoccupied with having your needs met”
“The assumption of spirituality is that God is always doing something before I know it. So the task is not getting God to do something I think needs to be done but to become aware of what God is doing to respond to it and participate and take delight in what Hes doing”
“My quiet agreement with the thief all those years kept me from the abundantly full and completely alive body I was living in. We cannot ignore the bodies we live in and expect an abundant life.”
“The danger of isolation is greater than the risk of intimacy”
“Entitlement is a wounded state where you cannot look outside of yourself because you are excessively preoccupied with having your needs met”
“The assumption of spirituality is that God is always doing something before I know it. So the task is not getting God to do something I think needs to be done but to become aware of what God is doing to respond to it and participate and take delight in what Hes doing”
April 22, 2025
I really like this book! Reading through slowly the second time… I’ve given away many copies.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews