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Shaky Ground: What to Do After the Bottom Drops Out
New ways to heal the spirit during the most challenging times.
Traci Rhoades, author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost, continues to find profound beauty and endless insights in her spiritual wanderings among church traditions. In this new book, Rhoades encourages readers to explore practices – some ancient and others unconventional – that offer solace for those times when ‘the bottom drops out.’
Sharing what she’s learned about God, Rhoades shakes off the limits of denominational boundaries, making this book particularly valuable for younger Christians or those who are longing to take a deeper dive into their faith.
Traci Rhoades, author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost, continues to find profound beauty and endless insights in her spiritual wanderings among church traditions. In this new book, Rhoades encourages readers to explore practices – some ancient and others unconventional – that offer solace for those times when ‘the bottom drops out.’
Sharing what she’s learned about God, Rhoades shakes off the limits of denominational boundaries, making this book particularly valuable for younger Christians or those who are longing to take a deeper dive into their faith.
- GenresReligion
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2022
4 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Traci Rhoades
4 books102 followersPublisher's Weekly review of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 19, 2022
Disclosure: I received a hard copy for review as well as purchasing a copy. Receiving the review copy does not have an impact on my review. I am glad I have a second copy that I can gift and not worry about getting it back.
In an era of increasingly siloed faith, Traci Rhoades charts a different path. Applying lessons from her first book ( https://www.amazon.com/Not-All-Wander... ), the author helps readers to sort out elements from other traditions of Christianity that can help individuals when the answer to what is happening isn't a child's Sunday School intonation of "Jesus" -- which in life's troubles is necessary.
Some of the spiritual practices described are used under a slightly different name. Rhoades has helped to translate across traditions. An example would be the use of contemplation, an element used across many cultures over the millennia. Another example would be the use by evangelicals or people who identify with Protestant reformed tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. Seeing wisdom as coming from peers in other Christian practices helps us all.
I look forward to incorporating the spiritual practice of Examen into my journaling. I will be looking at Lectio Divina as a practice -- and I appreciate being told how to pronounce the term without my Chicago accent. I am working on understanding how art can direct spiritual practice after being encouraged by how other traditions apply imagery.
In an era of increasingly siloed faith, Traci Rhoades charts a different path. Applying lessons from her first book ( https://www.amazon.com/Not-All-Wander... ), the author helps readers to sort out elements from other traditions of Christianity that can help individuals when the answer to what is happening isn't a child's Sunday School intonation of "Jesus" -- which in life's troubles is necessary.
Some of the spiritual practices described are used under a slightly different name. Rhoades has helped to translate across traditions. An example would be the use of contemplation, an element used across many cultures over the millennia. Another example would be the use by evangelicals or people who identify with Protestant reformed tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. Seeing wisdom as coming from peers in other Christian practices helps us all.
I look forward to incorporating the spiritual practice of Examen into my journaling. I will be looking at Lectio Divina as a practice -- and I appreciate being told how to pronounce the term without my Chicago accent. I am working on understanding how art can direct spiritual practice after being encouraged by how other traditions apply imagery.
July 21, 2022
Shaky Ground has something for everyone. A tired, burned out Christian looking for new ways to grow closer to God - this us the book for you. Curious about spiritual practices across the Christian spectrum - this book is for you too. Not a Christian but interested in spirituality in practice - this book is for you as well. Traci writes with an open heart sharing the perfect balance of storytelling and factual info. I highly recommend Shaky Ground be added to your TBR list.
August 5, 2022
Traci shares stories that walk us through Christian spiritual practices that lead us to sink into our faith when the ground is shaky. I love the ease in which she shares her stories and points us to the firm foundation of our faith!
August 4, 2022
In this unassuming book, Traci reminds us Christians the shaky world we live inside and the bedrock of which we‘re anchored.
As the book progresses, she guides us through numerous Christian ways to embrace that deeply grounded foundation of which we all deeply desire.
Personal, concise, and practical, Traci’s guide surveys the often siloed but fruitful practices found across Christian groups.
As a cross denominational bridge, Traci also helps us to appreciate and cherish the broad diversity of Christian principles and practice while grounding it in the shared Christ-centered beliefs that make us all followers of Jesus.
Whether you’re a Christian seeking to go outside your denominational bubble, you’re wondering if your version of Christianity is lacking, or you’re seeking practical habits for growing your faith, this book is worth your time.
As the book progresses, she guides us through numerous Christian ways to embrace that deeply grounded foundation of which we all deeply desire.
Personal, concise, and practical, Traci’s guide surveys the often siloed but fruitful practices found across Christian groups.
As a cross denominational bridge, Traci also helps us to appreciate and cherish the broad diversity of Christian principles and practice while grounding it in the shared Christ-centered beliefs that make us all followers of Jesus.
Whether you’re a Christian seeking to go outside your denominational bubble, you’re wondering if your version of Christianity is lacking, or you’re seeking practical habits for growing your faith, this book is worth your time.
December 5, 2022
This book has helped me open my mind to other practices of the church that I haven’t been exposed to. The underlying message is to listen to God and each other.
October 21, 2022
Any Christian going through storms in life, even in their own faith, will find solace in Traci Rhoades' new book, Shaky Ground. Through her trademark holy curiosity, Traci draws from the practices of many Christian faith traditions that helped her feel grounded, even while the earth shifted beneath her feet. She also draws from many different experiences and voices, some of whose she has met online.
I took my time reading this book, not because it was a slow read--quite the opposite. Traci's conversational tone draws the reader in right away. I took my time so I could think about the practices she shared and how they could work in my life. While many were quite familiar to me (as an author who has also written about Christian practices), I enjoyed considering them through the lens someone learning them anew.
At the same time, some of those practices were not new to Traci, but new to me. One that stood out was reading the Bible in chronological order, which I have never done before but which I have started doing thanks to Shaky Ground. Any book, really, that convicts the reader to read more Scripture is going to be a good spiritual book! I also loved the way Traci is sensitive to readers who have experienced trauma in the church, and against whom the Bible has been used as a weapon.
Traci is a fellow writer friend and sister in Christ. I ordered her new book right away, even though I knew I was also going to receive an advance copy from the publisher. I was tickled to be mentioned a few times in her book and am honored to play a small part in her faith journey.
I took my time reading this book, not because it was a slow read--quite the opposite. Traci's conversational tone draws the reader in right away. I took my time so I could think about the practices she shared and how they could work in my life. While many were quite familiar to me (as an author who has also written about Christian practices), I enjoyed considering them through the lens someone learning them anew.
At the same time, some of those practices were not new to Traci, but new to me. One that stood out was reading the Bible in chronological order, which I have never done before but which I have started doing thanks to Shaky Ground. Any book, really, that convicts the reader to read more Scripture is going to be a good spiritual book! I also loved the way Traci is sensitive to readers who have experienced trauma in the church, and against whom the Bible has been used as a weapon.
Traci is a fellow writer friend and sister in Christ. I ordered her new book right away, even though I knew I was also going to receive an advance copy from the publisher. I was tickled to be mentioned a few times in her book and am honored to play a small part in her faith journey.
August 6, 2022
"Our world is a shaky one, and the sooner we realize things never go exactly as we plan, the better off we'll be. Relinquishing that illusion of control, realizing it often points to a lack of trust, this is the fertile soil God is looking for - to grow our faith. ... how do we follow Jesus even in those moments after the bottom seems to have dropped out?" Traci draws on her experiences and offers some spiritual practices that may help when one finds oneself on shaky ground. I loved this book. I read it straight through; however, I want to now re-read it as a devotional (as suggested) to soak in each of the five topics and their reflections individually.
September 28, 2022
This is the second year I've been in Traci's group, reading the Bible chronologically in a year. I appreciate Traci's openness to what other churches (and faiths, especially Judaism) have to offer. I like that she (coming from a more conservative Christian background than me) looks afresh at spiritual practices from mainline Protestantism, Quakerism, Catholicism, and the Orthodox Church. Chapters include that which she finds valuable in spiritual practice including silence, the Book of Common Prayer, creeds, communion, Marianism and alternative ways of reading/studying the Bible. Worth a read if you are coming from the evangelical church and are looking for something more, or the wider church community and want to think more deeply about your practice.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews