Present: The Gift of Being All In, Right Where You Are

by Courtney Ellis

Enjoy an engaging, thoughtful, and practical journey packed with humor, compassion, and scripture! Learn to be fully present and “all in,” right where you are and reap the benefits that come with it!

Present is an invitation to a deeper, richer, and quieter life with God. So often we sleepwalk through our days, but there is a deep biblical precedent and tremendous gift in practicing awareness right where we are. Present will help you New jobs, new schools, new churches, and new cities. New colleagues and friends that come and go. Life is constantly moving and it’s common to feel uprooted. Your calendar is full, and life is frenetic, but it still feels like something big is missing. You long for a deeper connection with God and those around you, but you’re not sure how to get there. Whether you’re prone to efficiently flit from one engagement to the next like a hummingbird, or you’re more like a majestic Sequoia with the longing to thrive where your roots are, Present is here to help you form more meaningful connections.

In a world marked by transience, envy, and rootlessness, committing to staying put is a radical, unusual act. Hungry for rootedness, Courtney Ellis and her family decided to truly commit to a place and a people God had given them for a season, to grow some deep roots and discover what it would mean to be “all in.” Through winsome storytelling, Courtney demonstrates that there is tremendous growth when we stop holding a community at arms’ length and open ourselves to the blessing of stability, the grace of limits, and the joy of presence. This book is divided into three major sections, with chapters devoted to each of the gifts that come with our increased attention to being all in―fully present, right where we are.

Key Features of Present :
Join Courtney Ellis for a thoughtful, funny, and realistic exploration of stability, limit, and presence as means of grace. Journey deeper into the heart of God that calls us to cultivate community―being present to what God has placed before us―and discovering the gifts of the present. Explore the ways borders and boundaries in our lives are for our good. When we are able to say, “This is my place, and these are my people,” and then, like Ruth, really commit, beautiful things can happen.

Present is perfect

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Faith

220 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

Author, speaker, and mom of three, Courtney Ellis serves alongside her husband as a pastor in southern California. Born in the northern woods of Wisconsin, she graduated from Wheaton College, Loyola U of Chicago, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Her books include "Uncluttered: Free Your Space, Free Your Schedule, Free Your Soul," "Almost Holy Mama," and "Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit."

Courtney's passions are to find freedom through practicing Christian simplicity, to give and receive hospitality, to play continually, and to live missionally while inviting others to do the same. She also loves candy and hates being told by her dentist that she should eat less candy.

Courtney's words have been featured in Fathom, Christianity Today, MOPS International, (in)courage, The Glorious Table, Huffington Post, The Mighty, Two Peas in a Podcast, Woven, More Than This, and more.

Find Courtney:

* Blog: www.courtneybellis.com
* Twitter: @courtneyellis
* Facebook: authorcourtneybellis
* Instagram: courtney_ellis_ellis

Reviews

[Joelle Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read one of Courtney's books, I feel like she's only writing to me. I have a disability, and it is a struggle to remain Present. Present in the lives of people around me, without becoming irritated. Present with God, even when I know I'll never get the answers I think I need. Present in my community, being willing to do small things because doing big things is physically impossible. Some days, it requires all my courage to simply sit up in bed. It is much easier to believe the world doesn't need me as I close my blackout curtains and remain exhausted in the darkness. It is much easier than being Present in the darkness, and believing that I am enough. Being Present doesn't end loneliness or magically fix trauma or end suffering. Being Present gives us the depth and knowledge and hope found in Christ, and manifested through the Holy Spirit, to sit with all our messy situations, and know it will be okay. Maybe it won't be okay until the other side of Heaven, but we are never without His Presence.

[Amanda Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do you ever take notes for something like a book, or conversation, or later appointment and then later find that note and realize that while you understood it while you wrote it, it makes no sense now? That's what it feels like this author did.

I want to say I really enjoy the art for this book. The art is a tree which I think is fitting to the common theme of plants within this book. I also like the thought-provoking questions and quotes for the chapters. I also enjoyed Ellis' many personal stories, even if they didn't make much sense in relation to the chapters.

Unfortunately, the author jumps around from idea to idea without explaining a single one. For example, in the second chapter, Ellis says to dig wells of living water but gives no explanation to what that means. The verse quoted mentions living water that is in the next verse explained to mean the Holy Spirit. "Dig holes that contain the Holy Spirit" still isn't making much sense to me. I also want to mention that verse is quoted from "The Message" Bible, which is more of a (occasionally inaccurate) paraphrasing, then a translation.

This book is filled with vague phrases that sound nice, but have no meaning to the reader. I believe Ellis had a point, but it never really came across. In the fourth chapter, Ellis talks about a friend's vineyard, that many hands make light work., briefly mentions pruning, then tells a story about the importance of gentleness. It truly makes no sense.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I pre-ordered the book, it was because I have been impressed by Ellis' previous books and her engagement on social media. I'm not sure that I can lend the copy I purchased -- I have way more than usual written in the margins. Practicing the suggestions has been a bright light in my current cancer journey.

The balance of suggestions and humor is great for a person like me. I adapted one of the jokes and may have contributed to the delinquency of a radiation tech in their first use of tattoo marker. I'm still working on the concept of being present in stopped traffic, but I suspect that God will be working on me on that area for the rest of my life.

An example: In the midst of the stress of Easter services, I found my churning stomach needed a break between services. Being present helped me to get back to a non-biting relationship with humanity near me AND helped me to fill in some gaps for a pastor with a family member on a similar cancer journey to mine.

As I age, outrunnning stress is less of an option. Present helped me to evaluate a better option of rootedness, building deeper relationships. Instead of trying to have the most successful, lease life impact radiation treatment, this book made me evaluate if this is the season for me to be present, look for the people God wants me to see and just be. I can look for God's face and rest in Him and in my community.

[Chris Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Courtney Ellis's fantastic book Present. She oozes pastoral care and wisdom and I'm better for having read it. She helped me navigate a potential job change and the timing of the book was perfect for what I was experiencing.

I flipped through it looking for a favorite quote and there were too many underlines to choose from. This one seems to encompass the whole of the book though:

She says, "Loving the *idea* of something is rarely useful; it costs us little or nothing. Love is lived in the present—in a place, at a time, with people."

Read it!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney's writing is, as always, both humorous and poignant. She gets right to the heart of the matter without the reader noticing the journey. I highly recommend this for any Christian who wishes Jesus would hurry up and come back: it'll help reframe their perspective so that they can live more fully now while they wait.

*I received an electronic ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Lyndsey Medford · Rating 5 out of 5]

With her signature wit, storytelling, and grace, Ellis invites us off the treadmill of searching for the next big thing, daring us to take up the adventure of staying right where we are. This book is somehow a challenge and a balm, and most of all, a reminder of the grace and care of a deeply present God.

[Airs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight and saviour of a book. Insightful, vulnerable, and easy to read with personal anecdotes and beautiful literature quoted (picked up more than a good read from the biblio!). The reflection questions at the end of each chapter were very helpful and grounded me to my own realities too. A possible small group discussion material even

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of humor make this book an easy read with many helpful suggestions on how to be present.

[Brittany Sprague · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the premise of the book, but felt a lot of the thoughts were not developed fully...almost as if Ellis led the reader to where she hoped they would land, but never disclosed fully where that was. The last few chapters though were very enjoyable, well written and left me encouraged.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that grabbed me from the first page. Present talks about the gift of being all in, and this book in itself is a gift.