The Beauty Chasers: Recapturing the Wonder of the Divine

Description

Can we afford to chase beauty in a world that emphasizes distraction and naked ambition over a lifestyle of wonder and spiritual restfulness The everyday road of life is littered with the pains of growing up, loving and failing to love, of peace and discord. What is God saying through all the muck of life God speaks to us through beauty. But to hear his words, we must slow down and listen with our hearts. What would happen if we slowed down and looked at the world and our lives with new eyes The Beauty Chasers shows us a secret passageway that leads beyond the utility mindset that banished beauty from our hearts. Author Tim Willard gives us a guidebook for discovering how to see the world with fresh eyes and let beauty guide us in life and our relationship with God. The Beauty Chasers will... inspire you to live life as a participant instead of a spectator. guide you toward a life of presence rather than distraction. give you permission to slow down and drink from the well of spiritual rest. refresh your perspective on the "wonder-full" ways of God. help you live like beauty matters. Are you ready to live life to a different cadence Do you find yourself longing to recapture the wonder in your spiritual journey Are you willing to walk the path less traveled If so, then read on, friend.

Timothy D. Willard has written for publications and organizations such as Catalyst, WinShape Foundation, The Prison Entrepreneurship Program, and Invisible Ink. He is also pursuing an MA in Christian Thought at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives with his wife and their daughter, Lyric.

'A deep and thought-provoking invitation to truly experience beauty as a way of life. The Beauty Chasers gives permission and direction to seek the beauty we long for. This book will forever change your perspective on the vital role of beauty in your everyday life, just like it did in mine.' * Myquillyn Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Welcome Home * 'Timothy Willard is a writer's writer. If this book doesn't light your fire, your wood is wet.' * Sean Dietrich, "Sean of the South," author of Will the Circle Be Unbroken * 'Tim is my go-to source to learn what God calls beautiful. Not only has he studied beauty, but he writes beautifully. This book captures the imagination while guiding the reader along a journey of spiritual discovery and renewal. If you're like me, always on the lookout for books that will inspire while also giving you time to catch my breath before God, then you will love The Beauty Chasers.' * Esther Fleece Allen, bestselling author of No More Faking Fine and Your New Name * 'The Beauty Chasers is Tim Willard in book form. Though it falls into the category of spiritual formation, The Beauty Chasers is something entirely new--a book I think we all need as we move through the world today and seek out beauty in the midst of suffering, violence, and our everyday problems and stresses. A guidebook of sorts, The Beauty Chasers inspires me to find the beauty that's already present around me. It's not a beauty that's skin deep or found on our phones; instead, this kind of true beauty is an overflow of our relationship with God. Seeking it out is a challenge I'm excited to continue in my own life, and I thank Tim for giving me the tools I didn't know I needed in order to find beauty, not just on vacation or special occasions, but on the most average of Mondays.' * Adam Weber, lead pastor of Embrace Church, author of Love has a Name and host of The Conversation Podcast * 'Tim is an expert for our times. Even before the world became more aware of its need to be awakened out of media-induced malaise, Tim was a student of beauty and its power to revive the human soul. The message in these pages is not one I can merely read but have to share: there is hope for even these days. With rich storytelling and prose, Tim gives us the guide to recapture the wonder we all need right now.' * Sara Hagerty, bestselling author of Unseen, ADORE, and Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet * 'This book is a whimsical, meandering journey into a vast and (mostly) unexplored geography: the world of beauty. What is it? Why are we drawn to it? What are the ramifications for us as a society if we misrepresent or squander it? Tim Willard, willing and eager, ushers us into this vast expanse with stories and conversations and exposition, leaving us finally with the belief that there is so much more to the world than the material things we can see--and this is good.' * Shawn Smucker, award-winning author of The Weight of Memory * 'Tim's book is a radiant invitation not just to learn about beauty, but to live it; to taste and be transformed by God's loveliness in a radical and restorative way. Tim is a kind and experienced guide who offers his readers the vision they need to undergo a transformative journey, to read the signs and understand the times, but he's also a friend who comes along, helping them step-by-step into a wide and wondrous way of living. This book is a gift.' * Sarah Clarkson, author of This Beautiful Truth * 'Tim writes with rare beauty and soul, like the great ones before him. C. S. Lewis. Frederick Buechner. Eugene Peterson. His new book, The Beauty Chasers, calls us away from shallow distractions and to a deeper life.' * John Sowers, author of Say All the Unspoken Things * 'I'm obsessed with Tim's way of seeing the world. It convicts me and nourishes me all at the same time. We've never needed a book as much as we need this book right now. I'm sitting down and I'm listening. This book is helping me 'see when the world goes blind.' Thank you, Tim, for nudging us a little closer home.' * Dr. Edie Wadsworth, author of All the Pretty Things * 'Tim Willard has invited us into a thrilling exploration of a long-neglected aspect of God's glory. Often, God is gazed upon from one dimension, a dimension that can seem distant. Willard exposes the reality of God's majesty and places us in a multi-dimensional world of his beautiful creation, where his voice rings closer, clearer, and more personal. It's not a page-turner, it's a page-stopper. You will find yourself pausing to ponder, reflect, and smile at the insightful message The Beauty Chasers calls us to. The Beauty Chasers journeys us to adoration, thankfulness, wonder, and awe. It leads to worship!' * Jason Elam, NFL placekicker 1993-2009, author of the Riley Covington Series, and special ambassador to the Bible Translation illumiNations Global Movement * 'If you think beauty is something extra or optional, if you think it's the cherry on top of life or a gift reserved only for those with more money or more time than you, you must read Timothy Willard's inspiring book. I love the folksy cadence of his storytelling. I love the surprising theological insights. I love how he weaves in the voices of so many philosophers and artists. The Beauty Chasers will open the eyes of your heart, soul, and mind until you become exactly what it describes: a fully alive human being chasing beauty with everything you've got.' * Christie Purifoy, author of Placemaker and Garden Maker * 'Wrestling to communicate the transcendent beauty within my darkest memories was where I met Timothy Willard. Thank God that Tim wrote The Beauty Chasers in such distracted and despairing times, to share his own heavenly joy and revive our tired souls. This book will remind you to be in awe and wonder, to laugh and cry over the transforming song of beauty all around you.' * Lacey Sturm, cofounder of the platinum-selling rock band Flyleaf, solo rock artist, and author of The Return * 'The Beauty Chasers is the book our souls need right now. It's one to linger over and return to, so keep it close. The power of these pages is that the life painted within them isn't just for the writer, the poet, or the naturally creative; it's for all of us. You'll be led into a place of spiritual gratitude, awe, and insight through Tim's stories from his days in Oxford, conversations between the likes of Moses and C. S. Lewis, and his accessible theological teaching. I feel nourished, uplifted, challenged, and led into a world I've been living in but can finally see.' * Leah Boden, author of Modern Miss Mason * 'Looking up from the heads-down busyness of life can be tough for me, so I am always looking for ways to refocus. The Beauty Chasers is just the type of book to help, and Tim Willard is the perfect guide. He takes us on a slow path towards finding God in new and imaginative ways. Along the way, Willard encourages us to let the pressures of the world fall away and to accept God's invitation to a life-changing adventure in chasing beauty.' * Jason Locy, designer and coauthor of Veneer * 'With a subject that may be perceived as trite or tired, Timothy Willard masterfully guides us to reexamine beauty with fresh perspective and imagination. Drawing upon Scripture and classic literature, Willard opens a window to our spirit, sharpening our lens for beauty as we receive the adventurous invitation of a loving God. The Beauty Chasers is a balm for weary and despairing hearts; it is also an astute call to our attention in daily living.' * Bethany Douglass, writer and home educator, creator of Cloistered Away * 'Beauty is not something to look at; beauty is a life. That is the message in Tim Willard's new book. The Beauty Chasers is the guidebook we all need to embark on the journey that will lead to a life where beauty is the air we breathe and the food that sustains us.' * Roberta Green Ahmanson, writer, art curator, explorer * 'The Beauty Chasers draws us back to a recognized beauty lost, then reminds us of beauty's name, so we may know why we are drawn.' * Roger W. Thompson, fisherman, surfer, and author of My Best Friend's Funeral, Losing My Voice to Find It, and We Stood Upon Stars *