Welcome, friend.
Towards the end of 2019, the Lord gave me a word to hold onto for the coming year, and that word was behold.
At the time, I was walking through a very spiritually dry season and was longing for more in my relationship with God.
So, on a cold, dark December morning in 2019, I read David’s words from Psalm 63:1-3 when he was wandering around in the desert of Judah, and my life was forever changed.
“You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.”
After reading this passage, I realized that David’s cry was my own; his wandering and seeking mirrored my own heart cries and soul longings.
Amidst the mundane of everyday life, God was inviting me to encounter and experience His Love and beauty; to move from head-knowledge to heart-relationship as I learned how to abide daily in relationship with the Divine.
David was crying out for the presence of God and it wasn’t until David noticed God’s presence and beheld His power and glory that he became fully satisfied.
It was in David’s paying attention to the workings and movements of God, in his beholding, that he found wholeness in Christ.
And I believe that when we slow down long enough to pay attention and behold all the ways in which God moves in our own lives, even in the workings of an ordinary day — especially there — we are made whole, too.
So that’s what this weekly newsletter is all about, my friend. It’s for the faith wanderers and wonder seekers who are longing to slow down, seek still moments, and behold more of God’s presence with them in the mundane of everyday living.
This is a place to bring your questions and longings — a place you are invited to come and sit as you are — and enter into the mystery of God with a community of people who are yearning to seek and behold His presence in their everyday, right-now lives.
What you can expect from me
Every Friday, you can expect a letter from me — your friendly, fellow faith wandered & beholder — that will include a short essay related to any of the following topics:
what the Lord is teaching me in my current season of life
a beholding or thin place moment where I encountered the presence of God
a Christian spiritual practice or rhythm
a moment of stillness or encouragement related to slow living
the occasional book recommendation
Included in the weekly writing will also be a breath prayer for your weekend, sometimes a song that the Lord puts on my heart to share with you, updates on my Etsy shop — The Beholding Co. — some fun resources to start your weekend with, and a question for reflection.
Sometimes you’ll also receive an email from me notifying you that there’s a new post up on my blog. If you’d like to check out my personal blog, where I write a bit more in length on how to help you slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday, check it out here.
Join the community of faith wanderers & beholders
If you feel a longing to slow down, chase wonder, seek still moments, and behold more of God with you in the mundane of everyday living, then I would like to invite you to join the community of faith wanderers and beholders.
Join in on the conversation of how to abide intimately with our Creator by living with an awareness that He is always with us and that we are never alone 🌿💛
A little bit about me
Hi, I’m Celia!
My husband, Max, and I live in Greenwood, Indiana with our two dogs, Henry and Hattie. I’m a writer and blogger who aims to help you cultivate an intimate relationship with the Lord by giving you the tools you need to slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday.
I’m also the author of a Bible study titled, You Are Beloved: A 21-day Study on How to Root Your Identity in the Love of God, which is available now exclusively on Amazon. When I’m not writing, I’m creating new resources for my Etsy shop, The Beholding Co., where you can grab a pack of breath prayer cards, a journal, and a Lectio Divina Bible bookmark.
Traveling is a huge love of mine and my husband and I love adventuring to the beautiful coast of Maine.
If you want to connect with me outside of Substack, you can find me on my blog or come say hello on Instagram!
