It’s launch week for The Beauty Chasers! And, it’s on sale—woohoo!
You guys have stuck with me through thick and thin. And I’m so grateful! And now, the fruit of so much labor is finally here. And I’m so excited to share it with you!
I call this book a “quirky little lyric about beauty.”
Why?
Because it’s written in a way to inspire, challenge, and encourage you. It’s a spiritual manifesto!
Why We Need Spiritual Manifestos
It’s been said, “Writing is thinking.” And I believe this to be true.
When you and I write something down, it becomes part of us. It sticks in our brains. It seers itself into our hearts. We remember it easier. It comes to mind quicker.
Why else would the Psalmist encourage us to hide God’s Word in our hearts? (Ps. 119) And how do we hide it? By meditating on it. Memorizing it. Writing about it in our journals.
When you imprint something upon your soul, it forms you. And writing is a powerful tool you and I can use to shape our lives.
At the beginning of The Beauty Chasers, I tell you that beauty changed me—still does. And I spend the rest of the book showing you how it changed me. The book formed in my heart and emerged from hundreds of pages I collected over the last several years. Years living in Atlanta, England, and Charlotte.
The stories, simple as they are, detail my encounters with all kinds of beauty. And the book works as a chronicle or logbook of those encounters. For me, the book acts as a collection of beauty-remembrances—God encounters, and what they taught me.
A manifesto is a public declaration. And though we usually associate manifestos with politics, I want to shake the word up. The Beauty Chasers is my public declaration of my love for God. It’s my public declaration of how I see the world, through the eyes of my faith. It’s my public declaration of how I believe we can, as the Christian Church, change the world for God’s glory—reflecting his wonder and majesty.
I offer my spiritual manifesto to you all as a sort of love note; an encouragement card (remember those?) to inspire you to see the world again for the first time, through the eyes of God.
We need counter-cultural people to live not opposed to the world, but outside of its ideas and workings. A people of the wilderness who live unafraid to bear witness to God’s wonder. If you are receiving this email, then I believe you are just the sort of person the world needs.
The Beauty Chasers Road Trip Tour Update
Why would you do that?
Some ask, “Tim why a road trip book tour? Isn't that too old school? Just do it virtually.”
“Ah yes,” I reply. “It is old school but the reason behind it is pure love.”
I believe the world needs to be revived. And I believe beauty will do the reviving. And I believe the best way to incite this revival is through personal touch and togetherness.
Our post-COVID world has everyone hungry for togetherness. This is what Jesus himself did. He walked with people; touched and healed them; talked with them; reasoned with them.
I believe it's time for Christians to lead in this way, and I will go so far as to say we need to get out of our black box gathering spaces and into each other’s homes and into the created world to recapture the wonder of our faith.
For far too long we have built spaces that feel like malls and concert venues. But it's time to tear it down. It's time to unplug; to see again for the first time. It's time to fall on our faces before the Almighty and worship him.
This is the passion and vision behind the book tour, and to be honest, I'd do this every week if I could. The book and the tour are not one-offs. I'm not moving on to the next book—though I will write, of course—this book and tour, for me and my family, is a manifesto! It’s a way of life. It's my spiritual philosophy.
“But Tim,” you say. “You can't possibly tour every week! Gas is outrageous right now. And when will you sleep?”
“Ah yes,” I reply. “Gas is silly right now. And the world is messed up. But I choose not to focus on the broken pieces all around me. I focus on heaven and how I can personally find a way to shut my mouth and get still before God to listen and go.
You can be part of all of this by supporting the tour financially and praying for our safety—and that God will touch lives! And you can be a part by ordering the book.
We can all join together to bring a beautiful faith to a world hungering for togetherness—a togetherness found in God's love and grace. There is a movement already happening; murmurings of how God is moving through beauty, writing, art, and nature; how he's breathing new life into dead bones through the spirit of wonder.
It’s launch week for The Beauty Chasers! I see it as a staging point for something far bigger than a book. I view it as one small way I can contribute to the revival God desires in his people and the church.
I pray that you join me. I pray we change the world together by living in the beauty and wonder of God.
Here's how you can support our efforts for the tour. And just to give you a glimpse of the vision of the tour; we're planning House Chats all through the fall and, Lord willing, to the Pacific Northwest.
Tour Update
Weekends #2 & #3 of The Beauty Chasers Road Trip Book Tour are in the books! And what a trip it was! There’s so much to get into, I really don’t have the brain power to put it all into words at the moment.
We had the most blessed time as a family on the road. We traveled from Waxhaw, North Carolina (22 miles south of Charlotte) to Texas to visit with my friend Bethany Douglas and her family and friends, and then to Edmunds, Oklahoma to visit with my friend Jay Mack and his family and friends.
This is what the book tour is! It’s not some big city-jumping high-profile tour—though those are fine. It’s an intimate time with people who want to talk about beauty, wonder, the Christian faith, intimacy with God, and how the Church can be a special kind of light in the twenty-first century.
As I’ve been posting photos on my Instagram Stories (follow along if you’re not already!), many of you have reached out to offer prayers and another big chunk has donated to our GiveSendGo campaign to help offset our tour expenses—gas is no joke right now.
We’re so encouraged by all of this! Not to mention the wonderful feedback we’re getting at our House Chats from folks who are hungry for inspiring conversations.
When you click this button, it will take you to our GiveSendGo campaign. In our first wave of tour support fundraising, we’ve set a goal of $7,500. We’re already at $1,270. The monies raised go towards fuel and maintenance and travel expenses.
So far, we’ve held House Chats in College Station, Texas; Edmunds, Oklahoma, Staunton, Virginia; Greensville, North Carolina, and Knoxville, Tennessee (I’m speaking there tomorrow!).
Upcoming and “in the works” tour stops include Chatanooga, Tenessee, Gainsville, Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Durango, Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri, Ventura, California, and, Lord willing, the Pacific Northwest.
Why I Believe in the Road Trip Book Tour
The idea of traveling in your SUV and visiting people you’ve mostly met through social media to talk about your book seems, on the surface, like a strange idea. Or at least, this is what I thought some might say. But the opposite has been true.
People love the idea.
I think they love it because the idea of doing House Chats brings us together. It puts the author and audience in the same room, sharing passions, sharing ideas, and discussing topics that both challenge and inspire.
And, there’s just a strange and beautiful power behind putting on some miles and showing up in a far-off place ready to connect on a deeper level with real people—people, not avatars.
That’s why I believe in this tour. I want to bring people together. We’ve been separated for too long! We need each other. We need connection.
Welcome, all new subscribers! I hope will find inspiration and encouragement in these emails. Don’t be a stranger. Drop a note in the comments and say hello. I’m so happy you’re along for the ride!