Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship

by Ruth Chou Simons

Overview

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER ●  PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER
Ruth is such a gift to us—her voice is strong and honest, yet believably grace-filled and kind. We learn and grow into who we want to be when Ruth's words and art lead us.
—Annie F. Downs, bestselling author of 100 Days to Brave and host of That Sounds Fun podcast

Become What You Behold
 
You are in the process of becoming. Every day is an opportunity to be shaped and formed by what moves your heart…drives your thoughts…captures your gaze. Is it any wonder that where you direct your eyes and your heart matter in your day-to-day?
 
We become what we behold when we set our hearts and minds on Christ and His redemption story here in the details of our daily lives. Not just on Sunday, not just on holidays, not just when extraordinarily hard or wonderful things happen…but today.   
 
Bestselling author and artist Ruth Chou Simons invites you on a new journey to Beholding and Becoming.  With more than 850 pieces of intricate, original artwork, Ruth encourages you to elevate your gaze to the One who created all things. 
 
Today is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His love and His faithfulness in the midst of your mundane. No circumstance is too ordinary or too forgotten for Him to meet you there in worship. His transforming grace turns your “everyday ordinary” into a holy place of becoming.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736974929
Publisher:	Harvest House Publishers
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	49,394
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, artist, writer, entrepreneur, and speaker. As author of the bestselling book GraceLaced and creator of the popular GraceLaced online shoppe, blog, and Instagram community, she shares scriptural truths daily through her hand-painted artwork and words. Ruth and her husband, Troy, live on the western slope of Colorado and are grateful parents to six sons—their greatest adventure.

Table of Contents

Glossary 6

The Art of Everyday Worship 9

1 Beholding God's Greatness in Creation 13

Becoming: It's Okay to Be Small 21

2 Beholding God's Faithfulness in a Day 25

Becoming: Be Glad in Today 33

3 Beholding God's Provision in the Unremarkable 37

Becoming: Learn to Love What Must Be Done 43

4 Beholding God's Perfecting Work Through Daily Practice 49

Becoming: Hard Can Be Holy 57

5 Beholding God's Example for Family 61

Becoming: The Mission Field Is at Your Kitchen Table 69

6 Beholding God's Transformation in Rebuilding 75

Becoming: Seek Treasure That Won't Rust or Fade 81

7 Beholding God's Will in Every Circumstance 85

Becoming: Let Go of Control 93

8 Beholding: In Praise of Failure 99

Becoming: Discover True Success 109

9 Beholding: How to Measure Abundance and Plenty 115

Becoming: You're More Than Your Money 123

10 Beholding Jesus in Our Words 129

Becoming: Speak from Overflow 137

11 Beholding God's View of You 143

Becoming: What's True About You 151

12 Beholding Gods Goodness at the Table 157

Becoming: Share the Feast 165

13 Beholding God's Mercy When Things Seem Unfair 169

Becoming: Remember Your Purpose 177

14 Beholding: Worship Follows Mercy 183

Becoming: Form a Pattern with Posture and Practice 191

15 Beholding: Rest Is Productive 195

Becoming: Stop Making Bricks 203

16 Beholding Our True Home 209

Becoming: Actively Abide 215

Afterword 221

Acknowledgments 222

Editorial Reviews

"Not only is Ruth Chou Simons a gifted artist, she’s a gifted author. In her newest book, Beholding and Becoming, she faithfully combines biblical wisdom with beautiful reminders from nature. It’s evident on every page that her creations reflect her love for our Creator. This book will encourage your soul, remind you of truth, and help you delight in the majestic world all around you."
—Melissa Kruger, author and director of women’s content for The Gospel Coalition

"Filled with beauty and truth, Ruth Simons' Beholding and Becoming helps us reorient our thinking and our gaze to behold the Creator of the universe. 'We become what we behold,' and this book provides tools to help us fix our eyes on the One we will worship for eternity."
—Trillia Newbell, author of Sacred Endurance,If God Is for Us, and the kids' book God's Very Good Idea

"Through her brush and pen, Ruth calls us to open our eyes to the abundance of beauty and truth that completely surrounds us but for some of us (raises hand) is hard to see. This book points to the mystery, artistry, and attention to detail that God has woven into the midst of the mundane, repetitive, and ordinary. A stunning masterpiece—you'll hang on every word and obsess over every painting."
—Myquillyn Smith, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Cozy Minimalist Home

"Becoming what we behold offers the hope of becoming as we’ve always hoped, because it holds up Christ. In a world battling for our eyes and attention, this is a deeply important book for our times. These pages are more than a feast for the eyes—they are direly needed manna for souls who want what fulfills. Let your tired, hungry soul gaze on Whom your soul wants most. And your soul will become more like you always wanted: more like Jesus. This is a beautiful orthodoxy, this is transformationally cruciform, this is a masterpiece forming us more like our Master. Behold. Become. Be held."
—Ann Voskamp, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts

"Ruth’s beautiful art is just a vessel for this deeply meaningful book that will cause you to love God more and see Him in your everyday life."
—Jennie Allen, author of Nothing to Prove, founder and visionary of IF:Gathering

"In a world that continually calls us to worship self, Ruth Simons invites us to consider what our hearts admire. Through her captivating paintings and wise words, Ruth beckons us to an infinitely better source of worship: our creator, God. We all need to be reminded that true contentment and growth aren’t found in worldly achievements but in beholding God in all His glory. We’re thankful for the hope and encouragement in this book."
—Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler, cofounders of Risen Motherhood and coauthors of Risen Motherhood

"In a broken world where chaos, clutter, confusion, and contention surround us and threaten to undo us, Ruth Chou Simons invites us to lift our eyes upward and behold God’s beauty and grace. Ruth's rich artistry—both visual and written—points us to a redeeming God who is making all things new. Seeing Him in even the most ordinary moments and details of life, we are moved to worship and are transformed into His likeness. One day the restoration will be complete, and our hearts will be forever ravished by His beauty."
—Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author, Bible teacher/host of Revive Our Hearts

"Ruth is such a gift to us—her voice is strong and honest, yet believably grace-filled and kind. We learn and grow into who we want to be when Ruth's words and art lead us."
—Annie F. Downs, bestselling author of 100 Days to Brave and host of That Sounds Fun podcast

From the Publisher