And - by Felicia Murrell (Paperback)

About the Book

A collection of pieces that spiritually explore the tearing fabric of society, pulling us into "either/or" sides of conflict and contrast, in need of the uniting thread of love.

Book Synopsis

While others often respond to the cares and concerns of our day through anger, And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either/Or World attempts to offer a response steeped in the heartbeat of Love.

This book is an invitation to encounter the lived experience and philosophical musings of another as a human, not as a project or agenda to conquer. Without apology, it embraces humanity and all the emotions, back stories, and history that come along with who we are and who Love is inviting us to be. This book is for those who want to think more deeply, those who are asking questions of how, what, and perhaps even why, and those who want to engage in deep listening and empathy.

And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either/Or World is an invitation to move beyond binaries, beyond hierarchy and comparison to embrace the concept of "AND," with inclusion and generativity that allow for more than one perspective and/or way of being.

Touching on issues of race, body, motherhood, church, and wonder, these writings are from the stirrings of the author's own soul, extending an invitation to sit with Spirit in the process of mindful meditation, to humbly sit with compassion and curiosity in ways that evoke honesty and healing so that one might move beyond either/or and discover how the restorative power and uniting thread of Love might be stitching each of us to the world and to each other.

Review Quotes

In AND: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either/Or World, Felicia Murrell gives us a gift of love we are meant to experience. If taken slowly, thoughtfully, bravely, this book will heal us, individually and together. Weaving together poetry and prose, Felicia shares vulnerably, guiding us from her own story to encourage, challenge, confront, and call us to love. This beautiful, healing book takes us on an embodied journey, inviting us to fully inhabit our humanity, to defy our divides, to live as one.--Susan Carson "Author, Rooted (IN): Thriving in Connection with God, Yourself, and Others"

In this well-written meditation on love, Felicia Murrell offers us a resting place, a wake-up call, a soul-quickening. This book is luminous and wise.--Mirabai Starr "Teacher; author, Wild Mercy"

With the brilliance of a writer/poet, the kind ferocity of a lamb/lion, and a flaming sword that cuts both ways, Felicia Murrell has gifted us this treasure of authenticity and wisdom. If you have no intention of being confronted, challenged, and changed, I would avoid this book.--Paul Young "Author, The Shack and Eve"

My dear friend and exemplar asks, "Who are you in the eyes of Love?" Through memories made vivid and her poetic treasury, Felicia Murrell gently guides me (yet again) back into Love's embrace. There, in the "both/and" of my own real life--wounds and wonders, beauty and affliction--I remember again, I am beloved. I often forget. But Felicia's kind voice represents, for me, what a healed conscience can become in full bloom. I will wear this book out.--Bradley Jersak "Principal, St. Stephen's University"

About the Author

Felicia Murrell is a certified master life coach and former ordained pastor with over twenty years of church leadership experience. She also serves the publishing industry as a freelance copy editor/proofreader and is the author of Truth Encounters. Felicia currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Doug. Together, they have four adult children.