Sometimes words just aren’t enough… There are times when my words fail me, where my words fall short of the worship I long to express to my God. The same holds true as I seek to communicate God’s message of grace, hope and love to others. Words alone do not suffice to explain the glory of God and his abundant, transforming love for his children. Psalm 103:1 (NLY) says: “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.” Let all that I am ~ not just my mind, not just my body, not just my soul, but all that I am ~ praise the Lord! —Jody Thomae, in God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist in You

When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment in Luke 10, he says to “Love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” That is a love that is fully-embodied and whole-hearted! And I personally long to live a life like that!

Unfortunately, many of us scurry or slug our way through life, completely unaware of the state of our being and entirely disconnected from these temples we call bodies and these hearts that long for connection to God and others. But…

What would it look like to live a fully-embodied, whole-hearted life? 

In the Ancient Greek, καρδία (kardia) is translated “heart,” and in scripture, it is almost always used figuratively. It means the seat and center of all physical and spiritual life, and according to the Thayer Greek Lexicon, it is “the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors.” Note it is physical and spiritual… together… as one. Its meaning holds a sense of the whole person—mind, body, heart, soul, spirit.

Welcome to Rooted & Reaching where together we seek a fully embodied, whole-hearted life that is:

ROOTED in Christ and his love
           & REACHING out in love to others.

DISCOVER MORE…

• Join Jody for a virtual one-on-one Embodied Direction, Compassion & Care Spiritual Direction session.

• Take advantage of lots of ideas and articles Jody has gathered for you here. Or join Jody’s EMBODIED series at jodythomae.com. Posting lots of resources such as embodied prayers, breath work practices, and ideas for encountering God in more active ways.

• Read about Jody’s experience as a Christian yogi here.

• Join Jody online during COVID-19 for The Wisdom of the Body book study and yoga flow starting May 4th on Facebook.