I’m a book person. If you’ve read here for very long at all, you already know this. I’m also a mail person. I’m pretty sure I was the (self) designated “mail-retriever” for my family when I was growing up, but even today, I look forward to checking the mailbox daily. I review books monthly and love the surprise of finding some fun mail!
Somewhere through the tangled web of Instagram I discovered Deeply Rooted Magazine. I emailed the editor and asked if they would be open to sending me a free copy of the magazine in exchange for a review. She responded quickly and kindly with a code for a free digital download of the latest issue, Light. I settled in with a cup of tea + honey from my Grandpa’s bees in Ontario.
As I initially checked it out, being the resource dweeb that I am, it deeply resonated with me. There is a lot of fluff being produced in the Christian market, a lot of mediocre art. Sometimes it seems things are being produced simply for the profit that will be generated. Sometimes it seems like plain old materialism with a shiny Christian veneer. This magazine stands out as something different, a beautiful marriage between the heart, the soul + the mind.
Is there a needful place for such a work, you might ask? I love good, helpful resources as much as the next girl. I love beautiful art. I love things that have meaning. I think we need these “helps,” things that echo Eden to us: haunting photography, words that help us digest the Scriptures and see how God’s Word speaks to our present every-day lives. Recipes that encourage creativity and exploration and great enjoyment in food. I don’t believe the Christian life was meant to be drab and stark and void. I don’t believe our God is like we often assume or fear Him to be, asking us to empty ourselves of all desires. I don’t believe our God is so small. Instead, I think He gave us desire, He gave us hunger, that we might grope, that we might reach, that we might seek, that we might find Him, the satisfaction of all desire. While our desires can serve to stumble us, can lead us to all manner of idols, our desires can also point us toward Home, toward the One we were made for and all the ways He intends to fulfill us. I think of these words by Jonathon Edwards:
“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean.”
And these words by Augustine:
“This is how our souls climb out of their weariness toward You and cease to lean on those things which You have created. We pass through them to You, Lord God, who created them in a marvelous way.”
God has given us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 4:4) but we are not to enjoy them as ends to themselves. I think as Christians we have often erred greatly on the side of safety here, being so careful to not overmuch enjoy the pleasures of earth and human life out of fear of idolatry or “loving the world.” What could be lost, though, when we stay safe + kill desire? Could it be possible that if we avert out eyes from all the “scattered beams” we miss the brilliance of the Sun? To be sure, we must be diligent to delicately protect our hearts and souls from entanglement in the things of the world, to keep our hearts from the subtle shift from enjoyment to worship. As much as we are able to enjoy a thing and find that thing pointing us to a greater and deeper enjoyment of God, that thing is serving its purpose as a scattered beam. It is a ray of glorious heavenly light, echoing of a far country, a Kingdom we were meant for, a life that awaits us, a Savior who alone satisfies us.
This is what I love about the Deeply Rooted Magazine, “a visually appealing Christian women’s magazine with deep, theological content.” A celebration of all of life. Piercing theological truth to exult your soul. Photography that moves. Color and mood and hand-drawn art as well as DIY projects. Seasonal recipes. A magazine focusing on all the aspects of biblical womanhood ranging from singleness to marriage, motherhood, child-rearing, career + vocation, and our individual place before God. Contributions from artists, pastors, and real women operating in various roles.
Their mission?
“To encourage, educate, and inspire Christ-following women into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ so they may become deeply rooted in their faith.”
Here are some snapshots of the magazine via my screen (so, sorry the quality is not the best) and you can preview this issue in full HERE.
Deeply Rooted Magazine is a quarterly, 136 page* publication printed on high-quality, paper. The magazine is aesthetically different than other Christian publications on the market. Due to its clean design, high standards for presentation, and sheer amount of carefully curated content, Deeply Rooted Magazine transitions from coffee table centerpiece to devotional companion to go-to recipe and DIY resource.
Each magazine is divided into six categories expressing several of the different roles of womanhood:
CHRIST-FOLLOWER:Christian Living (The role of a Christ-follower is woven throughout all categories. These are relationship with God-specific articles)
HELPMATE:Marriage and Preparation for Marriage
KEEPER OF THE HOME:Homemaking and Recipes
MOTHER:Parenting
CREATOR:Artist Interviews, DIY’s, and Creative Living
INDIVIDUAL:Career, Health & Beauty, Hobbies, Service, Etc.(This quote taken from their website.)
Each printed magazine is $20 and each digital issue is $4, and subscribers save $2 off each printed issue. This magazine is most likely appealing to the younger generation of Christ-following women, and to all who are young in heart. A beautiful work and one I hope to be reading more of very soon!
everything He gives 