My Body and Other Crumbling Empires

“I’m inspired by Lyndsey Medford’s deft mix of gentleness and fire. She speaks the truth we crave and manages to do so with the voice of a trusted friend.” –Shannan Martin, author of Falling Free; The Ministry of Ordinary Places; and Start with Hello

“Through the ache of embodied life, Lyndsey Medford finds goodness, glory, and the generosity of God, reminding all of us who suffer that we are ‘here, here and now, and for good reason.’ A beautiful debut.” –Courtney Ellis, pastor and author of Uncluttered; Almost Holy Mama; and Happy Now

“Medford weaves through the ways our lives are pushed and pulled in a system that is not set up to teach us to have a relationship with our body, just to conquer and tame it. She reminds us that self-care without community care, without centering and acknowledging those who are marginalized, misses the bigger picture. I highly recommend this beautiful guide on living in a body.” –J. Nicole Morgan, author of Fat and Faithful

“In a society that creates a false binary between the sick and the well, Lyndsey Medford bravely reminds us that surrender is a form of strength, that gentleness can achieve what force cannot, and that we are deeply interdependent.” –Ellie Roscher, author of The Embodied Path; 12 Tiny Things; Play Like a Girl; and How Coffee Saved my Life

Lyndsey Medford is a writer, activist, and sometimes disabled person with a rare, chronic autoimmune disease. Her writing has been featured in The Deconstructionist’s Playbook, Sojourners, 100 Days in Appalachia, The Wakening, and Our Bible App. She holds a master of theological studies degree from Boston University School of Theology. She and her husband live in Charleston, South Carolina.

K.J. Ramsey is a trauma-informed licensed professional counselor and the author of The Lord is My Courage and This Too Shall Last. She is a recovering idealist who can’t stop offering space to see every part of our embodied souls and stories as sacred.