Rooted

A Spiritual Memoir of Homecoming

Christy Berghoef

About the Book

Paperback: 172 pages
Publisher: Reformed Journal Books & Front Edge Publishing
Publish Date: July 2025
Language: English
ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-64180-224-6
ISBN Softcover: 978-1-64180-223-9

Those of us lucky enough to have known a place and a community well and deeply will recognize all the joys and complications in this book; for others, it will be an eye-opening and heart-opening account of what's still possible in this country.

Christy Berghoef’s wise and welcoming memoir is a warm invitation for anyone who has left home—and wonders if they can return. Christy challenges conventional faith while affirming deep spiritual truths.

This true story of soul, soil and spiritual awakening follows Christy on a life-changing journey from a conservative Christian upbringing in rural Michigan to the halls of Washington, D.C., and back again. Along the way, she confronts the unraveling of her childhood faith, the complexities of parenting and ministry, and the spiritual power of rediscovering home. Rooted in the sacred ground of her family’s forty-acre farm, Christy explores themes of spiritual transformation, social justice, motherhood, the healing wisdom of the land—and the meaning of belonging. Rooted is a story of exploring the world, coming home—and learning to “bloom where we are planted.”

The best-selling author Brian D. McLaren, who wrote the Foreword for this book,
describes Rooted this way: “There’s a lot of madness overheating the world at this moment. I know something sane and savory that will help you survive and catch your breath. Christy Berghoef’s new memoir, Rooted, takes you back home—to childhood, to adolescence, to your first job, your first child, your most awkward transitions, your moments of transcendence and triumph. Christy tells her story in a way that will help you get in touch with your own, and it will help you understand home as never before. Homespun yet beautifully crafted, Rooted will bring healing and a smile to the deepest parts of you.”

With the curiosity of a pilgrim, Christy discovers that while the world wounds, the earth heals. She invites us all to root ourselves in love, land—and life as it is.

Author

Christy Berghoef was raised on a generational forty-acre flower farm in Holland, Michigan. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Calvin University, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for a member of Congress. After growing dissatisfaction with the world of politics, she attended Calvin Theological Seminary.

After seminary, Christy and her husband Bryan began a ministry planting churches. While Bryan took the lead pastor role, Christy served as part-time worship coordinator while she and Bryan raised their four children. They have planted churches in Traverse City, Michigan, Washington, D.C., and Holland, Michigan.

In addition, Christy has over a decade of experience speaking and consulting in the area of civil discourse, working with churches, schools, politicians, boards, businesses, and community groups. She also is a mindfulness practitioner and leads retreats and pilgrimages that focus on contemplation, mindfulness, and spiritual formation. Much of her published writing has been in the areas of contemplation, nature, faith, and politics. She regularly writes on her Substack, which can be found at christyberghoef.substack.com.

Endorsements

I love this book for more reasons than I can list here. You’ll benefit, as I have, from listening to a writer whose life and work are deeply rooted in the earth.

Rooted is a gift in a weary world that so needs the spirit this book offers and the wisdom it contains.

This book shares the power of Christy’s lived experience. It demonstrates Christian faith rooted, not in the head, but in the heart, and with the earth. And she writes with lyrical beauty. What a joy to read.

Some books bless us as we read them. This is one of those.

This is a beautiful, salvific book by a wonderful child of God on a journey of healing and homecoming. May it encourage you on your own salvation journey.