Hello friends! Today we have an interview with author Heather Fallis of Liturgies for a Life Abroad. She has a new book: Crafting Liturgies for Life Abroad: A Guide to Processing Cross-Cultural Life Through Written Prayer. Guess what? Two of you could win a digital copy of her book! Leave a comment, and on Friday names will be drawn.
Heather, thanks for being with us today. Could you tell us about yourself and what drew you to write Crafting Liturgies for a Life Abroad?
Thank you for having me here today, Amy! I have lived in Southeast Asia with my husband and three children since 2015. We lead a wonderful, multi-ethnic team and oversee a language center, student café, and compassion project that provides educational access to impoverished students. I am a homeschool mom, a lover of coffee, and a passionate follower of Jesus. In the margins of my days, I’m a writer, with a desire to weave words of hope for the wanderer like me.
In my first few years on the field, I often found myself feeling rather “tongue-tied”— not sure how to put into words and articulate in prayer the things I was experiencing in my life abroad. I wrestled with what I could say to God and how honest I could truly be about the hard things I walked through. I ended up in a season where all I could do was pray the Psalms, because I just didn’t have my own words to pray. Through that, I was introduced to the power of liturgy and praying prayers that are honest and vulnerable, but also centered on the truth of who God is.
Back in 2021, I started writing and posting liturgies about topics related to life abroad on Instagram. As I used liturgy-writing to process my own experiences abroad, I thought perhaps other sojourners would be encouraged by reading the prayers. It became apparent very quickly that people living cross-culturally were looking for ways to put into words the unique experiences that come with living overseas, as I received message after message affirming that readers felt seen, understood, and reminded to bring their cross-cultural lives (with all the ups and downs) to the feet of Jesus through these liturgies.
After a request from Velvet Ashes last year to present a workshop on writing liturgies for their online Equip Conference, I created a six-step process that mirrored my own personal process for writing liturgies. I had the privilege of presenting that workshop two different times last year, and after much positive feedback I had the thought, “I could take this content and publish a book.” Writing liturgies has been so healing for me, especially in processing the grief and loss we global workers experience with life abroad, and I wanted others to have the tools to do that as well.
It’s so fun hearing more about you. Could you share how your book is organized?
I start out by sharing my own personal story into writing liturgies, and how life-giving it has become for me. I bring the reader into my journey from believing that prayers must be spontaneous to recognizing the gift of written prayers and the power of having truths we can turn to when we’re having trouble knowing what to pray. I explain what liturgy is, and how it can be useful, especially in the life of those living cross-culturally. I also have a chapter on learning to lament, which is such powerful practice for the global worker. We experience so much loss and grief, and lament is God’s gift to us to process those losses.
Then, I break down the liturgy-writing framework into six steps using the acronym SACRED- stillness/silence, acknowledge, confess, remember, elaborate, and draft. I take the reader through each step, and give plenty of examples along the way. One of the best compliments I have received from my launch team is how practical and easy-to-apply the book is. That’s exactly what I wanted— something that is deeply meaningful yet easily applicable. I’m so thrilled when I hear that exact feedback about this process.
I share in the book that this process isn’t just for writers, it’s for pray-ers! I don’t want anyone to be reluctant to read the book or scared to try writing liturgies because they don’t consider themselves a writer. This is less about the process of writing and more about the process of bringing our emotions, thoughts, fears, worries, experiences, and griefs to the Lord and inviting Him to meet us there to bring healing and hope.
Wow, that seems super useful! How could an individual, team, or organization use this book?
This process is easy enough that it could be incorporated into an individual’s daily time with the Lord. You could do one step per day of the week and have a goal to write one liturgy each week. It could also be implemented when experiencing significant life events and you’re just needing a guide to help you process in a healthy, intentional way. It would be a wonderful resource for a sabbatical or sabbath, when someone might be looking for a spiritual practice that is outside of their everyday norm.
For a team, it would be a great thing to go through together, utilizing the steps to process a loss or challenge that has affected the team as a whole, or simply to promote the practice of processing and prayer to lead to better spiritual and emotional health. You could use it during a team retreat, conference, or small group setting. Some people have mentioned using it to write liturgies for their team to pray together. There’s really no end to the possibilities!
Several member care staff are on my launch team and have said how excited they are to incorporate liturgy-writing into their member care practices. It would be such a beautiful and gentle way to guide a worker who has experienced great loss, trauma, grief, or burnout through some intentional processing. I would love to see organizations add it to their list of resources recommended or provided to their workers if they’re wanting to put a practical processing tool into their hands. It could even be utilized as a breakout session or workshop during training and equipping new workers.
I love asking authors, what’s your hope or your dreams for this book’s message?
My greatest desire is that this book would be a catalyst for every single reader to find deep hope and healing by bringing every part of their story to Jesus in prayer. I pray that incorporating the six steps would not just lead to writing a liturgy, but would lead to beautiful, transformational moments of communion with Christ in the midst of the challenges of making a home on foreign soil. I pray that it becomes a lifeline for those drowning in grief and sorrow, unsure of how to process it all. I pray it makes liturgy and lament an accessible practice that becomes a precious rhythm, for the glory of God.
Heather, thank you for your time today. Hearing from an author makes a book all the more real! I imagine I’m not alone in wanting to get this book in as many hands as possible!
Dear readers, I’ve read this book and highly recommend it! Leave a comment and two of you will win a digital copy of Crafting Liturgies for a Life Abroad! We will draw winners on Saturday (so you’ve got two days to comment).
P.S. Listen to this chat with Heather on Global Trellis: The podcast
What a great tool! Are any of your liturgies published anywhere other than Instagram?
Hi Sue! I also share them on Facebook. A book I co-authored, “Liturgies and Laments for the Sojourner” is available on Amazon. And my newest book also has 15 liturgies in it.
Oh, I’d be interested in having this book! Thanks for sharing about it.
This sounds like a great tool to help process the ups and downs of this beautiful, crazy life we’ve been called to.
I hope you’ll check it out! ❤️
I’ve read a few of these liturgies and would love to know more about the process of writing them.
You should definitely check out the book, then! I’ll walk you through all the steps. ❤️
these liturgies have helped so much while living abroad and taught me a new way to speak to the Lord and wrestle with the hard.
I’ve been blessed by Heather’s litugies over the years and I love that she is explaining her process of writing them so that others can try their hand at writing litugies too!
I’m so grateful to hear this! I hope you’ll check out the book and find it to be a blessing.
I have been so encouraged and challenged by your liturgies on Instagram. I have pondered trying to write my own but wasn’t sure where to start. I’m excited to dig into this book – and hope to use it with women under me in my member care role.
I’m so encouraged to hear this! It would be such a great resource for those you serve. I hope you’ll check it out!
Love the acronyms to help remember the process-what a unique way to write, sit in the hard places with the Lord and have a concrete prayer for times that don’t often have words.
Yes! The acronym is so helpful for remembering. ❤️
Looks like a wonderful tool! Thanks for highlighting another important resource.
I hope you’ll check out the book!
I have loved how Heather puts words to difficult situations and turns them into a prayer. It has been so helpful to me.
I’m so happy to hear this, Angela. I hope you’ll check out the book and try your hand and writing your own!
This is something I have begun to practice, but would love to actually have a resource related to writing them. Thanks for the recommendation.
That’s wonderful! I hope you’ll check out the book!
What a great tool! This style was new to me until several years ago, and I’ve enjoyed learning about it.
Isn’t liturgy so helpful? I hope you’ll check out the book for inspiration!
So many of your liturgies give words to what’s in my heart. I’m very interested to see how I could develop my own liturgies. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad, Hannah! I hope you’ll check out the book and find it to be helpful as well.
And even if I would not be “tongue-tied” (which I am), it is very difficult to share most of my experiences of my live abroad. Simply ministering 34+ years in the south of one of the poorest countries in Africa is just so different. These tools seem to be very interesting. I am interested to lern how I could develop my own liturgies.
I am looking forward to working through the steps. The Psalms are always my go to as well when I have no words.
Absolutely! It’s hard to articulate our experiences abroad. I hope you’ll check out the book. I believe you’d find it so helpful!
Thank you, Heather! This looks very promising in a time when we are kind of pushed to go through life as fast as possible. To take time to pause and reflect is so needed.
Yes! Slowing down to process our experiences is so important. I hope you’ll find the book to be a helpful tool in doing this well!
I love journaling to God but I do it so sporadically. I would like to make it more of a regular practice. Thank you for writing a book to help with that ❤️
This will be a great tool to enhance your journaling as a spiritual practice. I hope you’ll check it out!!
This sounds great- I often end up writing prayers but never liturgy. I’d love to try anything that deepens my prayer life!
I hope you’ll check out the book and try it!
As a “pray-er” rather than a writer, I am interested in learning more about this liturgy process.
This book is absolutely for the pray-ers! I do hope you’ll check it out.
This book is perfect timing for me. I left the field in 2022 to get married in the states, and we did not know what the Lord had for us next. The work I did was with people with disabilities, which I realize is difficult anywhere, but especially hard in Africa. My husband and I just returned from two months back in country, wrapping up and welcoming a grandchild to our adopted son and daughter-in-law. The Lord was kind to show both of us that my time there was fruitful but is finished, as far as living there. But we are already dreaming about returning to do some short-term ministry and visit our family. This resource will continue to help my dig through some things and process them well.
Oh Sue, I think you’ll find this book to be a helpful guide in processing all you’ve experienced. I do hope it’s a blessing to you!
Heather, your words have deeply resonated with me many times over the past two years as I prepared to go to the field and completed my first year. Thank you for what you do! I’m excited to try this process too!
I’m so grateful to hear this, Amanda. I hope the book will inspire you to write your own liturgies!
How lovely to liturgize prayers. Interested to read this!
I hope you’ll check out the book!
English is my second language and so I have ignored invitations to writing poems, laments, or liturgies. But since hearing about how simple this was….I tried it! And Voila…I love it now. It’s a practice do regularly.
I love that! I hope you’ll check out the book…and write the liturgies in whatever language your heart speaks!
This is exciting and love how prayers can be part of our everyday. As Mary Oliver says be astonished and tell about it
Amen! Hope you’ll check out the book!
I am increasingly drawn to crafted prayer and this book sounds like a wonderful resource to help people process and find God in the midst of all sorts of situations, not only those experienced by cross cultural workers but in all the seasons of life.
Absolutely! I hope you’ll check out the book!
I’ve actually never thought about the concept of writing liturgies but I am interested in looking into it now as I can struggle to really sit in my emotions and work through things. Thank you for this interview and introducing this book to us!
Thanks for reading, Lindsey! I hope you’ll check out the book!
Prayer is such a mystery, a puzzle for so many of us — how does it work, what’s it supposed to feel like (if anything), how does one actually do it, by oneself or with others. Glad to hear about what seems a new (if old!) approach that can help folk. Thanks for not keeping it to yourself 🙂
Yes, we tend to make prayer more difficult than it should be. I hope you’ll check out the book and find it to be a helpful resource for a new way to pray!
Thank you, Heather, for sharing your journey and the SACRED framework—it’s such a powerful tool for processing life overseas with God. I love how approachable and grounded it is, especially for those of us navigating grief and transition abroad. This really encouraged me to be more intentional in my prayer life. Grateful for this resource!
I’m so glad to hear this, Kati!! Blessings on your liturgy-crafting journey!
As a member care provider I’m looking forward to learning more about this practice for people on our team, as well as for myself. Thanks for sharing about this resource for us to explore!
I hope you’ll find it to be a helpful tool for yourself and those you serve!
This is something new to me and I’m curious to know more! It sounds like something very practical and useful to reflect and process all that happens in our lifes abroad! Thanks for sharing here.
I hope you’ll check out the book!
Thank you. This sounds like a very practical and helpful resource. Especially for those unfamiliar with liturgy.
That is my hope! Thanks, Todd. Hope you’ll check it out!
I love reading Heather’s prayers on Instagram. I’m very excited to read this book and learn the art of writing my own liturgies for each season abroad.
Thanks, Maria! I’m excited for you to read it! I think you’ll be encouraged.
This looks like a book I would really enjoy. I am so grateful for Psalms on those days when my own words feel buried too deep to express. Living abroad in a country at war, I find comfort in writing lamentations when the burdens of grief and destruction feel so heavy.
Yes! Lament is so important for the cross-cultural worker. I hope you’ll check out the book and find it to be helpful!
WINNERS have been drawn and notified. Thank you all for entering. With blessing, Amy for Global Trellis
I am doing a cross cultural retreat in September and looking for something special and different than the usual fare. 1i love this! the idea of our team doing this together is genius . Hope I win, otherwise I will order Monday, so I have it to plan and practice.