Meet Bonnie
Starred review praise from Publisher’s Weekly —“[Gray] offers intriguing insights into scripture and on how God views his flawed but beloved creations…this is an invitation to walk the difficult road to self discovery and healing with a fellow traveler who understands.” (read full review)BONNIE GRAY is the author of Whispers of Rest and Finding Spiritual Whitespace. Bonnie loves encouraging women to experience deeper intimacy with God and refresh the soul with His love and rest. She guides women to live inspired, detox from stress and celebrate their calling as the beloved.
An inspirational retreat speaker, Bonnie touches thousands of lives helping women through topics of soul care, stress recovery, and emotional healing through storytelling, visual arts, nature, prayer and meditation. Bonnie’s powerful writing is featured on Relevant Magazine, KLOVE, (in)courage, MOPS, and Christianity Today. She lives in California with her husband and their two sons.
Follow Bonnie @thebonniegray Facebook and Instagram. Pull up a chair and enjoy free soul care videos, encouragement, and podcasts.
My name is Bonnie Gray and I am a Soul Care mentor, speaker, podcaster, a trusted voice in my area of expertise in mental health and author of four books. I am passionate about helping women rest and flourish in emotional wellness as God’s beloved daughters.
I’m a native Californian living in the heart of Silicon Valley, where I watch the sun rise and set in the eyes of my husband Eric and our two boys Josh and Caleb.
Rain or shine, I live for the moments I get to write, hovering over my keyboard, fascinated by a passion to uncover stories of faith in everyday life.
I launched Faith Barista, serving up shots of faith for the daily grind. I’m a featured writer for Proverbs 31, (In)Courage , Crosswalk, and Relevant Magazine. I was named by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the top 6 new religion authors in 2014.
My blog Faith Barista is syndicated on Crosswalk.com and iBelieve. My writing is nationally published and spotlighted in Christianity Today, Catalyst Leadership, Today’s Christian Woman, and McClatchy-Tribune News Services.
My book Sweet Like Jasmine: Finding Identity in a Culture of Loneliness about how God makes beauty out of brokenness was named 2022 Christian Book Award Finalist by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (see here).
Ann Voskamp, New York Times bestselling author recommends —
“In a world crying out for kindness and belonging, this is a book needed for our times. Sweet Like Jasmine is a gift, a beautiful remembrance that God treasures each of our broken hearts in His sweeping story of redemption.”” (read all praises and review)
I am the soulful author behind the memoir-driven book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul To Rest, which has garnered starred review praise from Publisher’s Weekly —
“[Gray] offers intriguing insights into scripture and on how God views his flawed but beloved creations…More than a memoir, this is an invitation to walk the difficult road to self discovery and healing with a fellow traveler who understands.” (read full review)
“Whitespace is soul grace. Bonnie Gray ushers weary women into the real possibility.”–Ann Voskamp, New York Times bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts
“Women need this message. If you want to hear Jesus speak more tenderly to your soul than ever before, this is the book for you.”–Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author of Unglued
“We live in a culture that brags and boasts about being busy. Into that reality steps Bonnie with a new idea.”–from the foreword by Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Start
My book Finding Spiritual Whitespace was named by Crosswalk.com as one of the Best Books for Christian Women in 2014.
“This is a soul-stirring book that takes you on a journey to make space in life to nurture your heart with God and dream dreams in new ways. This book will give women permission to yes to God, practical ways to say yes to rest and find the spark in their hearts again.” – Kelly Givens, editor of iBelieve.
Let’s gather our stories — the ones that make us tender with dreams, real with tears, curious with questions — and refresh each other with conversation. Your journey is worth sharing. As is.
And because faith is as mysterious as it is real, we need each other for this journey.
Because sometimes, we need a double shot of faith.
Stay awhile. Pull up a chair and swap some stories at Faith Barista.
Together, we become kindreds on the journey of faith. One brew at a time.
A Quiet Space
I believe life is a journey and our stories are the greatest gifts we can live out and offer to each other – especially when they go off script.
This is a quiet space. Where your soul can breathe and unplug from the sea of distractions. To step into the inner life where Jesus has made His home in you and me.
The writing featured here is handcrafted. Just for you.
To feed your soul with whitespace: long-format stories that focus on faith and community, thoughtful interviews, curated articles that inspire a restful, rejuvenated life, writing prompts and inspiring quotes to find your voice, and connect with God deeply.
Take some time to explore the site. be you. be inspired. breathe.
Our lives are never ordinary, no matter how things appear.
The inner life is where real life happens.
It’s where God calls us to be,
where faith becomes fresh and new again.“…your real life is hidden with Christ.” Colossians 3:3
This inner life is what I’d love to journey into. Will you share yours with me? I will share mine with you.
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Meet Bonnie
I’ve tried to write for everyone else. Except for me.
I’m not talking about the book. I’m talking about my life.
I couldn’t find my voice. Even though it seemed to always come alive between the pages of my journal.
I stopped journaling for a very long season. I forgot about words, the way a poppy growing wild in gravel on the side of the road without sunshine closes and hides.
But, faith is as mysterious as it is real. Faith is a living journey. It finds a way.
I’m only beginning to understand. A word — your story — even if small as a mustard seed may lay hidden, but never forgotten.
There is Someone who is intimately familiar with our unspoken voices.
He is the confidante and companion who will journey with us into the whitespaces of our stories — where our hearts are tender, virgin, and untouched. His hand will fold into ours as we gather our courage to live them out. As is.
This Someone is Jesus. And one day, we’ll hear all the stories He’s traveling alongside each of us face to face.
Until then, He’s given you and me a pen and a blank page called life, in which to write those stories. By living them in the everyday through joys, sorrows, dreams, and even loss.
Let’s tell our stories as kindreds on this journey of faith.
It’s not always easy. But, sometimes the harder stories are the ones worth telling.
“You are a letter of Christ…written not with ink,
but with the Spirit of the living God,
not on tablets of stone, but on tablet of human hearts.”
{2 Cor.3:3}
The 411
So, what do you do when you’re not writing at Faith Barista?
If you were to knock on my door, you’d find me:
Doing family and friends stuff like hanging out at coffee shops, parks, kids bday parties, breakfast joints and sandwich shops, running errands, going to Safeway, Target or trying to get rid of junk (I’m a recovering pack rat!).
On top of my dresser, you’d see:
Piles of books, non-fiction mostly about spirituality, God, the Bible, parenting, marriage and relationship, and magazines. Thank you cards to write and water bottles to keep me hydrated.
Hanging out with my best friend, Hubby, love of my life. Eric and I are both from the 80′s, love John Candy, OMD, stuffing ourselves with popcorn at the movies, hitting the beach and having coffee with pastries.
Wrangling my two boys, Josh and Caleb. Josh is my ten-year-old son who fires up a bazillion question per hour, kind-hearted observations and steals my heart everyday. Caleb is my seven-year-old cutie who sweetens my heart with honey with his heart-melting hugs, his penchant for stories, singing and butterfly kisses.
So, why did you start this blog?
Faith is a topic that is my sold-out passion. It’s been many moons since I first became a Christian. Even though I’ve got some mileage on me (you see the wrinkles?), I am still fascinated by the challenge to keep faith hot and fresh.
I’m continually asking, “Why is it that some Christians are hot on fire for God, always growing and full of life?”
I want to know how people keep that fire of faith lit when it’s a flickering wick and how to feed it when it’s embers are quietly burning.
I started this blog to share my faith experience, and in the process, find others to learn about theirs.
Why did you choose the name “Faith Barista”?
I love the idea that I can be “barista of faith”, because we are all apprentices, learning the skill and art of walking by faith. We learn from the master craftsman of faith, Jesus Christ, who serves up just what we need for each day’s journey.
In turn, we can be a priesthood of faith baristas, offering one another encouragement to live out our faith. Now, that’s exciting!
