Reflections on book club: ‘bright shining’ by Julia Baird

By Rachael Wass

Our 3-month Book Club is Julia Baird’s latest book, bright shining: how grace changes everything.

Jacq and Rachael are exploring their thoughts on the book and how it relates to our community over March, April and May.

Free and open to all (even if you don’t read the book and just want to drop in for the take-aways!).

About the Book

Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found, in part, when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. What does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves, and express it, even in the darkest of times?

About the Author

Julia Baird is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and author based in Sydney, Australia. She hosts The Drum on ABCTV and writes columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and the International New York Times. She is the author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence.

Reflection about chapters 1 – 5 (Free webinar 13/3)

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our first session,

Some of Jacq’s favourite passages:

Pages 8 & 9 where Julia provides her own definitions of 3 types of grace ‘ the ability to wander through the natural world and be both diminished and expanded by its glory‘. ‘it is mercy not merit‘ and ‘the ability to see good in the other‘.
Page 18 – at the Salvation Army outreach Sunday, and when a person was asked the question: describe a beautiful place you have been to, they said: ‘the way rain splashes onto cement and stone; a beautiful place‘.

Some of Rachael’s favourite passages:

Page 6 a quote from American author Johnathon Rauch who says: ‘Regardless of the context, (grace is) always at least a little unexpected and out of the ordinary‘.
Page 38 about the ‘super donors’ – ‘…these are anonymous donations, you don’t know who your blood will go to and what exactly it will be used for, whether the person into whose veins our vital fluid is infused will be a teacher, a sex worker, a typist, a snake handler or a real estate agent…all you know is that there is a need and you can meet it‘

One that both Jacq and Rach loved: page 51, ‘In Stockholm, a man contacted Boltanski and said, “I love my dog so much, please can put his heart in the library?” and he did.’

Thoughts from the webinar attendees:

‘Giving blood to people you don’t know is a wonderful example of grace. Not based on merit, but given in generosity, unconditionally’. Lois H
‘the super donors are such a great example of unreasonable grace’ Carolyn B
‘Thanks everyone for this 40minutes of Grace!’ Lynn C
‘Trusting the silence can be so challenging’ Mary R
‘Just been talking with some of my team – a story of sitting in silence and realising that this isn’t a place of weakness or inadequacy but actually a gift of grace’. Carolyn B
‘Wonderful discussion and stories, thanks everyone’ Cheryl H
‘Makula, I can relate to the silence and the pause…when Grace presents…’Lynn C
‘So many beautiful stories shared here. This community is very special and I feel so grateful in this moment’. Marnie K