Beautiful Vessels
Selected Readings from Bakht Singh and Sojourner Truth
by Bakht Singh , Sojourner Truth , Richard J. Foster , Tina Dyer , Grace Pouch
We are exploring expanding this small booklet into a full-length book of excerpts from underrepresented authors. Is this something you’d be interested in? Have an author we should consider? Let us know.
A free Renovaré resource for spiritual renewal, introduced by Tina Dyer and edited by Grace Pouch.
From the foreword by Richard J. Foster:
Beautiful Vessels highlights two unique writers whose voices most of us have never heard: Bakht Singh and Sojourner Truth. This is a small sample of what we hope will someday become another volume of the Renovaré Devotional Classics. Our hope is to bring to the Christian community authors of diverse cultures and ethnicities that previously have been under-represented. These will be persons possessing a high Christology and sharing with us insight and wisdom into a loving, passionate, daily walk with God.
Bakht Singh
Bakht Singh (1903−2000) was dedicated by his parents to become a Sikh. The British missionary school he attended in Punjab gave Bakht Singh the impression that Christianity was an arrogant cultural identity rather than an authentic, life-transforming relationship with Jesus. Though fiercely loyal to his religious heritage, he sensed that neither his affluent lifestyle, nor Sikhism, nor any of the faith traditions he investigated were able to produce real happiness or peace. As a young adult, Bakht Singh had a spiritual encounter with Jesus and recognized the Living Christ as the Teacher of truth and goodness he had longed to meet. Bakht Singh eventually became a world-renowned preacher and revival leader, and is considered the “father” of India’s indigenous church movement.
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 –1883), born Isabella Baumfree, was an American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. She was a powerhouse preacher who readily shared whatever God laid on her heart with listeners from all walks of life.
Richard J. Foster
Richard J. Foster is the innovative pioneer who reintroduced ancient spiritual resources to contemporary Christians, especially among evangelicals and other Protestants. The author of several bestselling books, including Celebration of Discipline and Streams of Living Water, he is the founder of Renovaré, an infrachurch movement committed to the renewal of the Church in all her multifaceted expressions. Having studied at George Fox University and Fuller Theological Seminary, Foster has served as a pastor and taught worldwide on spiritual formation. He and his wife, Carolynn, have two grown children, many grandchildren, and live near Denver, Colorado.
Tina Dyer
Tina L. Dyer is the founder and principal of Grafted Together Consulting, which exists to support leaders, individuals, and teams in cultivating spaces where truth and authenticity are welcomed, creativity and innovation are unleashed, and equitable and inclusive practices are normalized to create a sense of belonging where all people can thrive.
Tina holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of California at Davis, and a Master of Arts in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Friends University, Wichita, KS. She is an alumna of the Renovaré Institute and serves on the Renovaré Board as Treasurer. Tina is a joyful Mom to two young adult children.
Grace Pouch
Grace Pate Pouch is Content Manager for Renovaré where she curates and produces resources for spiritual renewal. She is the author of Savoring Childhood: Practical Wisdom for Slowing Down. She previously served as a seminary professor and Christian education specialist for elementary school children. Grace and her husband William live with their two children, Charlotte and Henry, in Greenville, SC.
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