Welcome to Provisions!
This is a free monthly newsletter for people seeking kindred spirits and the basic necessities for life together on the road of faith. I’m Amanda Held Opelt, author and singer songwriter living in southern Appalachia.
I try to “travel light,” meaning I believe that in most cases, “less is more” when it comes to living well in this noisy, busy, ever-changing world. I like old things, time tested traditions and rituals. I’m grateful for the slower pace that life in rural Appalachia affords me. I’m committed to the idea that God’s creation can be one of our greatest teachers. I believe that we thrive when we share life together in embodied ways.
If any of this resonates, I hope you’ll subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives
.
What you’ll find here:
Each month, I’ll share some personal reflections on faith and life together. I’ll also share the “provisions” that have been bringing me hope and sustenance lately: a book, a song, a poem, a recipe, or a ritual I’ve discovered.
About me:
I spend my days as a wife, mom, neighbor, author, and songwriter. I’ve written two books. A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing (2022) is the story of how ancient bereavement practices from around the world helped me process my own experience with loss. This book was selected by Publishers Weekly “Best Books of 2022” and an ECPA Book Award finalist. In Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life (2023) I confront what I call the “emotional prosperity gospel” and the expectations we have of what the life of faith will feel like.
As a singer-songwriter I lean into the folk-Americana sounds of the southern mountains. I am a proud resident of Appalachia. I trace my mountain roots back six generations and I believe in the past, present, and future of this region.
I serve on the teaching and worship teams of my church The Heart in Boone, North Carolina and I believe in the power of communal faith.
My husband is a mapmaker and beekeeper and my two wild girls are aged three and six and can usually be found barefoot in the yard or at the creek.
