I remember the first day I came home. There were four beautiful women walking out onto the porch to say hello. This was the home I’d almost forgotten about. Thank you, God, for leading me home. Have you ever felt lost?Do you long for a group of friends?Will you ever find your way home? In this remarkable book, the women of Magdalene ask questions that all of us ask, and they share their own joyous, painful, uplifting answers. Inspired by the classic Benedictine Rule, the women have written down 24 rules they live by in the Magdalene community, a place of healing and grace. “Magdalene is living out the call and making something of the Kingdom happen.” -Tony Campolo, author of Speaking My Mind “With honesty and urgency, Becca Stevens and her fellow pilgrims from Magdalene reveal the insights gained on their personal journeys to wholeness.” -Gloria Gaither, Christian recording artist “Magdalene has a tremendous track record of bringing recovery, hope, and independence to women in need.” -Bill Frist, M.D., Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader “In Find Your Way Home there are 24 rules...designed to provoke people into discovering that God loves you as you are right now. And that God loves the possibility within you.” -The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal ChurchMagdalene is a residential community of women who have a criminal history of prostitution and drug abuse. The women live together in a series of Magdalene homes, supporting themselves and each other through the work of Thistle Farms, a bath and body-care business run by those in the program. For more information, go to www.thistlefarms.org. Becca Stevens is the author of Hither & Yon , Finding Balance , and Sanctuary , nominated by Christianity Today as best spirituality book of 2005. Featured on CNN and in other national media, she is an Episcopal priest at St. Augustine’s Chapel at Vanderbilt University. With honesty and urgency, Becca Stevens and her fellow pilgrims from Magdalene reveal the insights gained on their personal journeys to wholeness. --Gloria Gaither, Christian recording artist In Find Your Way Home there are 24 rules...designed to provoke people into discovering that God loves you as you are right now. And that God loves the possibility within you. --The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church Becca Stevens books have grown out of her work as chaplain of St. Augustine's Chapel at Vanderbilt University, and as founder and director of Magdalene, a residential community for women with a criminal history of drug abuse and prostitution. Her work with Magdalene has earned national attention and spawned both a cottage industry, Thistle Farms, and related programs here and overseas. To date, she has raised nearly $13 million and gained nationwide press coverage for the organizations she supports. She has won numerous awards from organizations including the Frist Foundation and the Academy of Women in Achievement. She has been named the "Alumnus of the Year" by the School of Theology at the University of the South, "Nashvillian of the Year" by the Nashville Scene and "Tennessean of the Year" by The Tennessean. In October 2011, she was recognized as a "Champion of Change" by the Obama White House. She has written a number of articles, is a widely traveled speaker, and has both a Find Your Way Home Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart By Becca Stevens Abingdon Press Copyright © 2008 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-687-64705-7 Contents Introduction and Invitation, Come Together, Proclaim Original Grace, Cry With Your Creator, Find Your Place in the Circle, Think of the Stranger as God, Take the Longer Path, Make a Small Change and See the Big Difference, Let God Sort It Out, Stand on New Ground and Believe You Are Not Lost, Forgive and Feel Freedom, Unite Your Sexuality and Spirituality, Show Hospitality to All, Laugh at Yourself, Consider the Thistle, Listen to a New Idea, Lose Gracefully, Remember You Have Been in the Ditch, Walk Behind, Live in Gratitude, Love Without Judgment, Stay on Point, Pray for Courage, Find Your Way Home, Leave Thankfully, About Magdalene, CHAPTER 1 Come Together No matter where we are, we are better coming together than living separately. We come on circuitous paths from prisons, from the streets, from churches because we are tired and want to live in hope. We come in every color. We come lonely and afraid and do not want to die. We come because our bodies and spirits are sick and our teeth are falling out and we know we need help. I remember my last days using on the streets. I walked up and down Dickerson Road until a car stopped for me. I got in the car, and the man asked me to have sex with him. I agreed because I wanted that next hit of dope so bad. After we finished, he dropped me off at the store on the corner of Dickerson Road and Ha