Most of us feel it: the gap between the life with God we read about and the one we’re actually living. We pray. We show up. We go through the motions of faith. And yet something in us remains half-asleep, dimly aware that God is near but unable to open our eyes all the way.

In Fully Awake: Nine Practices for a Deeper Life with God, pastor and spiritual director Sarah Thomas Baldwin leads readers through nine formational practices — surrender, Scripture, prayer, solitude, community, Sabbath, and more — that open the eyes of the soul to a God who has never been far. Drawing on her own journey from half-hearted faith to full awakening, Baldwin combines personal testimony, ancient spiritual wisdom, and practical reflection prompts in a rich tapestry designed for individuals and small groups alike.

There is a moment — standing at the edge of Crater Lake, watching the night sky stretch on forever, holding a newborn who has just arrived from somewhere you can't name — when eternity peeks through. Most of us feel it and then look away. We file it under “nice experience” and go back to our lives. What we don’t realize is that those moments are invitations. God has been hiding clues in plain sight, waiting for us to wake up and find them.

In Fully Awake, Sarah Thomas Baldwin writes for everyone who suspects there is more to the life with God than they have yet experienced — and who is ready to stop sleepwalking through it. Moving through nine formational practices anchored in the great tradition of Christian spirituality, Baldwin guides readers from the first act of surrender to the ongoing rhythms of Scripture, prayer, solitude, community, Sabbath, and authentic kingdom living. Each chapter opens with honest, warm storytelling; each one closes by handing the reader something to do.

The ancient Hebrew word hineni — spoken by Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah — means simply Here I am. It is the sound a soul makes when it finally opens its eyes. Baldwin makes the case that formation is the repeated, daily practice of saying hineni back to the God who has been saying it to you all along.

Fully Awake combines the depth of classic formation literature with the accessibility and warmth of a trusted friend. Readers will:

• Move through nine distinct spiritual practices — from surrender and autobiography of the soul to anchoring in Scripture, abiding in prayer, and living authentically in community
• Reflect deeply with personal prompts, soul audits, and creative response exercises woven into every chapter
• Encounter God in ordinary life — learning to recognize the clues he scatters and the presence he has never withdrawn
• Build practices that accumulate over nine weeks into a genuinely transformed way of seeing and living

The life with God you have been longing for is not somewhere else. It is here, now, waiting for you to open your eyes. Fully Awake will help you do exactly that.