Stories of Triumph and Inspiration
Members of Faith share personal experiences that highlight God's love, mercy and guidance.
Cindy and Jeff Crosby
If Faith’s members were books, this series of stories would be the fascinating material that fills the spaces between the front and back covers. The following story does just that, featuring Jeff and Cindy Crosby, two book-lovers—authors and former bookstore owners! Books shape their lives and anchor the reflections they shared in this recent interview.
BRIEF BACKGROUND
Cindy is a well-known local naturalist—she thinks of herself as a “prairie steward”—author, teacher/lecturer and blogger. She and Jeff are the parents of two and the grandparents of six! Jeff recently assumed the role of President and CEO of ECPA, a trade association of Christian publishers, with members ranging from Abingdon to Zondervan. The Crosbys live in Glen Ellyn and have been members of Faith for about 10 years.
How did you find your way to this congregation?
JEFF: One Sunday, Cindy asked me, "Let's plan to visit Faith Lutheran." I'd never thought about worshiping at a Lutheran church before. Most of what I knew was tongue-in-cheek from Garrison Keillor books and Prairie Home Companion "News from Lake Wobegone" monologues. But we were both impressed that Faith's pastor (Jim Honig) had previously invited Cindy to explore the context of prayer in an adult forum, based on her book "By Willoway Brook." Right from the first visit, we both felt understood.
My sense of being at home spiritually has settled more in recent years. It’s being willing to reside in that “not quite that, and not quite this, but yet I’m hopeful” space. Our movement to Faith as a congregational home was because of the Eucharist, the liturgy, creeds—a quieter worship orientation. The social justice commitment, too, which includes the ELCA denomination. We could see that the pastors and leaders of the congregation modeled a concern for social justice.
As I told Cindy at the time, coming to Faith Lutheran was, for me, a bit like a line from the John Denver song “Rocky Mountain High”—it was “coming home to a place I’d never been before.”
What’s important to you in these times?
CINDY: Three favorite phrases from a poem by Mary Oliver come to mind: Pay attention: I try to pay attention to my interior landscape as well as the landscape I find myself in—which right now is Illinois. Be astonished: I hold on to a sense of wonder—like I had as a child. I want to keep that spark ignited, so that it can change the way I see the world and other people. Tell about it: I work with people any way I can--blogs, books, photography, teaching/classes. I keep a positive presence on social media platforms so that people can find me. That’s where they get their stories.
JEFF: I can affirm what Cindy says—wonder frames my life. That and building bridges among people and organizations.
How did you come to think this way?
JEFF: The bridge-building started when I was young. I was the one to build bridges in my family—parents, siblings—trying to find common ground where there were chasms. When Cindy and I owned our bookstore next to Indiana University, we carried a lot of “bridge” items—posters, classical music, greeting cards and fun things the general public would enjoy as well as books. Those materials served as a kind of entryway that helped people transition from the university setting into a Christian bookstore, perhaps without knowing it. One of my favorite songs—”Peace Train” by Cat Stevens—talks about peace-making, peacekeeping, peace-sending, peace-loving. Maybe that’s another way of describing bridge-building.
CINDY: Because both of us are readers, reading is the way we begin to make sense of the world. We have a wide variety of friends—they’re from all over the spectrum of thought. Our bookstore work helped us encounter people from far left to far right. That experience helped us gain an appreciation for diversity of thought.
JEFF: The importance of wonder comes from a book I’ve held in my mind since I first read it in 1983. It’s called A Touch of Wonder. In the chapter, “The Night the Stars Fell”, the author talks about experiencing the awe of an August late night star-shower when he was 12 years old. The whole point of that book was to help readers capture wonder.
I’ve been a student of the world and Christian thought, as well as political thought. The traditions we were part of were more conservative. Even before embracing the more-liturgical mainline church environment, the desire to understand other people and other points of view has carried through my entire adult life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Where do those passions show up?
CINDY: I’ve expanded my dragonfly monitoring at the Schulenberg Prairie over at the Morton Arboretum, and at the Nachusa Grasslands out by Dixon. At the Arb right now, I’m teaching classes on writing, ethnobotany, the history of trees and a lot more. My “Tuesdays in the Tallgrass” prairie work group has been meeting eight or nine years now. Our grandkids are part of this lifelong challenge to share the beauty and wonder of the place and time we find ourselves in.
JEFF: In my adult life I’ve tried to share my sense of wonder in my writing—journalism and books—and in my work as a book seller and publisher at InterVarsity Press in Downers Grove. Now I’m president and CEO of a trade association of Christian publishers. I try to build bridges between organizations that otherwise might not talk with each other.
Before COVID, part of our bridge-building efforts was something Cindy and I called “Books and Nature Dinners” at our home. We invited people from all parts of the table into conversation.
This congregation is a bridging place, too. I can bring myself—as a reader of Christianity Today, Sojourners Magazine AND Living Lutheran--to a mainline congregation that draws on the rich tradition of liturgy and social justice.
How have you felt successful?
CINDY: Life is an ongoing adventure. Successful is getting up every morning and doing what I need to do next. So much has changed—who would have thought about a pandemic? Success is facing life, staying open to whatever adventures show up.
JEFF: I don’t use the language of success because it can be a trap –others’ expectations for me and my own for myself. Instead, there are fairly regular occasions when I feel like George Bailey in those closing scenes of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Something happens that allows me to connect dots between my having been on the planet for 60 years and creating something of value. These are the times when something happens—a conversation, letter, a book that I’ve been part of. I realize that whether I call it success or not, there’s been a reason why I exist. God’s Trinitarian presence has animated some good outcomes. Maybe those small moments constitute “success”.
Can you give an example?
JEFF: Back when we operated our bookstore next to Indiana University in Bloomington, an IU student came in. Both of her eyes had been blackened. She was looking for books by the French existentialist Camus. While I was ordering the books, I was able to talk with her about her interest in this author, and about the wounds on her face. We entered into a conversation about deeply important things. That was almost 40 years ago, and I still carry that experience with me. Those were wonderful life moments that might have been painful, but I entered into them with someone else. I’d consider that a success.
What do you hope for those who succeed you?
CINDY: From the top of my heart, a first reaction: Peace, justice, and a healthy world to live in.
JEFF: Ditto. I think a lot about our grandchildren, our children. I hope that world will be more just and more hospitable. I hope there will be a return to, and an elevation of, truth and civility in public discourse.
AFTERWORDS
Jeff and Cindy’s story is filled with references to books that have shaped their lives. For your own reading, these additional notes….
FINALLY
If this story were a book, its cover might read, The Crosbys: Heralding Wonder and Building Bridges. Like the stories of all Faith’s members, the book would have more chapters, more intriguing thoughts, more invitations to further conversations.
Each of our books is waiting to be read….
If Faith’s members were books, this series of stories would be the fascinating material that fills the spaces between the front and back covers. The following story does just that, featuring Jeff and Cindy Crosby, two book-lovers—authors and former bookstore owners! Books shape their lives and anchor the reflections they shared in this recent interview.
BRIEF BACKGROUND
Cindy is a well-known local naturalist—she thinks of herself as a “prairie steward”—author, teacher/lecturer and blogger. She and Jeff are the parents of two and the grandparents of six! Jeff recently assumed the role of President and CEO of ECPA, a trade association of Christian publishers, with members ranging from Abingdon to Zondervan. The Crosbys live in Glen Ellyn and have been members of Faith for about 10 years.
How did you find your way to this congregation?
JEFF: One Sunday, Cindy asked me, "Let's plan to visit Faith Lutheran." I'd never thought about worshiping at a Lutheran church before. Most of what I knew was tongue-in-cheek from Garrison Keillor books and Prairie Home Companion "News from Lake Wobegone" monologues. But we were both impressed that Faith's pastor (Jim Honig) had previously invited Cindy to explore the context of prayer in an adult forum, based on her book "By Willoway Brook." Right from the first visit, we both felt understood.
My sense of being at home spiritually has settled more in recent years. It’s being willing to reside in that “not quite that, and not quite this, but yet I’m hopeful” space. Our movement to Faith as a congregational home was because of the Eucharist, the liturgy, creeds—a quieter worship orientation. The social justice commitment, too, which includes the ELCA denomination. We could see that the pastors and leaders of the congregation modeled a concern for social justice.
As I told Cindy at the time, coming to Faith Lutheran was, for me, a bit like a line from the John Denver song “Rocky Mountain High”—it was “coming home to a place I’d never been before.”
What’s important to you in these times?
CINDY: Three favorite phrases from a poem by Mary Oliver come to mind: Pay attention: I try to pay attention to my interior landscape as well as the landscape I find myself in—which right now is Illinois. Be astonished: I hold on to a sense of wonder—like I had as a child. I want to keep that spark ignited, so that it can change the way I see the world and other people. Tell about it: I work with people any way I can--blogs, books, photography, teaching/classes. I keep a positive presence on social media platforms so that people can find me. That’s where they get their stories.
JEFF: I can affirm what Cindy says—wonder frames my life. That and building bridges among people and organizations.
How did you come to think this way?
JEFF: The bridge-building started when I was young. I was the one to build bridges in my family—parents, siblings—trying to find common ground where there were chasms. When Cindy and I owned our bookstore next to Indiana University, we carried a lot of “bridge” items—posters, classical music, greeting cards and fun things the general public would enjoy as well as books. Those materials served as a kind of entryway that helped people transition from the university setting into a Christian bookstore, perhaps without knowing it. One of my favorite songs—”Peace Train” by Cat Stevens—talks about peace-making, peacekeeping, peace-sending, peace-loving. Maybe that’s another way of describing bridge-building.
CINDY: Because both of us are readers, reading is the way we begin to make sense of the world. We have a wide variety of friends—they’re from all over the spectrum of thought. Our bookstore work helped us encounter people from far left to far right. That experience helped us gain an appreciation for diversity of thought.
JEFF: The importance of wonder comes from a book I’ve held in my mind since I first read it in 1983. It’s called A Touch of Wonder. In the chapter, “The Night the Stars Fell”, the author talks about experiencing the awe of an August late night star-shower when he was 12 years old. The whole point of that book was to help readers capture wonder.
I’ve been a student of the world and Christian thought, as well as political thought. The traditions we were part of were more conservative. Even before embracing the more-liturgical mainline church environment, the desire to understand other people and other points of view has carried through my entire adult life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Where do those passions show up?
CINDY: I’ve expanded my dragonfly monitoring at the Schulenberg Prairie over at the Morton Arboretum, and at the Nachusa Grasslands out by Dixon. At the Arb right now, I’m teaching classes on writing, ethnobotany, the history of trees and a lot more. My “Tuesdays in the Tallgrass” prairie work group has been meeting eight or nine years now. Our grandkids are part of this lifelong challenge to share the beauty and wonder of the place and time we find ourselves in.
JEFF: In my adult life I’ve tried to share my sense of wonder in my writing—journalism and books—and in my work as a book seller and publisher at InterVarsity Press in Downers Grove. Now I’m president and CEO of a trade association of Christian publishers. I try to build bridges between organizations that otherwise might not talk with each other.
Before COVID, part of our bridge-building efforts was something Cindy and I called “Books and Nature Dinners” at our home. We invited people from all parts of the table into conversation.
This congregation is a bridging place, too. I can bring myself—as a reader of Christianity Today, Sojourners Magazine AND Living Lutheran--to a mainline congregation that draws on the rich tradition of liturgy and social justice.
How have you felt successful?
CINDY: Life is an ongoing adventure. Successful is getting up every morning and doing what I need to do next. So much has changed—who would have thought about a pandemic? Success is facing life, staying open to whatever adventures show up.
JEFF: I don’t use the language of success because it can be a trap –others’ expectations for me and my own for myself. Instead, there are fairly regular occasions when I feel like George Bailey in those closing scenes of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Something happens that allows me to connect dots between my having been on the planet for 60 years and creating something of value. These are the times when something happens—a conversation, letter, a book that I’ve been part of. I realize that whether I call it success or not, there’s been a reason why I exist. God’s Trinitarian presence has animated some good outcomes. Maybe those small moments constitute “success”.
Can you give an example?
JEFF: Back when we operated our bookstore next to Indiana University in Bloomington, an IU student came in. Both of her eyes had been blackened. She was looking for books by the French existentialist Camus. While I was ordering the books, I was able to talk with her about her interest in this author, and about the wounds on her face. We entered into a conversation about deeply important things. That was almost 40 years ago, and I still carry that experience with me. Those were wonderful life moments that might have been painful, but I entered into them with someone else. I’d consider that a success.
What do you hope for those who succeed you?
CINDY: From the top of my heart, a first reaction: Peace, justice, and a healthy world to live in.
JEFF: Ditto. I think a lot about our grandchildren, our children. I hope that world will be more just and more hospitable. I hope there will be a return to, and an elevation of, truth and civility in public discourse.
AFTERWORDS
Jeff and Cindy’s story is filled with references to books that have shaped their lives. For your own reading, these additional notes….
- You can experience more of Mary Oliver’s poetry in Red Bird (Boston: Beacon Press, 2008). Cindy’s reference is from “Sometimes” (Stanza 4).
- Cindy’s most recent book is Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural and Personal History (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2020). Previous works include The Tallgrass Prairie: An Introduction and Tallgrass Conversations: In Search of the Prairie Spirit.
- You can find more of Cindy’s recent writing at her blog https://tuesdaysinthetallgrass.wordpress.com and her website https://cindycrosby.com
- Jeff’s reference to wonder comes from the chapter, “The Night the Stars Fell”, in A Touch of Wonder: An Invitation to Fall in Love with Life by Arthur Gordon (Carmel, New York: Guideposts Associates, 1974).
- Jeff talks about his hopes for common decency and civility, insights he learned from Richard Mouw’s Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010.
- Jeff is working on a book to be published in early 2023 by Broadleaf Press.
FINALLY
If this story were a book, its cover might read, The Crosbys: Heralding Wonder and Building Bridges. Like the stories of all Faith’s members, the book would have more chapters, more intriguing thoughts, more invitations to further conversations.
Each of our books is waiting to be read….
Read Previous Stories of Triumph and Inspiration:
Paula Serfling Nugent
Art Oberwetter
Beatrice Ndayisenga
Karen Finerty
Cole Swanstrom
Melanie Rohla
Kathy Dibadj
Bob and Sylvia Wulffen
Jason Loebach
Bob Hawkinson
Molly Hall Barrett
Grant and Mary Kelley
Retta Hennessy
Alan Foster
Pilvi Innola
Amy Kerman-Gutzmer and Patrick Gutzmer
Andrew Sells
Beth Nyland
Tom Wendorf
Art Oberwetter
Beatrice Ndayisenga
Karen Finerty
Cole Swanstrom
Melanie Rohla
Kathy Dibadj
Bob and Sylvia Wulffen
Jason Loebach
Bob Hawkinson
Molly Hall Barrett
Grant and Mary Kelley
Retta Hennessy
Alan Foster
Pilvi Innola
Amy Kerman-Gutzmer and Patrick Gutzmer
Andrew Sells
Beth Nyland
Tom Wendorf