Interview with Margaret Feinberg
about "The Organic God"

Added June 26, 2007

In The Library Reviews' Kathy Martin recently interviewed Margaret Feinberg, author of "The Organic God".

Kathy: In many ways, "The Organic God" is a book about simplicity. What made you want to know God "organically"?

Margaret: A few years ago, though, I did a spiritual inventory. When I got really honest with myself, I realized that God was still largely a stranger. I knew of him-like I know of the President or of Brad Pitt-but I didn't really know him. So I decided to go on a spiritual quest through the New Testament and key books of the Old Testament and write down every verse that revealed something about God. I wanted to know him organically.

What is organic? Organic is natural, pure and essential. In some regards, isn't that what we all want in our relationship with God? A Natural relationship. One that isn't manipulated or coerced or forced to be brighter, shiner or sweeter than it really is? A God-infused life that just bubbles up inside of us. Pure-because it's based on scripture. We get to know God through his Word. And Essential-because He is our lifeline.

Kathy: You were raised by a Jewish father and a Gentile mother. What kind of tension did that produce in your faith?

Margaret: I was raised in a Christian home with hues of Judiasm. My Jewish grandmother was pretty upset that my father had accepted Jesus, and I think she would have disowned him except that she wanted access to her only grandchild. So I became a kind of glue that held that branch of the family together. I learned about the differences between cultural and religious Jewish people about the same time I learned the difference between cultural and religious Christians.

Kathy: Can you share the story of asking your father for money when you were growing up? What did that experience teach you about God?

Margaret: Growing up, my dad was one of those people who simply loved being with people. He was a request for help as an opportunity for relationship. It wasn't about the act of service as much as it was an expression of love, care, and companionship. I remember that when I needed money to do something like go to a movie on the weekend, in my family that meant going to dad. And so if I was going to a weekend matinee, I would go to my father and say, "Dad, can I have money for a movie?" And no matter what I was asking for, he always gave the same reply: "How much do you need?" And I don't know what it was about my the way I'm made, but if I only needed $7.50 for a movie, I would only ask for $7.50, not thinking that I might need a few extra dollars for a snack or something afterward. And if I had a few dollars left over from the weekend before, I would be like, "I only need $5." And time and time again growing up, if I asked my dad for $5, he would give me a $10. And if I asked for $10, he would give me a $20. And if I asked for $20 or $30, he would give me $40 or $50 whether he could afford it or not.

And in those moments, my earthly father gave me an incredibly graceful understanding of how our heavenly Father interacts with us. Just like my dad our God is bighearted.

Our relationships with our earthly fathers-or lack thereof-often affect our faith journeys. When our fathers love us deeply there's kind of a natural tendency to view God that way. But if our fathers are absent, unapproachable or even abusive, sometimes those experiences can stain and pollute our understanding of God.

Kathy: You describe God as "surprisingly talkative." Can you describe one of those moments when God has spoken to you?

Margaret: There's a verse tucked away in Mark 6:31 that sometimes when I'm reading the Bible will feel like it was written just for me. It simply says, "Come away, to a lonely place, and rest awhile." Jesus spoke those words to the disciples, but when I read them or that verse flashes through my mind, it's like He's speaking them to me--issuing an invitation to slow down, get away, and refresh.

Kathy: What encouragement do you have for people who want to simplify their faith and discover God organically?

Margaret: No matter where you are in your life, God desires a real relationship with us. That relationship grows deeper through prayer, reading the Bible and spending time with others who are seeking to go further in their faith journey. Take your own organic journey. Try reading through the Bible in a year--just three or four chapters a day! Or pick a book of the Bible and read it not until you know it but until you own it. Study it in depth. Read different translations. Take advantage of online resources like www.crosswalk.com and www.biblegateway.com . Get to know God for yourself--you just might find yourself falling in love all over again.

Kathy: Thank you, Margaret, for taking the time to talk with us. Margaret can be reached at her website, www.margaretfeinberg.com. "The Organic God" is also available through Amazon.com at: www.amazon.com.

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