A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles
Marianne Williamson
A short devotional guide to spotting God's love in everyday life, organized around six facets: love, presence, praise, grace, hope and purpose. Every one turns into a simple daily practice, whether you call yourself a believer, a doubter or neither.

1 min 02 sec
If faith has started to feel like a duty, or like something you lost track of between work and worry, Savannah Guthrie offers a simpler place to begin. In Mostly What God Does, the Today co-anchor builds her reflections on a single line from Eugene Peterson’s The Message, a translation of the Bible into plain modern English: “Mostly what God does is love you.” She had known the verses of Ephesians 5 in their formal wording and found them pleasant but distant. Peterson’s version hit her like lightning.
Her claim is that this love stays constant. It shapes every detail of a life, whether a person calls themselves faithful, faithless or unsure, and it can be noticed through six facets: love, presence, praise, grace, hope and purpose. Every facet turns a large belief into a small habit, from sitting in silence to recognizing that the harsh voice in your head does not speak for God.
1 min 32 sec
Most of us assume love has to be deserved, which makes God feel furthest away on our worst days. Guthrie borrows two pictures from family life to argue for a very different kind of bond.
1 min 45 sec
The signal, Guthrie says, has never stopped broadcasting. So why do so many people hear nothing at all, and why might the message that finally gets through be one they would rather not receive?
1 min 31 sec
Praise can sound like flattery for a God who needs compliments. Guthrie reads it another way, and her reading turns an anxious habit you probably have into an early warning sign worth paying attention to.
1 min 49 sec
Many sincere believers hear a relentless voice listing their failures and assume it is God’s. Guthrie thinks that one confusion keeps people from the very mercy they are looking for, and she names its source.
1 min 30 sec
People who fear their questions disqualify them from believing often keep those questions hidden. Guthrie makes a case for hope that holds even if certainty never arrives, and it gives doubt an unexpected job.
1 min 25 sec
Being good at something and being called to it are not the same. Guthrie locates purpose at a specific crossing point, and finding yours starts with things you already notice every day.
1 min 14 sec
The six facets look like separate subjects, but in Guthrie’s hands they form one movement. Love is received, given room in silence, answered with gratitude, guarded from the false voice of the critic, held onto through doubt, and finally passed on to someone else. At every step the work is noticing something that, in her view, was there all along.
That is why one plain sentence from Peterson’s translation can carry a whole book. Faithful, faithless or unsure, the reader is invited to see their life as shaped by care rather than inspection.
The practices she supports are small enough to start today. Begin the morning by choosing to stay in that love, the way a marriage is chosen again each day. Give yourself a stretch of quiet to tune in to a station that never stops broadcasting. When worry rises, look up and name what is good. And when the harsh inner voice starts building its case against you, remember whose voice it is not.
Everything else, Guthrie suggests, grows from believing that first line.
Plenty of people know the famous lines of scripture, but the formal language leaves faith feeling distant, and daily noise does the rest. Savannah Guthrie felt that way about a familiar passage from Ephesians until she read it in Eugene Peterson's The Message, a translation into everyday modern English. One line from it hit her like lightning: mostly what God does is love you. Her book builds on that sentence. Guthrie argues that this love stays constant and touches every detail of a person's life, whether they think of themselves as faithful, faithless or somewhere in between. To make the idea usable, she divides the relationship with God into six facets: love, presence, praise, grace, hope and purpose. Every facet opens with a Bible verse and invites quiet reflection. Readers get a gentle, accessible way back into faith. They can treat love as a choice renewed daily, make room for silence, use gratitude against worry, and stop mistaking a harsh inner critic for God. Guthrie also welcomes doubt as part of believing, and she offers a way to find a calling where personal joy meets the world's need.
Believers whose faith has gone dry or formal and who want a gentle way back.
Doubters and seekers who suspect their questions disqualify them from faith.
People worn down by worry and self-criticism who want daily practices rooted in scripture.
Savannah Guthrie is a broadcast journalist and attorney who graduated from Georgetown Law. She joined NBC News in 2007 as a legal analyst and correspondent, has co-anchored Today since July 2012 and serves as NBC News' chief legal correspondent. Her work has earned an Edward R. Murrow Award and several News Emmys, and she entered the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2022. A New York Times bestselling author, she also wrote the Princesses Wear Pants children's books.
Listeners find the book evocative, noting that its significant reflections on biblical passages stir deep emotions. The prose is considered exquisite, with one listener highlighting that it feels as though Savannah is talking directly to the audience. Additionally, the writing is very accessible and relatable; one listener compares the experience to a friend chatting, while another suggests it is ideal for daily reading. Listeners also value the book’s lovely presentation and see it as a soft nudge regarding God's love.
After seeing her on the Today Show for years, I didn't know what to expect from a book on faith by a news anchor. To be fair, Savannah Guthrie surprised me with how much depth she actually brought to these pages. It feels less like a polished sermon and more like a warm conversation with a close friend over coffee. She doesn't claim to be a theologian, but her reflections on the nature of God’s love are incredibly centering. I found myself highlighting so many passages that reminded me of how God is always present, even when we aren't paying attention. Some chapters are shorter than others, making it a perfect daily read for busy mornings. It’s a gentle, beautiful reminder that we are cherished by the Creator.
Show moreThis book is a literal breath of fresh air for anyone feeling burnt out by rigid religious structures. Savannah writes with a sublime clarity that makes complex spiritual truths feel accessible and deeply personal. I loved how she organized the essays into themes like Presence and Praise, allowing the reader to jump around depending on what they need that day. Truth is, I wasn't sure if a lawyer-turned-journalist would have much to say about the heart, but her vulnerability regarding motherhood and doubt was moving. It’s not a memoir in the traditional sense, but rather a collection of realizations that God is mostly just loving us. I’ll be keeping this on my nightstand for a long time.
Show moreEver wonder how someone in the high-pressure world of broadcast news maintains their peace? This book provides a beautiful answer by pointing directly back to the constant, unwavering love of God. The way she describes God as a radio station that’s always transmitting really stuck with me. We just have to be the ones to tune in. Her writing is conversational and lacks any pretense of being an expert, which actually makes her insights more relatable. I appreciated the heavy focus on the Psalms and the way she weaves her own motherhood stories into the biblical narrative. It’s a quick read, but the emotional weight of her reflections stayed with me for days.
Show moreThe chapter on "Presence" alone made the entire purchase worth it for me. Savannah captures the feeling of searching for God in the mundane moments of life better than many professional authors I’ve read lately. Look, she isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here, but she is offering a very sincere testimony of how faith has sustained her. I particularly enjoyed the way she talked about being "loved into being" and how that confidence changes our posture toward the world. It’s an encouraging, uplifting book that doesn’t shy away from the reality of fear or anxiety. Whether you're a long-time believer or just curious, her perspective is incredibly welcoming and kind.
Show moreAs someone who struggles with a busy mind, the "centering" quality of Savannah’s writing was exactly what I needed this month. She has a talent for taking the frantic energy of our modern world and contrasting it with the stillness of God’s presence. I loved the short chapters because I could read one before bed and actually have something peaceful to meditate on. It’s clear she has spent a lot of time reading spiritual leaders like Shauna Niequist, and that influence shows in the gentle, inviting tone. This isn't a book of hard answers, but a book of beautiful questions and reminders. I’ve already recommended it to several women in my Bible study group.
Show moreFinally got around to listening to the audio version of this, and Guthrie’s voice adds such a personal layer to the experience. The thirty-second musical interludes at the end of each chapter were a nice touch, giving me a moment to actually breathe and pray. Most spiritual books by celebrities feel a bit superficial, but this one felt grounded in actual Scripture and lived experience. I specifically resonated with the sections on grace and purpose, as they felt very applicable to my own career struggles. Occasionally the writing felt a bit repetitive, but the core message of Ephesians 5:2 really shines through. If you need something to calm your spirit during a chaotic commute, this is definitely the right choice.
Show morePicked this up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by how much scripture was packed into every single chapter. Savannah Guthrie has a way of taking a familiar verse and making it feel brand new through the lens of her own experiences. Frankly, it’s refreshing to see someone so successful be so open about their need for God’s grace and presence. The structure of the book makes it very easy to digest, though I do wish some of the essays went a bit deeper into the "why" behind her beliefs. It feels like a series of thoughtful blog posts or diary entries, which makes it very approachable for someone who isn't usually into religious texts. Definitely a solid four-star read.
Show moreHonestly, I found myself nodding along to so much of this book because her experiences with spirituality felt so familiar. Savannah Guthrie manages to balance being a high-profile professional with the humility of someone who knows she doesn't have it all figured out. The way she incorporates the Message translation of the Bible was a great choice for this specific, conversational style of writing. I did find the audiobook's silent periods a bit long when I was trying to multitask, but they work well if you’re actually sitting still. It’s a lovely, relatable work that reminds us that mostly, what God does is love us through our mess. It’s a solid addition to any spiritual library.
Show moreWow, I really wanted to love this more given how much I enjoy the Today Show. While I appreciate Savannah’s heart and her courage to speak about Jesus in the public square, the content felt a bit like "Christian lite" to me. It’s very palatable and nice, but it lacks the grit I was hoping for in a book about faith journeys. Some of the anecdotes felt a bit fractured, jumping from one thought to another without a strong cohesive thread. Not gonna lie, I was slightly annoyed by the constant qualifiers she used to avoid offending anyone. It’s a sweet read and very easy to get through, but it didn't leave a lasting impact on my spiritual life.
Show moreNot what I expected from a celebrity book, as it felt much more like a devotional than a standard autobiography. To be fair, the writing style is very simple and at times felt a little too "self-help" for my personal taste. I struggled with the pacing in the middle sections where the essays felt a bit disconnected from one another. However, her sincerity is undeniable, and there were several moments where her words hit me right when I needed them. The focus on God’s love as a constant reality rather than a reward for good behavior is a message we all need to hear more often. It’s a good gift book, even if it wasn't a life-changer for me.
Show moreIt is a devotional book built on a line from Eugene Peterson’s The Message, a modern English translation of Ephesians 5: mostly what God does is love you. Guthrie argues that this love is constant and shapes every part of life. Her approach breaks it into six facets, namely love, presence, praise, grace, hope and purpose, and every facet comes with its own Bible verse and an easy practice to try.
Guthrie writes for people whether they consider themselves faithful, faithless or somewhere in between. It suits believers whose faith feels distant or formal, seekers who carry doubts they fear are disqualifying, and anyone weighed down by worry or a harsh inner critic who wants a warmer, more accessible picture of God.
She treats doubt as part of faith rather than its opponent. Faith, in her view, keeps being challenged and confirmed, so doubt is a normal stage in its growth. She also argues that choosing hope enriches life more than cynical hopelessness, and she presents Jesus as a source of comfort when the largest questions, including death, feel heavy.
Guthrie’s practices are small. Treat God’s love as a choice you renew each day, as in a marriage. Set aside quiet time to listen, which she counts as prayer. Turn to gratitude when worry rises; the book passes on the idea that worry can signal God has slipped from the center. Stop treating your inner critic as God’s voice, and look for your calling where your joy meets the world’s need.
Marianne Williamson
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Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
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