Behind the Scenes (December)
What saved my life this year, my favorite writings, and new hope for 2025.
My first year on Substack
I launched this Substack back in September. I’d been building an email list through my website for a couple of years, but I’d fallen out of love with it. The interface on Squarespace felt awkward and limited. The pressure of a traditional email list made me feel like everything I sent had to be very short and click-baitey. And there wasn’t an ecosystem to grow in. So I made the jump to Substack and it’s been one of the best things that happened to me this year.
I love the community around Substack. It’s full of people who love to write and love to read, not just people mindlessly scrolling through feeds until the catchiest or most sensational hook grabs them.
I love the Substack platform. They’ve done such a great job of building a powerful system that is designed to support and accelerate writers. From the simple but flexible design options, to the subscription support, to the instantaneous social media resources after posting…it’s just awesome.
Most of all, I love that Substack has made me feel the permission to write the way I want to. I’m just not built for trendy video or outrage farming or spewing pithy, sticky one-liners on Instagram. The space to express deeper thoughts that have had a hold on me, in long form, has been so energizing.
THANK YOU so very much to all of you who have subscribed here. It still feels like such a blessing and privilege to have faithful followers who want to read the things I’ve written. I’m excited for this coming year and committed to giving you more and more of my best thoughts.
My favorite posts this year
The Profane Presence of God
One of the most harmful implications we make in the Church is that a service or sanctuary is where you go to experience God’s presence—as if His presence is not ablaze all around us, all the time.
Mirrors and Stars
There are few things more fundamental or more restorative than looking up and feeling small. It seems no coincidence that as our vision of creation has caved in, we have become larger in our own eyes. We are swollen selves at the center of a sad, shrinking universe. And we are miserable for it.
Noise Pollution of the Soul
For a generation of overstimulated and spiritually starved Christians, embracing a practice of silence could be more needed and more transformative than even another sermon or devotional.
What saved my life this year
Laughter
Ever since I resigned from staff at Elevation Church two years ago, my daily life has become a lot more lonely. I used to spend the majority of my days surrounded by friends that I loved (and a few people that I didn’t). Becoming a remote, working-from-home, consultant meant that my social connections decreased dramatically overnight. I’ve learned that I have to fight a lot harder for friendships now that they don’t happen through mere proximity. And every time I catch up with a friend on the phone or drive out to grab lunch with someone I haven’t seen in a while, it’s like cold water for my thirsty heart. Laughter, I’ve found, is powerful medicine. It hasn’t come as easily this year, but it’s everything when it does.
Yoga
One of the best Christmas gifts I ever received was a thin travel yoga mat from Manduka that I can fold up in my small carry-on luggage. I’m on the road A LOT. The mental and physical fatigue of travel stacks up quickly, but being able to practice yoga in hotel rooms across the nation has saved me. There’s something so grounding about being on the floor. The gentle flowing movements of yoga work wonders in terms of rejuvenating my stiff muscles and joints after a long flight. And the 30 minutes I spend, present in my body, connected to my breath, are like a hot shower for my busy mind.
Family
In February our second daughter, Freya, was born. I won’t lie—the transition from one small child to two has been unbelievably hard. But the rewards are even greater than the hardships. Quiet moments at home, watching the wonder in my daughters’ eyes, are the most holy times in my life. My wife Kristin is a hero, and watching her push through the challenges of postpartum and care for our daughters so well when I’m on the road, has been a joy. We haven’t been able to take as many date nights or vacations or family trips as we’d like to, but home has become a sacred (although messy) sanctuary this year.
What’s Next
2025 will be a year of new beginnings for me. I’ve been working with a consulting group for the past two years, but I’m transitioning to full-time solopreneur in this next season.
My focus will be on two things primarily:
Helping churches and businesses learn how to develop leaders better
Helping individuals grow into who God created them to be.
That will likely consist of a combination of work—consulting engagements, teaching opportunities, classes, and individual coaching. Of course writing will still be a major part of my regular rhythm, and I plan to continue building out the dream of our travel company Wonder Passage.
If you’re interested in learning more about my professional work you can check out my website www.gregbasch.com.
In 2025 I’m also looking forward to…
Going back to Iceland for a wonder passage.
Going to Italy with Kristin for our 10-year anniversary.
More date nights and falling back in love with our town.
Seeing more National Parks (I’m shooting for Olympic in March).
Being my own boss and controlling my own schedule.
Getting better sleep.
Lifting weights again, and doing more yoga.
Spending more time with friends around the country.
Being more honest and less filtered in my content online.
Getting creative in building more of a community around this Substack.
Dreaming about the first book I’ll write.
Cheers to the end of one year and the start of the next.
For me, 2024 was a big mixture of a lot of things. There was deep struggle but also great blessing. There was some rapid change, but mostly a lot of long-suffering. It was a good year, and a hard year, but I’m grateful. And I’m full of hope and vision and imagination for the next.
Much love,
gb