Christy Berghoef’s newest memoir explores political, spiritual journey

HOLLAND — Christy Berghoef says it’s not always easy to return home.

In her latest memoir Berghoef — known locally as a speaker, photographer and civil discourse consultant — said she was uncertain if she would be accepted back in her conservative community after a path that led her on a progressive journey.

Her newest memoir, “Rooted: A Spiritual Memoir of Homecoming,” was released in July 2025 and details Berghoef’s journey of coming home to this unknown.

Berghoef, 50, is a wife and mother of four currently residing in Holland. She spends her time building churches that are more progressive in thinking, solo backpacking around the world and gardening, which she writes about in her books, along with her love of nature photography, being a writer and an author. 

Her book expresses how her change in faith affected her life. 

Berghoef goes into how it's about “finding home and trying to figure out what home is. And can I ever be home once you’ve been away,” quoting Thomas Wolfe’s “We can never go home again.” 

The book is not just about a homecoming, but also Berghoef’s journey as a mother, connecting with the earth, and many more personal life experiences.  

She worked on “Rooted” for three years. It was originally for her to complete her doctorate at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, then she went through the publishing process and was officially published by Reformed Journal Books. 

While writing her doctoral dissertation, Berghoef took inspiration from authors like Rebecca Soulett, Robin Wall Kimmerer and William Wordsworth. She chose them for being the type of people “who tap into nature and find wisdom in nature.” 

The memoir was originally a collection of essays, but during the publishing process, they were turned into chapters; each chapter has a different theme, where Berghoef writes about her journey of faith and life experiences. 

Berghoef’s reason for writing the collection was that she had a realization that “there were so many people who are going through similar situations, but who don’t always feel they’re in a safe place to be honest about it or talk about it.” 

She said she wanted others to know they were not alone in what they were feeling, and that she wanted others to see the “beauty of nature” and the ways she portrayed the healthy ecosystems functioning in her book. 

Berhoef’s political evolution began when she left Holland to move to Traverse City, then to Washington, D.C. After being away from home for 10 years, she moved back home to Holland on a 40-acre farm with her family. By then, her life experiences had changed the way she saw things. 

“Being exposed to all kinds of other human realities that I just wasn't aware of here caused a significant shift in my politics,” she said.  

In the first chapter of “Rooted,” she writes about how she didn’t know if her or her family would be welcomed back home to her conservative Holland community after she went through a faith and political transition.

Berghoef is married to Bryan Berghoef, founder and lead pastor of Holland United Church of Christ.

Berghoef explained that her book is meant to be read in intervals, so the reader can explore the different musings the author puts forward in each chapter. 

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The book tells the story of her struggles and the perseverance of coming back to a place where she doesn’t know if she's welcome. She described it more as a slow book that readers should savor and think more deeply within themselves. 

She wants readers to “walk away with a sense of wonder” and that “the earth is something we should be in a relationship with, not be controlling over, not exploiting.”

The book, which has received positive reviews, is available on Amazon. 

Berghoef said she is not finished writing about her journey yet. She has already planned her next book, which will be about her Celtic spirituality and the experience of the divine in the natural world.

Learn more about Berghoef on her website, christyberghoef.com, and follow her on her Substack channel.

— Contact Katelynrose Birchmeier at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.