An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
Author: Barbara Brown Taylor
Desc: In her critically acclaimed Leaving Church ("a beautiful absorbing memoir."—Dallas Morning News) Barbara Brown Taylor wrote about leaving full-time ministry to become a professor a decision that stretched the boundaries of her faith. Now in her stunning follow-up An Altar in the World she shares how she learned to encounter God beyond the walls of any church. From simple practices such as walking working and getting lost to deep meditations on topics like prayer and pronouncing blessings Taylor reveals concrete ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of devotion if we pay attention to what we are doing and take time to attend to the sights smells and sounds around us. Making eye contact with the cashier at the grocery store becomes a moment of true human connection. Allowing yourself to get lost leads to new discoveries. Under Taylor's expert guidance we come to question conventional distinctions between the sacred and the secular learning that no physical act is too earthbound or too humble to become a path to the divine. As we incorporate these practices into our daily lives we begin to discover altars everywhere we go in nearly everything we do.