Scan barcode
ptothelo's review
4.0
I read it as part of the book group at Church in August and really enjoyed it, especially the way she talked about how our relationship with God isn't just about being in church, it's in the way we interact with the world and people around us. I liked her take on the Sabbath and importance of rest and the beauty of getting lost once in a while.
freckleduck's review
5.0
I loved this book. I found it to spark a number of insightful moments and just moments of fate. I feel like this was the right book at the right time that has helped me to see how God is everywhere.
shirleytupperfreeman's review
This is a book to be savored. We read it in our weekly book group and slowed it down to one chapter a week. There is a lot of material for thought and discussion. Each chapter describes a life-enhancing, spiritual (in some senses of the word) 'practice.' The practice of 'waking up to God', the practice of 'wearing skin', the practice of 'encountering others', and many other practices receive thoughtful analysis. Barbara Brown Taylor is a master of the written and spoken word. While this is an 'easy' read, you'll definitely want to keep it around for re-reading.
zoereads88's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I read it slowly savoring each chapter. I appreciated that each chapter introduced a new way to connect with God in a way outside the norm. My only note of critique is that it is clearly written to a privileged audience so some of the anecdotes come across as a little out of touch.
aliciagriggs's review
3.0
I really liked this book. I love the focus that you don't have to go to church to worship and to pray, but rather, as God made the world, use the world and everyday things to worship and praise God. The book teaches that every little thing, an insect, a stick, is worthy of praise and prayer. The book recommends we slow down, pause, and remember God in our every day, mundane activities; an interesting concept.
What I disliked about the book is the hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance that the author shows towards animals. She even tells a rather disturbing story about seeing chickens being transported to their death, feeling sorrow for them, and then declaring that she will continue to eat chickens regardless... It disgusted me actually, and made me feel something akin to dislike and disrespect for her. How can I truly respect someone who says that we should honour, respect, and even love every one of God's creatures, and then in the next instance declare that she will eat them, regardless of knowing about their suffering. Only a fool would think that these animals that are used for their flesh, skin, or secretions don't suffer- they were born to die, an horrific truth, and hardly respectful, especially when considering that their natural lifespan is radically reduced to a few weeks or years, and that they spend most, if not all, of this time in suffering, humiliation, terror, and pain. To know this, and still voice that we should rejoice them...hypocrite!
Throughout the book, just as I forget or move on from the hypocrisy, she voices another inconsistent action towards animals, such as praying for hunters to have a successful hunt, or voicing yet again her enjoyment of eating animal flesh.
If she didn't mention these things and I took what she said about nature, loving it and respecting it, then I would think she didn't eat animal products. So her actions and her values are not aligned, which makes this book so difficult in parts to respect. If this wasn't the case, it would be at least four stars, but unfortunately, I find myself struggling with her teachings when her lack of awareness and alignment is so stark.
A lot of interesting things to consider and interesting ways to draw closer to God.
What I disliked about the book is the hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance that the author shows towards animals. She even tells a rather disturbing story about seeing chickens being transported to their death, feeling sorrow for them, and then declaring that she will continue to eat chickens regardless... It disgusted me actually, and made me feel something akin to dislike and disrespect for her. How can I truly respect someone who says that we should honour, respect, and even love every one of God's creatures, and then in the next instance declare that she will eat them, regardless of knowing about their suffering. Only a fool would think that these animals that are used for their flesh, skin, or secretions don't suffer- they were born to die, an horrific truth, and hardly respectful, especially when considering that their natural lifespan is radically reduced to a few weeks or years, and that they spend most, if not all, of this time in suffering, humiliation, terror, and pain. To know this, and still voice that we should rejoice them...hypocrite!
Throughout the book, just as I forget or move on from the hypocrisy, she voices another inconsistent action towards animals, such as praying for hunters to have a successful hunt, or voicing yet again her enjoyment of eating animal flesh.
If she didn't mention these things and I took what she said about nature, loving it and respecting it, then I would think she didn't eat animal products. So her actions and her values are not aligned, which makes this book so difficult in parts to respect. If this wasn't the case, it would be at least four stars, but unfortunately, I find myself struggling with her teachings when her lack of awareness and alignment is so stark.
A lot of interesting things to consider and interesting ways to draw closer to God.
holdenehlinger's review
4.0
A moment i won’t soon forget was reading this book on an airplane while a woman near me was also reading it. I pointed this out to her and we ended up having a very meaningful conversation for 30+ minutes about faith. Turns out she has read this book dozens of times and was able to share all the ways it’s impacted her faith.
-> “‘Honestly,’ he said, ‘I don’t think it through, not now. I tell God what I want. I’m not smart enough or strong enough to do anything else, and besides, there’s no time. So I tell God what I want and I trust God to sort it out.’ Maybe that is what Jesus meant about coming to God like a child.”
-> “‘Honestly,’ he said, ‘I don’t think it through, not now. I tell God what I want. I’m not smart enough or strong enough to do anything else, and besides, there’s no time. So I tell God what I want and I trust God to sort it out.’ Maybe that is what Jesus meant about coming to God like a child.”
bluestarfish's review
5.0
Barbara Brown Taylor offers practical ways of engaging with spiritual practises that are sort of DIY, anyone can do them without going on expensive courses etc. It's a book about longing: "for more meaning, more feeling, more connection, more life . . . [People] know there is more to life than what meets the eye. They have drawn close to this 'More' in nature, in love, in art, in grief. They would be happy for someone to teach them how to spend more time in the presence of this deeper reality". And a book about addressing that longing.
I found her style of writing warm and enthusiastic and wise, and I loved her affirmation of the body and that matter matters. None of the practises are unique or new, but I like her way of talking about them and encouraging you to have a go. The act of doing will teach you what you need to know.
I found her style of writing warm and enthusiastic and wise, and I loved her affirmation of the body and that matter matters. None of the practises are unique or new, but I like her way of talking about them and encouraging you to have a go. The act of doing will teach you what you need to know.
sheridacon's review
5.0
This was my first Barbara Brown Taylor book but it won't be my last. I wanted to highlight the whole book. Taylor's insights and observations are profound but it is her language that captured my heart. Every sentence is like chocolate. I wanted to savor every single word. Just beautiful. I wish I could write like this.