In her critically acclaimed Leaving Church, 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.
New Release: February 2009
It is always good to hear from B.B. Taylor and this is no exception. This is very different from past books because she is now completely removed from the Priesthood and is now working as Prof. for religion. Her ideas of altars in the world are thought provoking. Helps one to see what we are missing when we only look at the big picture. She is honest and open about her own shortcomings (as she sees them) and as always, honesty is the best policy. I enjoyed "Leaving Church" more because of the depth but it is good to hear from her in a less serious mode.