Book Review: Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith

I started hearing about this book during my first year of seminary. Everyone was talking about Barbara Brown Taylor's new memoir, Leaving Church. I bought it that first year, but like so many other books, it collected dust on a shelf until a few months ago.

I'm not sure why I picked it up. Perhaps I was feeling nostalgic for my seminary days. Although they are just over a year behind me, I sometimes feel like it's been ages since I've "mastered" the divine (as if that is ever possible). I missed thinking and talking about faith and the church like I used to, and so I was drawn to Taylor's book.

First of all, she is a gifted wordsmith. Well-known for expertly crafted sermons, Taylor's skill as a writer is profound. I experienced her gift with words from the first moment I opened the book. These words swept me up and surrounded me throughout the journey of Taylor's life. She creates such vivid images that I was transported beside her as I read her story. Taylor takes you along to the places she visits in a way that few writers can accomplish.

In addition to the elegant writing, Leaving Faith content is compelling as well. Taylor starts with a narrative explaining the many twists and turns she encountered as a child and young adult in search of an authentic faith. After much searching (and trial and error), she finds a home in the Episcopal Church and eventually becomes an ordained priest. After serving as an associate in thriving church, Taylor longs to serve a tiny church nestled in the North Georgia mountains. Only that church already has a beloved priest, and Taylor believes her dream to be impossible. But eventually her dream comes true, and she is called to that very church and begins to serve in what she believes to be her dream job.

A few years pass, and Taylor is miserable and must face the reality that she is mentally, physically, and spiritually depleted. She makes the difficult and courageous decision to leave both her beloved church, and church ministry all together. Stepping away from her dream is beyond challenging, but she ends up finding a new calling that continues to inspire and fulfill her.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in faith journeys, or is perhaps exploring religion, spirituality, and faith. Taylor's journey is compelling, and helped me to think about my own faith in new ways.

This book also has a lot to say, even to those of you who are not religious or spiritual. It is a phenomenal exploration of what it takes to walk away from something that you thought you wanted. I learned so much from the process that she describes and she makes such a difficult decision.

I loved this book, and am looking forward to reading some more of her memoirs. I have two others, and there is a new one that looks fantastic!!

Image from the author's website.

Amish Grace

I'm back after a long silence. Maintaining momentum has been a challenge for me on this blog, but I have so many great books to write about, I hope they will keep me going for a while! I'm trying to read at least 50 books in 2010 and with a little more than a week left until the half-way point, I'm up to 22 books. I think I'm on the right track!

On to today's book. I finished Amish Grace a few months ago, and it was fantastic. I remember hearing about the Amish school shooting several years ago. Although school shootings are always tragic and terribly unnerving, this one was particularly disturbing. I thought, of all places, a placid one-room school house in Amish Country would be immune to such horror. But the communities response to the tragedy was even more remarkable. I remember hearing about how members of the community reached out to the shooter's wife and even attended his funeral. I was amazed. I remember wanting to know more about their beliefs and their views on forgiveness, but never really took the time. That is, until I came across this book years later.

I was immediately attracted to its tranquil, idyllic cover, and excited to dive right into its contents. The authors provided a lot of background into the customs and history of the Amish people, which was really helpful to understanding their reaction to the shooting. They explained that forgiveness, while not easy, was an expected reaction to any kind of wrongdoing and was rooted in what they believe Jesus taught in the Bible. The authors also addressed many of the criticisms and questions they Amish were faced with in response to their acts of forgiveness.

I highly recommend this informative and beautifully crafted book. It provides a glimpse into another culture during its most challenging time.

Jerusalem Is Walking in This World

This is great happiness.

The air is silk.

There is milk in the looks

That come from strangers.

I could not be happier

If I were bread and you could eat me.

Joy is dangerous.

It fills me with secrets.

"Yes" hiss in my veins.

The pains I take to hide myself

Are sheer as glass.

Surely this will pass,

the wind like kisses,

The music in the soup,

The group of trees,

Laughing as I say their names.

It is all hosannah.

It is all prayer.

Jerusalem is walking in the world.

Jerusalem is walking in the world.  

Julia Cameron

I recently found Walking in This World, by Julia Cameron in the bargain bin at my local Borders.  Only $4!  I was thrilled!  It is basically a sequel to the wildly popular The Artist's Way.  I didn't even know there was a second book.  I knew the she had written others (including The Writing Diet, which I have and highly recommend.), but I didn't know about this specific title.  

I have heard countless people rave about The Artist's Way and I've owned it myself for several years.  After one unsuccessful attempt to work through the book about a year ago, I am trying again.  It is a 12-week "course" and I am almost finished with week 1.  So far, it has been an entirely positive experience.  It is all about uncovering your creativity as part of a spiritual path.  I have been feeling quite stuck lately, so I think the structure and inspiration of the book is just what I need right now.  It is getting me writing and reflecting every day, which seems to be very beneficial.

Also, I believe having "part two" is giving me some motivation to work through the original more diligently.  When I have finished that I will be at liberty to start my new find.  In the mean time, I have flipped through the pages a few times, and it looks delightful.  This poem was at the front, and I couldn't wait to share.  

Have any of you ever worked through The Artist's Way?  I would love to hear about your experiences.  Would anyone like to work through it with me now?  I'd love some company!

Love Poems From God

I love this book!  Love Poems From God, edited and translated by Daniel Ladinsky.  It's packed away right now, so I cannot show you a picture, but click in the link over to Amazon to check it out.  It includes prayers and poems by twelve different spiritual thinkers, writers, and leaders from multiple faiths.  These include Rumi and St. Teresa of Avila.  One year for Lent, I read a few pages each evening before bed and it was a deeply moving experience.  The language of each poem is exquisite, as are the deep spiritual truths behind them all.  It may reveal a different side of someone you've read many times before.  I highly recommend it.  

Henri Nouwen (Sunday Spirituality Series)

I am a huge fan of Henri Nouwen and this book is an excellent way to get into his work.  It's a book of 365 devotions.  Each day's devotion is thought-provoking, challenging, and also comforting.  I read the book (almost) every night a few years ago, and it was a highly rewarding experience.

Nouwen is an amazing spiritual thinker and writer.  I encourage you to look into the many books, essays, and prayers that he has written.  

For Tibet, With Love (Sunday Spiritual Series)

I studied in London for a semester in college.  It was amazing.  In addition to all the fabulous sites there, there were endless book stores to visit.  There was a Waterstones (basically the British version of Borders or Barnes and Noble) just down the road from where we attended classes.   I went there most days before or after class.  One book caught my eye there, but I had already bought way too many books on the trip.  My suitcases were going to be seriously overweight, so I just visited my precious volume from time to time.  

This book was For Tibet, With Love by Isabel Losada.  Finally, in my last week there, I bought the book for our post-finals trip to Italy.  On the plane from London to Rome, the train from Pompeii to Venice, the hostel in Florence, and everywhere in between, I read the book from cover to cover, then opened it again and read it through a second time.  By the time we were flying back from Pisa to London, I think I was reading Henry James.  

Anyway, about the book.  It's about a British woman who begins to learn more about the struggles of the Tibetan people and their oppression by the Chinese.  The book chronicles her journey to Tibet and also a later trip to India to meet with the Dalai Lama himself.  She also writes a great deal about the history of the Tibetan people and about the Buddhist faith.  I was completely captivated and inspired.  The subtitle of the book (and the American version's title if you want to buy it in the States) is A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World.  And it truly is.

The book is structured around the Serenity Prayer which is :

God, grant me the serenity 

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

She works with this prayer throughout the book and addresses each line of the prayer in a different section of the book.  

The prayer is usually attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, but the origins are somewhat hazy and sometimes disputed.  It's also the prayer that is used by AA in some form.  

As I was reading the Wikipedia article about it to learn a bit more about it for this post, I saw this Mother Goose nursery rhyme from 1695 that is cited there.  Some suggest that Niebuhr may have unconsciously received inspiration for his prayer from it:

For every ailment under the sun

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there be one, try to find it; 

If there be none, never mind it.

I love that rhyme!  It certainly does have some similarities to the prayer!

I hope that I can start my week with more serenity.  Remembering this prayer again has inspired me.  

For Tibet, With Love is a fantastic book-it is similar to Eat, Pray, Love in some ways, if you enjoyed that one.  Isabel Losada has written a few other books, including the Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment.  I haven't read it, but I hope to soon.  In this book (which preceded For Tibet) Losada tries out numerous spiritual and secular methods that are supposed to lead to enlightenment.  Another book to add to my list!  

The Four Agreements

For this week's Sunday feature of books about religion and spirituality, I want to share The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  I read this book both in high school and then again recently.  It is centered on four very basic statements.  On the surface, these statements, or agreements, are quite simple, but trying to live by even one of them has proven to be difficult.  The four agreements are:

Be impeccable with your word.

Don't take anything personally. 

Don't make assumptions.

Always do your best.  

I could never explain the full meaning and importance of the agreements like Ruiz does, so I'm not going to try to explain them.  This book is profound in its simplicity and its deep truth.  Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the agreements are so basic, it's hard to understand why we don't live by them already.  

I think I need to read it again already.  Each time I read it, I think I come a little bit closer to grasping the truths it speaks.  There is also a companion book that I have yet to read.  Hopefully, it will help some of the concepts from the first to cement for me as well.  I could definitely use more peace and wisdom in my life.  

I hope everyone had a relaxing and replenishing Sunday.  I spend a few hours in bed this afternoon reading upstairs while it was pouring rain outside.  I've just started a new novel.  More about that soon...

The Prayer of St. Francis

This is one of my favorite prayers/poems/songs:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

As I was typing this out, I could hear the music from the John Rutter version of this text that I learned in church choir back in high school.  There are many different and lovely versions of this prayer set to music.

Although this prayer is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, it cannot be definitively traced back to him.  Nevertheless, it remains a powerful source of inspiration and encouragement to myself and countless others.  

St. Francis' writings can be found along with the works of other remarkable spiritual thinkers in Love Poems from God.  It is a collection of poems and prayers from religious writers of several different faiths.  Each time I pick it up, I discover something new and always put it down refreshed and inspired.  Check it out.  

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

I don't know that I necessarily always subscribe to this philosophy, but I love this book.  It's a group of essays from fascinating spiritual leaders and writers of all faiths about how they find the sacred in everyday activities, like housekeeping.  The chapters are organized into household tasks like vacuuming, dishwashing, or sweeping.  It is a wonderful reminder about the importance of having mindfulness in even what seem to be "mindless" activities.  My favorite essay is probably by renowned Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, who writes about washing dishes mindfully and suggests imagining that you are washing a tiny baby Buddha.  

Check out this interesting and insightful book.  It has brought a little more peace and calm to my life.  

That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist

To continue my Sunday feature on spiritual writings and books, today I'm going to share a book about Buddhism.  That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist, by Sylvia Boorstein.  It's the fascinating record of the faith journey of a Jewish woman who finds meaning and joy with Buddhism.  As she becomes more involved with Buddhism, she continues to practices her Jewish faith as well.  As a Christian who is intrigued by Buddhist practices, Boorstein's journey was an insightful example of how I might navigate my own path.  It is also filled with funny stories and inspirational moments.  Check it out!

Credo

I've decided to start a regular feature on Sundays about religion, faith and spirituality.  I will include books, songs, prayers, poems, and quotations from many different faiths.  

For this first Sunday, I want to share on of my favorite books: Credo by William Sloane Coffin. Rev. Coffin was a freedom rider, the chaplain at Yale for many years, and the long time pastor at Riverside Church in New York. This book is a collection of excerpts and quotations from Rev. Coffin's many sermons and speeches, with occasional nuggets from other people added in.  

They are organized in different topics including faith, death, economics, and patriotism.  His words are inspiring and thought-provoking.  Here's one:

"The longest, most arduous trip in the world is often the journey from the head to the heart.  Until that round trip is completed, we remain at war with ourselves.  And, of course, those at war with themselves are apt to make casualties of others, including friends and loved ones."  

He also wrote some other superb books, including Letters to a Young Doubter.  It's a collection of letters from Rev. Coffin to a fictional college freshman.  His words are comforting, probing, reassuring, and challenging all at the same time.  

Rev. Coffin was a gifted writer and a powerful spiritual leader.