{"title":"Barbara Brown Taylor","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"leaving-church-a-memoir-of-faith-paperback","title":"Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHave you ever felt like you've had more questions than answers? Have you ever been troubled by the hard truth that life is equal parts disappointment and hope?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Barbara Brown Taylor in \u003ci\u003eLeaving Church \u003c\/i\u003eshares, \"This is not the life I planned, or the life I recommend to others. But it is the life that has turned out to be mine, and the central revelation in it for me--that the call to serve God is first and last the call to be fully human--seems important enough to witness to on paper. This book is my attempt to do that.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce hailed as one of America's most effective and beloved preachers, eloquently tells the moving and delightful story of her search to find an authentic way of being Christian--even when it meant giving up her pulpit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/i\u003e will remind you to observe the world around you, that you're not alone if you're struggling with your faith, and to never give up on your search for authenticity. This book is more than a memoir, it is a profound yet fresh wilderness experience that will remind you to keep walking in your faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"This beautiful book is rich with wit and humanness and honesty and loving detail....I cannot overstate how liberating and transforming I have found Leaving Church to be.\" --\u003cb\u003eFrederick Buechner, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeyond Words\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"A finely crafted memoir . . . a rich evocation of her lifelong love affair with God.\" -- \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"Taylor is a better writer than LaMott and a better theologian than Norris. ...she is the best there is.\" -- \u003cb\u003eLiving Church\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy now I expected to be a seasoned parish minister, wearing black clergy shirts grown gray from frequent washing. I expected to love the children who hung on my legs after Sunday morning services until they grew up and had children of their own. I even expected to be buried wearing the same red vestments in which I was ordained.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday those vestments are hanging in the sacristy of an Anglican church in Kenya, my church pension is frozen, and I am as likely to spend Sunday mornings with friendly Quakers, Presbyterians, or Congregationalists as I am with the Episcopalians who remain my closest kin. Some-times I even keep the Sabbath with a cup of steaming Assam tea on my front porch, watching towhees vie for the highest perch in the poplar tree while God watches me. These days I earn my living teaching school, not leading worship, and while I still dream of opening a small restaurant in Clarkesville or volunteering at an eye clinic in Nepal, there is no guarantee that I will not run off with the circus before I am through. This is not the life I planned, or the life I recommend to others. But it is the life that has turned out to be mine, and the central revelation in it for me -- that the call to serve God is first and last the call to be fully human -- seems important enough to witness to on paper. This book is my attempt to do that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter nine years serving on the staff of a big urban church in Atlanta, Barbara Brown Taylor arrives in rural Clarkesville, Georgia (population 1,500), following her dream to become the pastor of her own small congregation. The adjustment from city life to country dweller is something of a shock -- Taylor is one of the only professional women in the community -- but small-town life offers many of its own unique joys. Taylor has five successful years that see significant growth in the church she serves, but ultimately she finds herself experiencing compassion fatigue and wonders what exactly God has called her to do. She realizes that in order to keep her faith she may have to leave.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaylor describes a rich spiritual journey in which God has given her more questions than answers. As she becomes part of the flock instead of the shepherd, she describes her poignant and sincere struggle to regain her footing in the world without her defining collar. Taylor's realization that this may in fact be God's surprising path for her leads her to a refreshing search to find Him in new places. \u003cem\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/em\u003e will remind even the most skeptical among us that life is about both disappointment and hope -- and ultimately, renewal. \u003c\/p\u003e--Nora Gallagher, author of \u003ci\u003ePracticing Resurrection\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBy now I expected to be a seasoned parish minister, wearing black clergy shirts grown gray from frequent washing. I expected to love the children who hung on my legs after Sunday morning services until they grew up and had children of their own. I even expected to be buried wearing the same red vestments in which I was ordained.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday those vestments are hanging in the sacristy of an Anglican church in Kenya, my church pension is frozen, and I am as likely to spend Sunday mornings with friendly Quakers, Presbyterians, or Congregationalists as I am with the Episcopalians who remain my closest kin. Some-times I even keep the Sabbath with a cup of steaming Assam tea on my front porch, watching towhees vie for the highest perch in the poplar tree while God watches me. These days I earn my living teaching school, not leading worship, and while I still dream of opening a small restaurant in Clarkesville or volunteering at an eye clinic in Nepal, there is no guarantee that I will not run off with the circus before I am through. This is not the life I planned, or the life I recommend to others. But it is the life that has turned out to be mine, and the central revelation in it for me -- that the call to serve God is first and last the call to be fully human -- seems important enough to witness to on paper. This book is my attempt to do that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter nine years serving on the staff of a big urban church in Atlanta, Barbara Brown Taylor arrives in rural Clarkesville, Georgia (population 1,500), following her dream to become the pastor of her own small congregation. The adjustment from city life to country dweller is something of a shock -- Taylor is one of the only professional women in the community -- but small-town life offers many of its own unique joys. Taylor has five successful years that see significant growth in the church she serves, but ultimately she finds herself experiencing \"compassion fatigue\" and wonders what exactly God has called her to do. She realizes that in order to keep her faith she may have to leave.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaylor describes a rich spiritual journey in which God has given her more questions than answers. As she becomes part of the flock instead of the shepherd, she describes her poignant and sincere struggle to regain her footing in the world without her defining collar. Taylor's realization that this may in fact be God's surprising path for her leads her to a refreshing search to find Him in new places. \u003cem\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/em\u003e will remind even the most skeptical among us that life is about both disappointment and hope -- and ultimately, renewal. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51291321696479,"sku":"9780060872632","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/bOlKFcMwSW9780060872632.webp?v=1788015132"},{"product_id":"an-altar-in-the-world-a-geography-of-faith-paperback","title":"An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Taylor is one of those rare people who truly can see the holy in everything. . . . Savor this book.\" -- \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Taylor writes fluently, with an eye and ear for the striking image and memorable phrase. Many readers, especially the vast numbers of the \"unchurched\" but \"spiritual,\" will find support and useful counsel.\" -- Library Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eAn Altar in the World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times bestselling\u003c\/i\u003e author Barbara Brown Taylor continues her spiritual journey by building upon where she left off in \u003ci\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/i\u003e. With the honesty of Elizabeth Gilbert (\u003ci\u003eEat, Pray, Love\u003c\/i\u003e) and the spiritual depth of Anne Lamott (\u003ci\u003eGrace, Eventually\u003c\/i\u003e), Taylor shares how she learned to find God beyond the church walls by embracing the sacred as a natural part of everyday life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Altar in the World\u003c\/i\u003e shares: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeaningful ways to discover the sacredness within the small things like walking, working, and prayer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow your ordinary tasks can be a chance to meditate if you take time to notice the sights, smells, and sounds around you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe importance of true human connection.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaylor shows us how to discover altars everywhere we go and in nearly everything we do as we learn to live with purpose, pay attention, slow down, and revere the world we live in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn her critically acclaimed \u003cem\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/em\u003e (a beautiful, absorbing memoir--\u003cem\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/em\u003e), Barbara Brown Taylor wrote about her experience leaving full-time ministryto become a professor, a decision that stretched the boundaries of her faith. Now, in her stunning follow-up, \u003cem\u003eAn Altar in the World\u003c\/em\u003e, she shares how she learned to encounter God far beyond the walls of the church.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaylor reveals meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working, and prayer. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation if we pay attention to what we're doing and take time to notice 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. As we incorporate these practices into our daily lives, we begin to discover altars everywhere we go, in nearly everything we do. Through Taylor's expert guidance and delicate, thought-provoking prose, we learn to live with purpose, pay attention, slow down, and revere the world we live in.\u003c\/p\u003e--Kate Campbell, singer-songwriter\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn her critically acclaimed \u003cem\u003eLeaving Church\u003c\/em\u003e (\"a beautiful, absorbing memoir\"--\u003cem\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/em\u003e), Barbara Brown Taylor wrote about her experience leaving full-time ministryto become a professor, a decision that stretched the boundaries of her faith. Now, in her stunning follow-up, \u003cem\u003eAn Altar in the World\u003c\/em\u003e, she shares how she learned to encounter God far beyond the walls of the church.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaylor reveals meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working, and prayer. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation if we pay attention to what we're doing and take time to notice 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. As we incorporate these practices into our daily lives, we begin to discover altars everywhere we go, in nearly everything we do. Through Taylor's expert guidance and delicate, thought-provoking prose, we learn to live with purpose, pay attention, slow down, and revere the world we live in.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51291727560927,"sku":"9780061370472","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/XSowzNBJfQ9780061370472.webp?v=1788022335"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/barbara-brown-taylor.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}