"The last place people look <for the spiritual life> is right under their feet, in the every day activities, accidents and encounters in their lives."
"An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith" - Barbara Brown Taylor
"An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith" - Barbara Brown Taylor
Coming from a Catholic upbringing where religious study was limited to mandatory Religion classes in elementary and high school, the thought of joining an adult Sunday school class after I became United Methodist was an alien concept to me. But after a 34-week Disciple Bible study, I began to understand how uplifting, sustaining and nourishing it can be to be part of a circle of faith and a faith community at large. My husband and I joined a class soon after the Bible study concluded and have been members for nearly 20 years now.
By most standards, our class is a little eclectic. Although we have actually studied Scripture on occasion, we prefer to read and discuss more topical books on spirituality and faith and our current book of study led to the title of this blog in general and this post in particular; Barbara Brown Taylor's, "An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith".
I can't remember the last time I have read a "religious" book that resonated with me so strongly that it moved me to tears right out of the gate. Seriously, I cried twice in the first chapter alone. Maybe it's because I have also walked the lava flows on the Big Island of Hawai'i and felt the same raw power in the earth beneath my feet and the newness of black rock that is younger than I am that Taylor describes so vividly in the first few pages of that chapter. Maybe it's because throughout the book, the author voices so eloquently feelings that I have harbored for years and I now feel vindicated and no longer alone.
By Taylor's reckoning, even the tiniest, sometimes most inconsequential things in our daily lives can be a source of meditation, introspection and spiritual nourishment in their own way. From learning to love and accept ourselves in our own skin, to embracing and recognizing the simple joys that can be found in physical labor. Even allowing ourselves to find the inner strength that lies deep within the core of each of us when we face physical pain. Chapter by chapter, she leads us by example through the moments of her life where she found reasons to feel reverence and awe in the chaos and quietude of everyday living and encourages us to do the same in each passing day.
In any case, this book is a treasure and I highly recommend it to everyone. And in this spirit I gratefully dedicate this blog to Barbara Brown Taylor. Thank you for sharing your insights into finding your way through your personal geography of faith. Through this blog I hope to do the same. This is my way of sharing the altars in the world that I encounter along the way on my life's journey and my personal journey of faith.
