read

“My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.”

Barbara Brown Taylor

This is the book I have chosen to highlight first. It is so hard to choose because there are so many books I love, but this is the one I have read most recently and I totally devoured it. I want to bring something to you from each chapter over a period of time. This quote comes from the introduction.

In this book, Barbara Brown Taylor walks through ways to be aware of the movements of God in the ordinary things of life – places we might not think to look for Him. She explores areas like being in our bodies, the act of walking, the joys and challenges of relationships, the discipline of saying ‘no’, the sacrament of our pain…..all from the perspective of considering them as spiritual practices.
For example, in her quote above, she highlights the fact that God is not separate from our real world. So many times, I have been taught that God…or the Kingdom of God…is somewhere out there. Although the Holy Spirit dwells within, God reveals Himself in innumerable ways. I tend to look only what I consider sacred places. I may think He is more evident in the spiritual rather than the physical. Or that He is interested in my soul but not so much in my body.

The reality is – He is everywhere and part of everything…while He is inside me, the evidence of God is all around me.

Today, may you allow the distinctions between all things secular and sacred to fade away. May you pay attention to the physical aspects of the world and notice the spiritual contained within and may you honor your body as you nurture your soul.

Grace and peace,
Deb