“Divine reality is not way up in the sky somewhere; it is readily available in the encounters of everyday life, which make hash of my illusions that I can control the ways God comes to me.” WayI CanRealitySkyDivineIllusionEverydayAvailableEncountersEveryday LifeHash Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“When I say I trust Jesus, that is what I mean: I trust that the way of life leads through perishability, not around it.” WayMeanJesus Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“I am always surprised by people who speak of faith as if it happens in the air somewhere. Our bodies are God's best way of getting to us. Revelation begins in the flesh.” PeopleIfsWayBodyHappensSpeakAirFleshBest WayRevelations Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“The great thing about civility is that it does not require you to agree with or approve of anything. You don't even have to love your neighbor to be civil. You just have to treat your neighbor the same way you would like your neighbor to treat your grandmother, or your child.” WayChildrenDoeLove YouLike YouTreatsOur ChildrenAgreeNeighborGreat ThingsYour ChildrenGrandmotherCivilityYour GrandmotherLove Your Neighbor Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“With all the conceptual truths in the universe at His disposal [Jesus] did not give them something to think about together when He was gone. Instead, He gave them concrete things to do - specific ways of being together in their bodies - that would go on teaching them what they needed to know when He was no longer around to teach them Himself ... "Do this" He said - not believe this but do this - "in remembrance of me.” ThinkingKnowsWayGivingBelieveSaidBodyTogetherUniverseJesusTeachGoneTeachingGoes OnNeededThings To DoConcreteRemembranceBeing Together Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“There was no time anymore to be quiet or still or pray. So, in many ways, that's what led to my downward spin.” WayStillsPrayingQuiet Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“The boundaries became constrictive in what I was doing, and if my faith grew, it was because I pressed some of the boundaries in ways I hadn't felt comfortable or responsible doing that before.” IfsWayFeltGrewComfortableResponsibleBoundaries Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“The value for me being in a mainline tradition is history and memory, which is not just Christian tradition but denominational tradition, and characters, you know, with real distinct flavors of ways to be Christian.” KnowsWayRealCharacterChristianValuesMemoriesTraditionFlavorHistory And Memory Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“To get God on your side is a great way to feel powerful.” WayFeelsSidesPowerfulYour Side Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“To be fully human is perhaps why I'm Christian, because I see in the life of Jesus a way of being fully human.” WayHumansChristianJesus Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.” PeopleWorldWayNeedsIdeasProblemChurchSaving Book:An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith Source: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
“What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. 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.” WorldWayGivingHumansI CanRealSoulBodyEarthSpiritualFoundAttentionDependsBecomingActivityOrdinarySacredConvictionTreasureReal LifeSavingHuman LifeDistinctionReal WorldSecularEngagingExquisiteBecoming MorePhysical Activity Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“If churches saw their mission in the same way, there is no telling what might happen. What if people were invited to come tell what they already know of God instead of to learn what they are supposed to believe? What if they were blessed for what they are doing in the world instead of chastened for not doing more at church? What if church felt more like a way station than a destination? What if the church’s job were to move people out the door instead of trying to keep them in, by convincing them that God needed them more in the world than in the church?” PeopleIfsKnowsWorldWayTryingBelieveMightHappensJobsMovingFeltChurchSawsDoorsNeededBlessedMissionsWhat IfDestinationStationsInvitedConvincing Book:Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith Source: Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
“Salvation is a word for the divine spaciousness that comes to human beings in all the tight places where their lives are at risk, regardless of how they got there or whether they know God's name. Sometimes it comes as an extended human hand and sometimes as a bolt from the blue, but either way it opens a door in what looked for all the world like a wall. This is the way of life, and God alone knows how it works.” KnowsWorldWayHumansSometimesHandsNamesHuman BeingsKnow HowRiskDoorsDivineWallBlueSalvationKnowing GodBoltsHuman HandsSpaciousness Author:Barbara Brown Taylor
“In a world where faith is often construed as a way of thinking, bodily practices remind the willing that faith is a way of life” ThinkingWorldWayPracticeWillingWay Of Thinking Book:An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith Source: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
