my take: this book was a soothing balm for my tumultuous mind & soul this fall and early winter …. timing. is. everything.

as a comer-backer to Christianity, kathleen norris is particularly interested in the words that Christians bandy about … many times without full knowledge or with misguided notions. she dissects mysterious words with the mysticism of the ancient desert fathers and modern day nuns & benedictines.

many words are illustrated with stories from her own life and sermon writing. a poet, an unabashed feminist, an intellectual, and a humble returner to the small town church of her grandmother, she elegantly resurrects the root meaning of words like “faith,”  “dogma,” and “trinity.” she also works to release these words from the western (american) culture of individualistic fundamentalism. and thank God.

i was about ready to give up on church all together and she brought me back from the brink. so, lots of underlining in the chapter entitled “church.” also “organized religion.”

my source: BFF susan

my take: as anne lamott would pray: thank you, thank you, thank you. read as needed. great stuff.