Barbara Brown Taylor is likely my favorite writer - check out this CBC interview.
Struggling to say "I'm sorry"? maybe this will help!
A brief parable for those who think their sin is private.
Another good parable - slightly longer.
Why getting the kids to obey is not the primary goal of parenting.
Is it ok for failures to be fun?
Here is a good question for leaders to ask once in a while.
And finally, here are a few Barbara Brown Taylor quotes that may promote pondering:
- As a general rule, I would say that human beings never
behave more badly toward one another than when they believe they are
protecting God.
- Having been brought up with a definition of faith as adherence
to a set of beliefs, I have more and more begun to turn instead toward
a definition of faith as openness to truth, whatever truth may turn out
to be.
- I know that the Bible is a special kind of book, but I find it
as seductive as any other. If I am not careful, I can begin to mistake
the words on the page for the realities they describe. I can begin to
love the dried ink marks on the page more than I love the encounters
that gave rise to them.
- It can be difficult to be an introvert in church, especially if
you happen to be the pastor. Liking to be alone can be interpreted as a
judgment on other people's company. Liking to be quiet can be construed
as aloofness. There is so much emphasis on community in most
congregations that anyone who does not participate risks being labeled
a loner.
- Salvation happens every time someone with a key uses it to open a door he could lock instead.
- The poets began drifting away from churches as the jurists grew louder and more insistent.
- We're children of God through our blood kinship with Christ. We're also sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, with a hereditary craving for forbidden fruit salad.
I agree. BBT is amazing. Also..I'm back.
http://islandcloseups.blogspot.com/
Posted by: John | November 15, 2009 at 20:49