Ebook: An altar in the world: a geography of faith

In her critically acclaimed Leaving ChurchAn Altar in the World, she shares how she learned to encounter God beyond the walls of any church. From simple practices such as walking, working, and getting lost to deep meditations on topics like prayer and pronouncing blessings, Taylor reveals concrete ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of devotion if we pay attention to what we are doing and take time to attend to the sights, smells, and sounds around us. Making eye contact with the cashier at the grocery store becomes a moment of true human connection. Allowing yourself to get lost leads to new discoveries. Under Taylor's expert guidance, we come to question conventional distinctions between the sacred and the secular, learning that no physical act is too earthbound or too humble to become a path to the divine. As we incorporate these practices into our daily lives, we begin to discover altars everywhere we go, in nearly everything we do.;Introduction -- Practice of waking up to God : Vision -- The practice of paying attention : Reverence -- The practice of wearing skin : Incarnation -- The practice of walking on the earth : Groundedness -- The practice of getting lost : Wilderness -- The practice of encountering others : Community -- The practice of living with purpose : Vocation -- The practice of saying no : Sabbath -- The practice of carrying water : Physical labor -- The practice of feeling pain : Breakthrough -- The practice of being present to God : Prayer -- The practice of pronouncing blessings : Benediction.