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An Altar in the World  By  cover art

An Altar in the World

By: Barbara Brown Taylor
Narrated by: Barbara Brown Taylor
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Publisher's summary

In her critically-acclaimed Leaving Church ("a beautiful, absorbing memoir," said the Dallas Morning News), Barbara Brown Taylor wrote about leaving full-time ministry to become a professor, a decision that stretched the boundaries of her faith. Now, in her stunning follow-up, An 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.

©2010 Barbara Brown Taylor (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about An Altar in the World

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Sorry Audible.

Five minutes into this book I realized I couldn't listen to it. Sorry Audible, for me, I had to stop the recording and run out and buy the physical book. This book is one to savor, to linger over and contemplate, to write notes in the margins. But for those who can absorb the profound through just listening, this would be a great use of a credit!

I have no regrets having the book in both formats for now that I’ve read the paper version, I can now go back and listen to it on my iPod and learn even more.

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9 people found this helpful

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A Must Listen/Read!

What did you like about this audiobook?

Will listen over and over again!

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Love her voice, her humanity and connection to the reader.

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7 people found this helpful

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OUTSTANDING - SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

Barbara Brown Taylor walk with her readers in renewing their spiritual journeys. It is a book you can listen to over and over again.

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6 people found this helpful

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Vulnerable, honest, dark, loving, kind.

Brown doesn't tell you the truth. She takes you through her grappling with the questions. Anyone who's questioned the Bible because of its chauvinist, violent, dogmatic, or otherwise inaccessible qualities will do well to read this book.

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Insightful, heartfelt, lovely

I love Barbara Brown Taylor's down-to-earth Theology and presentation of it. It's so not-glossy, I felt I had a friend in her and the God she describes.

Loved it. Highly recommend!

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A Book That Touches My Soul

This book has touched my soul during a time of great emptiness, and a seemingly absent God from my life. This book has helped me see I am not alone and that God’s Altars are everywhere! Bless you!

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blessings and hope!

Another personal story from the life of a woman of the cloth! Her books are so relatable to the average person who seeks to understand the nature of God beyond just reading the Bible and attending church with a capital C.

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More Altar Aware

This book challenged my faith to see God, worship God, and feel God in more ways than just church. Excellent read!

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Slow soft comfort

This book put me in touch with how close I can keep God in my every day life. I often forget, but Barbara reminds me to keep my eyes open.

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Keep Thinking

This book is phenomenal… I’m not sure how I feel ending it. Barbara has made me re-examine life and the precious things there in! I will read this book many more times!! Thanks Barbs!

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