Finding Our Way Illuminates

A Review of:

Finding Our Way Again

by Brian McLaren

Like the aging actor, fumbling lines he has long ago committed to memory, America’s sense of faith seems to have forgotten the lines. We’re in danger of being lost in a watered down soup that could only be described as postchristendom.

Brian McLaren sounds a warning that is at once heartening comfort food for the wandering spiritual traveler, and a gentle wakeup call for sleeping souls.

Finding our way is about integrating ancient liturgical practices of the Catholic and Anglican tradition with the individualized spontaneity of Protestantism. The broken marriage between Catholics and the Reformers has divided the church for centuries and produced a spiritual disorientation that McLaren believes can be made whole by a return to practices that have only been preserved in certain denominations. Far from a book about reviving dead ritual, the book sparkles with meaningful suggestions about transforming each day into a new worshipful experience with God. 

One fly in the ointment for the average Christian is McLaren’s inclusion of Islam as one of the three Abrahamic religions. While he doesn’t develop this idea, it stands out as an odd grouping to a westerner. 

Questions at the end of each chapter provide opportunity to interact with the book. 

I received  a copy of the book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through the booksneeze program in return for my honest opinion.

Learning to integrate web and blog

I am,  or by extension, my tech-savvy hubby and I are, endeavoring to transform my blog/website into the glorious creation I envision it to be. Embedding a blog into a website is eluding us for the moment...Thanks for bearing with us. My daughter even tried her very capable hand and we are still at "a blog link at the top of a website". Does anyone else have this problem? Of course I could hire a company...

I will be reviewing books here in the future as well as ruminating on life, as usual.

The summer rolls on and so much of what we do is centered on a different mindset in this season. CS Lewis said someday "summer will come true". I understand just what he meant, as I am a summer lover. Rampant, raging sunlight, and the possibility of doing all those childish things we all pretend we don't need to do anymore, like eating outside, and wishing on the first evening star.

Still, after July 4th, it all unravels pretty fast. so here's to holding tight to the ball of yarn called summer and keeping every last moment! In California, we even pretend summer extends to beyond the first day of school, because...well...it does. So get out there and have an ice cream cone, get a sunburn, and take time to sit under the indigo sky. It rarely gets better than summer!

Please feel free to drop any recipes or summer ideas that you may be entertaining. I welcome the feedback. Twitter is my communication of choice. (twitter.com/amylmaris) Hope to see you here or there!