New Great Wednesday @ 6:00 Offering I will offer a new teaching series for our Great Wednesday @ 6:00 program beginning September 10. We will do a book study with discussion and reflection of Barbara Brown-Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith.
Taylor’s book is a spiritual memoir and guidebook that helps readers recognize that the sacred is not confined to church walls but is woven into the fabric of daily life. Taylor, an Episcopal priest and gifted storyteller, teaches that one can encounter God in ordinary practices and experiences — walking, paying attention, being still, engaging with others, working, resting, and even making mistakes.
The book is structured around twelve “practices” — ordinary human actions that, when done with intention, open us to God’s presence:
1.The Practice of Waking Up to God (Vision) – Seeing the divine in the world around us.
2.The Practice of Paying Attention (Reverence) – Cultivating reverence for life by noticing the small and ordinary.
3.The Practice of Wearing Skin (Incarnation) – Embracing embodiment as a means of experiencing God.
4.The Practice of Walking on the Earth (Groundedness) – Connecting spiritually through walking and being present in creation.
5.The Practice of Getting Lost (Wilderness) – Allowing disorientation and uncertainty to lead us deeper into trust and discovery.
6.The Practice of Encountering Others (Community) – Meeting God in strangers and relationships.
7.The Practice of Living with Purpose (Vocation) – Finding meaning in ordinary work.
8.The Practice of Saying “No” (Sabbath) – Observing rest and limits.
9.The Practice of Carrying Water (Physical Labor) – Experiencing the holiness of manual work.
10.The Practice of Feeling Pain (Breakthrough) – Letting suffering be a teacher.
11.The Practice of Being Present to God (Prayer) – Broadening prayer beyond words to presence.
12.The Practice of Pronouncing Blessing (Benediction) – Speaking blessing into everyday moments.
Her central conviction is that the whole world is God’s altar, and life itself — with its ordinary, messy, and painful realities — can be sacramental when approached with awareness and openness. If you would like to be a part of this GW@6 offering, please contact Terri in the church office at (251) 626-2421. The book costs $10.00 and we will order them before the first class based on the number of people who have signed up for the class. As always, we will gather on Wednesday evenings in Malone Hall at 6:00 for a meal and begin our class promptly at 6:30. Thack
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