Book Review: Lessons in Belonging

Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe, by Erin S. Lane

I am less than halfway through this book, and in the midst of a busy Advent season at church with all the typical preparations for Christmas of a family with a young child. I want very much to sit down and spend a couple hours reading more of Erin Lane's story. She writes compellingly of her own spiritual journey, her skittishness about settling down longterm in a place, a community, and yet her half-embarrassed desire to feel a sense of belonging and connection that she can trust.

As someone born on the cusp of Generation X and the Millennial generation, and as a fellow seminary graduate, I resonate with some of what she describes, while other sections are more individually her particular experience or personality. But throughout, I appreciate her theological reflections along the way, and her thoughtfulness about what parts of her own story might be broader, typical of her generation or of humanity in general.

I believe that American society in the 21st century is deeply skeptical of earnestness, intimacy, discipline, and commitment, and the Christian faith offers meaningful resources to consider and respond to the culture around us. I love the idea of the church as "a vehicle of disillusionment" (p. 14), in the best sense - stripping us of the romantic-but-ultimately-unhelpful visions we have of relationships and life in general, helping us to see more clearly and live more truly and deeply.

I recommend Lessons in Belonging for anyone who likes the idea of church, but not the reality; anyone who loves and is invested in the church, who wants to understand younger, less-committed-to-institutions generations a little better; anyone else who identifies with the statement, "I want to belong, but I don't know how."

Erin Lane's website
Lessons in Belonging on Amazon

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.

This Day in History

70 years ago today, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

50 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law.

Each day, we get to choose which values we will live out:
Violence - or nonviolence?
Destruction - or democracy?
Death - or life?

My friends, let us choose life. In all its complicated, messy, painful glory. In all its beautiful, transcendent, infuriating mystery.

Choose life, not just for yourself or for some, but life abundant and eternal, with liberty and justice for all, with compassion and hope for all, with beauty and wholeness and joy for each person, each nation, each ecosystem of this amazing universe that God created.

I believe that is how we draw close to God, by drawing closer to each other, by seeing God's divine image in each face, by recognizing each person as our sister, our brother. By listening to the cries of those who suffer and taking action for love and justice and healing.

Choose life. It isn't always easy, but it's the best way forward.

Book Review: Pray Like a Gourmet

Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul, by David Brazzeal
Reviewed by Kerry Greenhill

I am a prayer book junkie. I love books on prayer and spirituality – I love buying them, love reading them, and sometimes I even put them into practice. Sometimes. So while I liked the premise of Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul, I didn’t expect to learn much that was new, or gain insights I hadn’t heard before. I was pleasantly surprised.

The extended metaphor of prayer as a meal we can enjoy in God’s company works on many levels. I have to admit, the first couple chapters I was resisting the author’s style and found it a little cheesy. But that may say more about my inherent skepticism than a flaw in the writing.

The insight I found most intriguing is the idea that you can plan your prayer time – like a menu – based on types of prayer (praise, confession, lament, joining, etc.) and modes of expression (writing, music, movement). I realized that my unexamined expectation was that you schedule your prayer time, then it just happens – maybe with words, maybe with silence, but spontaneously, as the Spirit leads. I like the idea that the Spirit can lead you through planning a richer, more diverse, and more creative combination of approaches than whatever your default is.

I also appreciated the specific suggestions for how to experiment with the different types and modes of prayer. There are lots of ideas for practical application here, along with sound theology that leaves room for readers of a variety of perspectives.

I love the high-quality paper and full-color artwork that graces the pages. One minor frustration was that some of the text is in yellow or orange, making it difficult to read. Fortunately, these are generally only a word or phrase here and there, so it doesn't interfere significantly with the book's readability.


Ultimately, I found Pray Like a Gourmet to be an interesting, accessible read that would work well for individual or group study. I commend it to all who are seeking to expand or deepen their prayer life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.