Bread of Angels

by Barbara Brown Taylor

Book Overview

As Barbara Brown Taylor reminds us, the Israelites received the bread of angels-- manna--as they made their way through the wilderness. So too is God made known to us in the simple things that sustain our lives. With humor and an eye for human stubbornness, Taylor points to just how much like the people of scripture we can be--stiff-necked and ungrateful in the face of God's bounty.

Taylor moves through the span of the Bible in her search for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561011428
• ISBN13: 9781561011421
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Cowley Publications
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

This is a GEM!

This is, without a doubt, the best sermons by the best preacher I have ever heard. Having had the pleasure of attending classes given by Barbara, and having heard her preach several times, this book has become a classic in my gift giving arsenal. Read it, and you will never think of grits the same way again, you'll have a new outlook on 'family values', and new understanding of 'we don't dance' and a new readinng for Christmas Eve (have handkerchief handy...if the tears don't come, there's something the matter with the reader.

Feed Your Soul with This Book

It used to be, not so very long ago, that ordinary people read sermons the way they now read novels-in their spare time, for both edification and enjoyment. If this idea seems strange to you, then chances are you have not read anything written by Barbara Brown Taylor. Taylor is an Episcopal Priest and the rector of Grace-Calvary Church in Clarksville, Georgia. Taylor University has also named her one of the ten top preachers in the English language. That having been said, you will also want to know that she is in great demand as a speaker. Dr. Taylor is a preacher of uncommon skill, but we must not stop there. Her fresh images and stimulating ideas are so engaging that this book really can work as a personal devotional tool. It would serve equally well as a neighborhood or small group study, or something to read with one dear friend or family member and then talk about in detail over a pot of tea or by a crackling fire. For, just as you "think between the lines" during the course of a sermon, so too, in Taylor's book, you have the perfect chance to allow your own Christian experience to engage with the truths Taylor presents. If the names of each chapter, such as, "The Trickle Up Effect," "How Not to Hinder God" and "Why the Boss Said No" begin to peak your interest, they should! Taylor has a style that is accessible; she speaks to the modern mind and heart. Consider this passage, from the book's title sermon: "Jesus is God's manna in the wilderness, the one who reminds us day by day that we life because God provides not what we want, necessarily, but exactly what we need: some bread, some love, some breath, some wine, a relationship with this ordinary looking man, who comes from heaven to bring life to the world." (Page 11). I suggest reading one chapter a week, reading that chapter several times in the week, and living with the insights presented there, as a spiritual discipline. Taylor's bread of angels will prove to be an excellent guide in your devotional life. If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Bread of Angels Will Feed Your Soul

You won't believe this, but this collection of sermons is a real page turner. I started it with a plan to read one essay a day for my devotional. Instead, I quit reading the fine fiction book I was halfway through and devoured Bread of Angels, reading long past my bedtime every night. The sermons are funny and touching, challenging yet encouraging. I'm now looking at old Bible stories in a new way, finding deeper meaning and real help for life. I'm going to buy copies to give to family and friends. Pick up a copy of Bread of Angels. It will feed your soul in ways you never expected.

A "not-to-be missed book!

Barbara Brown Taylor is a captivating preacher! This book of sermons gives the reader a new way to think about age-old topics (as with her other books). This is the perfect way to start the day!

Great sermons by a great preacher

Barbara Brown Taylor has an amazing gift which she share freely in this book and her others. I like to think of her as a preachers preacher. Being a preacher myself, I learned to read and listen to sermons with a critical and often unfair ear. So, a sermon must be really, really good to escape criticism. The sermons in this book are that good. What makes them so wonderful. Barbara Brown Taylor has a unique way of looking at the text. She compares the fierey furnace story to a Tom Clancy movie, She compares mana in the wilderness to gritts, and she retells the Christmas story is a beautiful and touching way without being sappy. This book is great for preachers looking for uniques stories and angles. It is also good devotional type reading for those who's preaching is done through living life.