Invisible Lines of Connection: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary

by Lawrence Kushner

Book Overview

Through stories of everyday human encounters Lawrence Kushner takes us deeply into our lives to find spiritual insight. In this book, literature meets spirituality, the sacred meets the ordinary & people of all faiths can meet one another & themselves.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1879045982
• ISBN13: 9781879045989
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Ebeneezars and Baseball Cards

This book inspired me. It changed the way I teach and look at the world. Here is something that I remembered from my life because of reading this book.I picked this book up again the other day. I usesd to be an avid baseball card collector. Recently I was looking through the pages of the albums that I had collected. I realized that these cards were more than money value. These cards were a tangible connection to different periods in my childhood and adolescence. Looking at them brought back a flood of memories. I laughed at the thought of some of my buddies. I got a little nostalgic thinking of the times I spent in my friend Zach's living room trading cards. I remembered going to a junky baseball card shop with Kyle and Ryan in Safety Harbor, Florida and the excitement I heard when my mom said, "yes" to my inevitable question, "can I buy a pack?" Perhaps that is why my cards sit on the top shelf of my closet collecting dust, even after nine moves. They sit there as a physical representation of all the memories that are stored inside me. They are a portable reminder of a time when I felt safe and the world made more sense. In the scriptures, God instructs the Hebrews to set up stones when they are to remember things. Perhaps some of those cards are my stones?

We Are All Connected...

I found "Invisible Lines of Connection" to be a really insightful, enjoyable read. In fact, I didn't want the book to end! Through a series of true, personal short-stories, the author (Lawrence Kushner) shows how sacred our daily experiences/lives are, and how everyone & everything is ultimately connected to everyone/thing else. The stories are categorized under four "main" topics - that of reverence, inheritance, responsibility & connection - with each story providing examples of how each of these topics can show up in our lives. I really liked the fact that the author put himself out there - sharing HIS stories, so that we all might gain an understanding through his experiences. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in those invisible, pervasive lines of connection that influence our lives, and help to make us who we are.

Everyday Meaning

I borrowed this book from a friend and have already read it twice. As a Jewish professional, I had heard about "the other Rabbi Kushner!" but had not read his writings before. I loved his down to earth, practical, easy to embrace spirituality combined with his intellect, humor and modesty. I am trying to figure out how I can use this book in my work - thank you Rabbi Kushner.

Best written of the recent wave of sweet inspirational books

There have been many books of this genre lately, but this is by far the best written. In four dozen short, free associational essays, Kushner addresses many of the deeper issues of life. If you are looking for an accessible way of thinking about the problem of evil, the dilemma of closeness and letting go, the issue of meaning within apparent chaos, this is the book to read. Some will want to go to deeper and more challenging books after this one. For those who like dessert before the main course, Kushner is the choice.