It Makes You Sit Back and Think

books:


	• Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith Anne Lamott Anchor, 2000 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 304 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

traveling mercies

My favorite book by Lamott. I read it at least once a year...for many reasons, but also to remind myself that no one is perfect and you don't need to be to follow Christ. The fact that she is willing to show us her sins and her shortcomings makes her all the more human, something that not many people are willing to do.

It Makes You Sit Back and Think

I've read several Anne Lamott books and this is a really great one. It's give you some great background on the author, who had a pretty interesting life, and on her spiritual experiences. The cool thing is that this book is religious but not conservative, shove-it-down-your-throat religious. It helped me gain perspective on things that were happening in my own life at the time. I highly recommend it.

for more information click here

Survived the journey.

I had really high expectations for Anne LaMott. And I was hoping that an introduction like this would drive me to read all of her work. I was expecting that this would hit me like the work of Donald Miller, but it really didn't. This had some very beautiful moments. But in short, a lot of times I found it getting on my nerves. But when I say that, I know that a lot of people have been inspired by her work. But also with something like this, you have 3 choices: Love it, hate it, or just survive the journey like I did and laugh in the right places.

I can say that I can respect a woman like Anne, because she's come a long way. That's obvious. She's honest in everything, added with a twist of humor through a lot of it. She writes openly about her struggles with the bottle, and basically her walk through faith. She speaks with pride of her son, Sam. In short, she doesn't complain about what she doesn't have, but about what she does have.

But then, yep, with me unfortunately there is a gripe or 2, and I couldn't help but letting it get on my nerves. Ok, one thing I strongly believe in is loving the sinner, hating the sin. Now I have to work with all kinds of people, and I get along with them for the most part. But unfortunately I know people out there might make the kind of remark that says, "Homosexuals are some of my best friends." HMMM. Seems like Anne LaMott is one to say that too. And she's proud of it as well! When I hear people make a statement like that, especially Christians make statements like that I sincerely have a couple of questions for them. First of all, who cares? Ok? Just because a homosexual happens to be YOUR best friend, that doesn't change what The Bible says about it, ok? And second of all, what're you really trying to do when you say that? Trying to make a point, or a statement? When people come out and make a remark like that, it looks as if you say that out of favor. Now, if you're trying to impress people, ok. But come on! I'm friends with black people. I'm white, and I actually have a few friends that are black, are you impressed? Didn't think so. Now, I've had my say, now it is time for me to clear something up. I'm not blind to the fact that we all have our obvious differences, but I've never bought into the con that homosexuals are "born that way". So, while I choose not to hate, I also choose to be somewhat intolerant. Another thing that DIDN'T fail to peeve me off was when Anne referred to God, she said, "He or She". Now, if people consider me a Bible thumper for saying this, so be it. But my Bible speaks of a Heavenly Father, not either or. When Jesus prayed the Lord's prayer, He specifically said, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." Either you believe that, or you don't. You may consider this petty, but I see it as a big deal, and I take my God seriously.

So, I dove head first into this, really hoping to LOVE this, page by page. But I survived the journey, just barely. I wish I could say that I'm searching the libraries to check out the rest of her stuff, but that won't be the case. The sincerity I can appreciate, but I don't agree with it all either. I will continue to ponder on the thoughts of this, and pray for the likes of the Anne LaMott's out there.

for more information click here

Inspiring, hopeful, humorous

This is a personal, touching and often funny chronicle of one woman's faith journey, including her struggles with single parenting. When I was in need of inspiration while writing my own book, "Healing: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love", I often would spend a few minutes reading this one. It energized me to keep going, keep writing, keep putting words on paper. Lamott's creativity is contagious.

Oooh, this was a good one.

Anne Lamott is one of the best non-fiction and autobiographical writers I know of. Along with "Bird by Bird", this book is her crowning achievement so far. There are two main things I like about Lamott-her relentless honesty, particularly about herself- and her great writing skills. It's like nitro and glycerine-put them both together and you get dynamite. This book offers plenty for mature Christians, the open-minded unbeliever, and those in between. That's extremely difficult to pull off, people. One should read this book, in for no other reason, than to see how well-written and engaging spiritual autobiography can be.

I would think that this book would be particularly helpful to those people who, like Lamott, were raised in spiritually deprived homes. Raised in an atheistic household in which she was taught that no one with sense believed in, of all things, Christianity, Lamott courageously and honestly worked through all that pseudo-intellectual junk in order to find a faith of substance she today can call her own. That's a very, very tall order. I admire her courage. It would have been so much easier for her not to fight for her right to honestly believe in a loving God. Pick up this book if you're in the same boat she has been in--you'll learn a lot about yourself in the process of reading it.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Advance Community Recommended Reading for Youth Ministers
The best books I've ever read... ever
My Spiritual Journey
Books I'm reading
31 books

search for books
some thoughts, faith, mercies, some, thoughts, traveling

Impressum / about us