Chapters 18 -25

I have enjoyed reading this book. There were many instances when I laughed at her directness. I am in awe of both her dedication to and the scope of the food pantries she developed. She fed the body and the spirit. However, as the book progressed, I wanted to see her broaden her interpretation of communion. Initially she made a wonderful connection between the communion meal and reaching out to feed those in need physically and spiritually. Though,with the exception of her description of administering communion to her dying friend, I didn't get the sense that I shared the same understanding of communion. Communion as the representation of Christ's suffering and death for our salvation.

Discussion: Chapters 10-17

I am amazed at Sara's ability to continue to grow so much in her faith and to expand her love for God by serving others. In Chapter 17, The Desert, she talks about recognizing that the beautiful space and rituals we experience while attending church, while important, aren't the only places we should be "seeing" God. And this moves her to go searching in the nearby projects, delivering food in assistance to another pantry.Later, she writes that one of her friends notes that once "church powers" start to control how communion is handled, it gets "further and further from the power and the genius of that meal." What do you think about that?

Discussion: Chapters 1-9

I have to be honest, Take This Bread, isn't what I was expecting. It's a brutally honest look at religion from a person who had no faith to start with. Unlike, Girl Meets God, Sara Miles comes to church not knowing what to expect and being overwhelmed with the feelings she has when she receives communion. But as I read further, I appreciate her transformation and feeling that God has spoken to her and she hears, "Feed my sheep." Her connection with food reminds me a bit of another author, Ruth Reichel, and the beginning of the book reminded me of some of Reichel's tales. Reichel, a former food critic for the New York Times and editor of Gourmet, doesn't follow a religious path.

What has struck you the most about the book so far?

Live blog changes to Sept. 23

Hello everyone,
Hope you're all enjoying the book this session. There are several of us who have a conflict with next week's "live" blogging session. We will be moving that session to Thursday, Sept. 23. I apologize for the schedule change.

Beginning in September, we'll be reading Take this Bread by Sara Miles.

Linda Post Bushkofsky from the WELCA wrote this review of the book: "I thought this was going to be yet another memoir of a California-based journalist who finds religion and becomes an Episcopalian. There’ve been a lot of those. It was this, but then so much more. Miles’s faith is grounded in the Eucharist, the table to which Jesus invites all. Since she wasn’t raised in the faith, Miles doesn’t get bogged down in rituals and pretense, like so many cradle Christians do, and instead lives the Gospel and creates church – communion – in a food bank that serves all, without question."

The "live" blog will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 16 and will cover Chapters 1-9; Chapters 10-17 on October 21 and finish with Chapters 18-25 on November 18. If you have any questions about the blog, please contact Kim Shindle at kimstamps@comcast.net.

As I finished this book, I was struck by something profound Nora says in the chapter, Pentecost. As they prepare for their workshop on homosexuality, Mark, their priest questions where the church as been as people grapple with divorce, birth control, homosexuality and other issues. And both Mark and Nora suggest this is how the church has become irrelevant in so many people's lives. Because it is "standing on the sidelines or insisting on rigid standards while a whole generation dealt with sudden sexual liberation and confusion." I think this is a fascinating observation. And the process as this church tries to decide whether to call a homosexual pastor is another issue churches grapple with as well.

Lent, Holy Week, & Eastertide

I like the way she dovetails the message of the church season not only with her involvement in the church's life and mission, but also the events of her personal life. I find myself really identifying with her as she describes typical lay involvement in church activities. There were a few things that hit close to home! But, if I take only one thing from this text, it is the statement that it is (the monk's job) "to make sure I know where the gas stations are". What a great analogy for our need to know where we can be "filled up" or for that matter, that we need to periodically stop and fill up.

I liked the comment - "Holy week is the ultimate list". Do we get too caught up in the details, planning, and behind-the-scenes involvement that we lose sight of the message of a particular church season?