Connect with God, memories, and your deepest self through the simple stuff of life. In this indelible work of spiritual formation, Episcopal priest and author Laurie M. Brock invites readers to contemplate ordinary things. How might the sacred astonish us by showing up in everyday items? Rocks. Cast iron skillets. Portraits. Calendars. Shoes. The regular objects of our lives can be conduits of God's love and grace--if we notice them. What if, instead of ignoring the things we use every day, we let them testify? What might our things say? In Souvenirs of the Holy, Brock helps us see everyday items not merely as objects gathering dust but as keepsakes from the literal and spiritual journeys we have taken. With pastoral presence, humor, and poetic grace, she helps us tap into the unseen realms underneath the things we take for granted: a coin from our father holding complex yearnings for love, the scar on our arm speaking of survival, the quilt on the bed holding scraps we've inherited, the garden shears reminding us that pruning brings forth new life. Join Brock on a journey of spiritual direction through everyday things, and discover the sacred in the ordinary. Reflect on the items in your life that connect you to a God who dwells within and beyond the material world. With creative ideas for praying with objects, this book is ideal for book clubs, church circles, and small groups seeking deeper, more tangible spiritual experiences. Holy things can be found outside of church buildings. What objects in your own life speak of usefulness? Of survival? Of guidance and redemption? Deepen your sense of God's enduring love through this spiritual field guide to all things sacred.
Rev. Laurie M. Brock is the author of Where God Hides Holiness, Horses Speak of God, and God, Grace, and Horses and the rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky. She is a frequent contributor to books and online spirituality resources, as well as a speaker at local and national events about faith. Brock is also a competitive equestrian. She graduated from law school at the University of Alabama and received her MDiv from The General Theological Seminary in New York City in 2002. She has served churches in Mobile, Alabama, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Introduction Chapter 1 Bread Crumbs: Things that Speak of Worth Chapter 2 Cast Iron: Things that Speak of Seasoning Chapter 3 Coins: Things that Speak of Scarcity Chapter 4 Scars: Things that Speak of Survival Chapter 5 Sidelines: Things that Speak of Liminality Chapter 6 Roads: Things that Speak of Usefulness Chapter 7 Calendars: Things that Speak of Accounts Chapter 8 Shoes: Things that Speak of Vulnerability Chapter 9 Rocks: Things that Remember Chapter 10 Garden Shears: Things that Speak of Pruning Chapter 11 Boxes: Things that Speak of Perhaps Chapter 12 Portraits: Things that Speak of Melancholy Chapter 13 Covered Bridges: Things that Speak of Meandering Chapter 14 Reins: Things that Guide Chapter 15 Quilts: Things that Speak of Redemption Conclusion Praying with Souvenirs of the Holy Acknowledgments Notes
"A cast iron skillet in a kitchen, a rock along a stream, a scar on a body: These everyday objects infuse our ordinary lives with divine simplicity, connecting people to places in a sacred world. Through accessible words and meditations, Laurie Brock reminds us to connect with the everyday as a form of contemplation and grounding but also as a pathway to our collective power in a world more overwhelming than calming. After reading Souvenirs of the Holy, I feel less fearful of our uncertain future and more equipped to draw on the energy of the sacred in my household, my community, and beyond." --Mallory McDuff, PhD, author of Our Last Best Act and Love Your Mother "Like a child opening a treasure box filled with cherished trinkets, collected rocks, and precious memories, Brock invites us to see(k) the extraordinary in the ordinary. Souvenirs of the Holy is a thoughtful and honest gift from a wise traveler, treasure hunter, and friend, generously shared with anyone seeking the sacredness in life's everyday moments and the boundless treasures that love brings." --Roger Hutchison, author of The Gift of Baptism, artist, and Christian educator "This is a book not about our shiniest, most prized possessions but about the everyday, oft-overlooked items that mean the most. Laurie Brock's writing has me not only imagining a meal from her grandmother's seasoned cast iron skillet, but wanting to share the story of my own inherited belongings that remind me of my 'belonging.' She beautifully weaves together the stories of our hearts with the good news that we are small but beautiful fabric scraps in God's incredible tapestry." --Callie Swanlund, priest and author of From Weary to Wholehearted
