The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look, and Listen to Life

Description

Learn to see God's remarkable works in the everyday ordinary of your life. Your remarkable life is happening right here, right now. You may not be able to see it--your life may seem predictable and your work insignificant until you look at your life as Frederick Buechner does. Named "the father of today's spiritual memoir movement" by Christianity Today, Frederick Buechner reveals how to stop, look, and listen to your life. He reflects on how both art and faith teach us how to pay attention to the remarkableness right in front of us, to watch for the greatness in the ordinary, and to use our imaginations to see the greatness in others and love them well. Pay attention, says Buechner. Listen to the call of a bird or the rush of the wind, to the people who flow in and out of your life. The ordinary points you to the extraordinary God who created and loves all of creation, including you. Pay attention to these things as if your life depends upon it. Because, of course, it does. As you learn to pay attention to your life and what God is doing in it, you will uncover the plot of your life's story and the sacred opportunity to connect with the Divine in each moment.

An ordained Presbyterian minister who has been hailed by the Boston Globe as "one of our finest writers," Frederick Buechner is the author of 30 works of fiction and nonfiction. His work has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize (Godric) and the National Book Award (Lion Country) and he has been honored by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He divides his time between Vermont and Florida.

"Frederick Buechner brings the reader to his knees, sometimes in laughter, sometimes in an astonishment very close to prayer, and at the best of times in a combination of both." * - The New York Times Book Review * "Frederick Buechner has inspired me not only with his writing, but with his generosity of spirit. I'm incredibly thankful." * - Rachel Held Evans * "Frederick Buechner is a beacon. When we can't remember what is true and what it all means, he's the person we turn to." * - Anne Lamott * "He isn't trying to persuade - he's trying to understand what he himself believes and thinks. And that honesty is more persuasive than the most polished argument." * - John Ortberg * "Frederick Buechner doesn't just show us how to write; he shows us how to live." * - Philip Yancey * "Frederick Buechner is not just a wordsmith but an image-smith - he's the bridge between Gutenberg and Google." * - Len Sweet * "To each new generation, his work is a revelation." * - The Lutheran * "Frederick Buechner gives new life to Christian truth." * - Katelyn Beaty * "With profound intelligence, Buechner's novel does what the finest, most appealing literature does: it displays and illuminates the seemingly unrelated mysteries of human character and ultimate ideas... One of our finest writers." * - Annie Dillard, Boston Globe * "If Frederick Buechner subordinated his nature and chose to write on naughts and nothings, he would still exalt his readers. When he is in representative harmony and writes of the accessibility of God to humanity and of humanity's agreement with its potential divinity, we, the readers, are lifted up, buoyed up, and promised wholeness." * - Maya Angelou * "You don't have to be in the habit of going to church to listen to such a literary minister; you don't have to be a believer to be moved by Mr. Buechner's faith." * - John Irving * "He raises the bar not only for Christian writers, but for all of literature." * - Mako Fujimura *