Out of the House of Bread: Satisfying Your Hunger for God with the Spiritual Disciplines

Description

Our spirituality needs revival, but the disciplines of the Spirit often go covered with dust, lying unused by Christians because they feel too much like rules. But what if they weren't rules? What if they were conversation starters? Invitations to discover God right now, today? In Out of the House of Bread author Preston Yancey leads us in a new but old direction of spirituality engaging the symbolism and experience of spiritual disciplines made plain and accessible by the baking of bread. The benefits of this book of devotion include: finding a nearness to the holiness of Go and feeling and experiencing the forgiveness of God. You'll learn again the disciplines of celebration, confession, and conversion, encountering new avenues of prayer along the way. Each chapter pairs a spiritual discipline or practice with insight to the baking of an extraordinary loaf of bread. Readers encounter ancient practices such as the prayer of examen, lectio divina, intercessory prayer, icons, and wonder. Yancey shows how, like in Brother Lawrence's kitchen in The Practice of the Presence of God, that when you lift up your hands to God and pray, God will show up right there in the midst of your work and livelihood while you bake. Out of the House of Bread is a glorious celebration of the sacraments and the seasons of God, meant as reminders and forms of prayer to take readers closer to God in worship. An appendix about gluten-free and vegan bread and suggested reading and artwork for contemplation complete the book.

Preston Yancey is a lifelong Texan raised Southern Baptist who learned to read saints, cross himself, and move across the world. He thinks of himself as a patchwork Christian, who is most at home within the Anglican tradition. He is a writer, painter, baker, and academic. He subsists on a diet of caffeine and God's grace. He spent some time living in St. Andrews, Scotland but currently resides in Texas and is soon to be married.

Nothing in the world smells better than fresh-baked bread. Preston Yancey's words are the book equivalent. These are thoughts to nourish the soul. * JOHN ORTBERG, senior pastor, Menlo Church; author of All the Places to Go * This book is meant to be savored. Slow down, pour a glass of wine, go to your kitchen, pray in the ordinary ways, because you're about to meet with the Holy Spirit in these pages, and you will be changed. It's haunting, lyrical, tactile, and freeing. Preston's book is a homemade altar: gather and lift up your hands. * SARAH BESSEY, author of Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith and Jesus Feminist * I will never be a baker of bread. But the way Preston Yancey uses baking bread as an image for our formation in Christ is memorable and profound. There is much wise-heartedness to be received, practiced, and savored here. * SHARON GARLOUGH BROWN, author of Sensible Shoes: A Story of the Spiritual Journey and Two Steps Forward: A Story of Persevering in Hope * This book will give you two uniquely related gifts---it will make the spiritual disciplines as well as the art of baking bread warmly accessible. From the moment Yancey invites us to pray a blessing over our kitchens---and mine was especially messy that day---we are invited to view the incarnation with fresh eyes. God with us, unembarrassed by the mess that characterizes our lives and profoundly interested in seeing us changed. In a world where we are held hostage by our own busyness, Yancey reminds us how to be still. How to be intentional. How to knead dough. How to have relationship with a God who is both spirit as well as fully bodied. I am gratefully adding this book to my shelf of cookbooks as a reminder that the daily practice of the spiritual disciplines is as important to the soul as bread is to the body. And just as satisfying. * LISA-JO BAKER, author of Surprised by Motherhood and community manager for (in)courage. * Out of the House of Bread is a well-formed, beautifully kneaded, and perfectly timed metaphor, one that led me into a more thoughtful practice of the spiritual disciplines. Never heavy handed, Yancey's words serve as both encouragement for the seasoned practitioner, and instruction to the uninitiated. Simply put, this book is for any soul looking to delve deeper into the spiritual disciplines. * SETH HAINES, author of Coming Clean *