Living on the Border of the Holy; Renewing the Priesthood of All (#384) by L. William Countryman is the second book assigned for interlude reading in the Education for Ministry program that I am taking. I never would have found it on my own. There is so much packed into this slim volume (fewer than 200 pages) that I can't help but be glad that I came across it however it arrived in my hands.
Written by an Episcopalian priest and Divinity School professor, Living on the Border of the Holy tackles questions about how you and I - the average person - recognizes our encounters with the holy in our everyday life, and how we minister to each other as priests whether we recognize that role in ourselves or not. Ministers and priests who are ordained by their denominations have their own separate and distinct roles to play alongside us. It's a profound concept, and it certainly resonated with me. I guess that's why it took me so long to read it; I had to keep stopping to think about the implications of what I was reading.
Now I can't wait to read some of Countryman's other writings. I know I'll be able to grasp the ideas he presents in a way that's bound to affect my thinking. Besides, how could I not love an author who cites a work written about the theology contained in Barbara Pym's novels? If you can't imagine yourself reading a book on theology, don't deny yourself the pleasures of reading one of the most underrated novelists of the twentieth century: the British author Barbara Pym. Nothing much happens in her books, but they are so brilliantly done and emotionally true they're a marvel.
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