After the deaths of her brother, father and mother, the poet and writer Carla Grosch Miller felt that her world and faith had fallen apart. Numbed by grief and lacking any answers, she swapped going to church for going for long walks where, despite feeling like she was walking away from a way of life, she discovered that the Holy had no intention of leaving her. Lifelines is the fruit of what followed. These searingly honest yet hopeful poems reflect on the mystery at the heart of Christian faith: a seed falls into the earth and dies in order for new life to rise up. But as these poems reflect, the journey through death to resurrection can be arduous and cannot be hurried. This collection is in two parts. Wrestling the Word roots the reality of this journey of transformation in the sacred stories that have shaped Christian life for centuries and that we hear in the Lectionary. Gathering Up Grace attempts to name and claim the presence of the ineffable even amidst the ruins, and ultimately to celebrate the triumph of resilient love.
About the AuthorCarla Grosch-Miller spent more than 20 years in parish ministry in the US and the UK and has lectured widely on pastoral theology. She is an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, a member of the British and Irish Association of Practical Theologians and a member of the Tragedy and Congregations project team which equips churches to respond to trauma.
Reviews'Searingly honest about life's joys and pains ...this deeply spiritual collection, quietly and not-so-quietly wise, will be a good guide to many searchers for meaning in this storm-battered world.' -- Christopher Southgate
Book InformationISBN 9781786222343
Author Carla Grosch-MillerFormat Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Canterbury Press NorwichPublisher Canterbury Press Norwich