Take This Bread: A Radical ConversionRandom House Publishing Group, 5. veebr 2008 - 320 pages Early one morning, for no earthly reason, Sara Miles, raised an atheist, wandered into a church, received communion, and found herself transformed–embracing a faith she’d once scorned. A lesbian left-wing journalist who’d covered revolutions around the world, Miles didn’t discover a religion that was about angels or good behavior or piety; her faith centered on real hunger, real food, and real bodies. Before long, she turned the bread she ate at communion into tons of groceries, piled on the church’s altar to be given away. Within a few years, she and the people she served had started nearly a dozen food pantries in the poorest parts of their city. Take This Bread is rich with real-life Dickensian characters–church ladies, millionaires, schizophrenics, bishops, and thieves–all blown into Miles’s life by the relentless force of her newfound calling. Here, in this achingly beautiful, passionate book, is the living communion of Christ. “The most amazing book.” –Anne Lamott “Engaging, funny, and highly entertaining . . . Miles comments, often with great insight, on the ugliness that many people associate with a particular brand of Christianity. Why would any thinking person become a Christian? is one of the questions she addresses, and her answer is also compelling reading.” –Booklist “Powerful . . . This book is a gem [and] will remain with you forever.” –The Decatur Daily “What Miles learns about faith, about herself and about the gift of giving and receiving graciously are wonderful gifts for the reader.” –National Public Radio “[A] joyful memoir . . . advocates big-tent Christianity in the truest sense . . . a story of finding sustenance and passing it on.” –National Catholic Reporter “Rigorously honest, Take This Bread demonstrates how hard–and how necessary–it is to welcome everyone to the table, without exception.” –San Francisco Chronicle “Moving, delightful and significant.” –The Christian Century Don’t miss the reading group guide in the back of the book. |
Contents
Chapter | 10 |
Chapter 4 | 24 |
Chapter 6 | 54 |
Chapter 8 | 74 |
Chapter 9 | 91 |
Chapter 11 | 109 |
Chapter 12 | 119 |
Chapter 14 | 141 |
Chapter 15 | 159 |
Chapter 17 | 179 |
Chapter 18 | 198 |
Chapter 20 | 218 |
Chapter 22 | 242 |
Chapter 24 | 261 |
Acknowledgments | 281 |
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Common terms and phrases
altar American Anglican Communion asked baptism believe Bible blessing body bread and wine called Central America Christ Christian church communion congregation cook Corpus Christi massacre crazy David deacons Derek Donald door El Salvador Episcopal Episcopalians Eucharist faith feed felt Food Bank food pantry Friday friends Fromberg God's going Gregory of Nyssa Gregory's groceries hands happened healing holy huge hunger hungry Ignacio Martín-Baró Jeff Jesus Katie kids kitchen knew learned listening liturgy lived looked lunch Lynn Martha meal meant Michael mother Nicaragua Nirmala Okay once ory's panettone Paul politics poor Potrero Hill pray prayer priest pupusas religion religious restaurant Rick San Francisco Sandinista sang Sasha share singing smiled someone started Steve strangers Sunday Susan Kellerman talk tell thing thought told took trying volunteers waiting walked wanted week who'd woman words