Awkward Spirituality: The Divinity of Ordinary Life

by Ryan Christopher Taylor

American Christian spirituality is undergoing a great turning, one that will require full on personal and social examination, a quieter contemplative attention, and lifestyle risks that many will find... awkward. In this often lonely adventure of life it's in the awkward where we'll find ourselves surprisingly met with the sacred transformative companionship we're looking for.In his work among Denver's chronically unhoused and pastoring the lonely among a dramatically shifting culture, Ryan Taylor, invites the reader into a fresh vision of hope. Awkward Spirituality draws on hilariously awkward personal experiences as well as the wisdom of ancient and contemporary wisdom teachers such as Thomas Merton and Mary Oliver to illuminate a more participative and contemplative practice of everyday living.

159 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2020

Reviews

[Emily]

Simple. Straightforward. Rich with lived experience. At parts, really funny. I especially appreciated the candid sections about expectations in life and how they “are meant to be disrupted” in order for us to find enough spaciousness and humility to grow—and find the courage to sink into our truest self. Loved reading the words and wisdom of my friend Ryan Taylor as he invites attention to the divine profundity of ordinary life.

[Ben Edwards]

Ryan C. Taylor has beautifully captured the essence of Richard Rohr and Gregory Boyle's teachings and examples and blended them together with his own hard learned wisdom. This is a must read for anyone interested in mysticism with a practical every day accessibility. Highly recommended!

[Lindly]

A wonderful, down to earth and funny read about finding the spiritual in the ordinary. Written by the beloved pastor of Denver’s Urban Mercy Church and director of The Network Coffeehouse, an urban ministry for Denver’s unhoused.