Barbara Brown Taylor never disappoints. She intuitively knows what her listeners and readers need from her storehouse of wit and wisdom. I enjoyed this latest book of hers.

I am new to Barbara Brown Taylor. Reading her homilies in Always a Guest introduced this cradle Catholic to new perspectives on ancient wisdom, new biblical context and history, and an appreciation for new connections to contemporary culture. Taylor"s ability to communicate is a God-given vocation. I count myself wiser and hopefully more tolerant and understanding toward God and my fellow exiles in this world. I recommend reading Always a Guest as sipping good wine. Savor the depth by going slowly.

I'm not sure what I was truly expecting but I don't think this is what I thought it was. This book is basically sermons that Ms. Taylor has preached in her lifetime.

This is the author’s latest collection of 30 sermons presented at a variety of locations. I have to say, although I have read all of her book, this is my favorite. I received an advanced readers copy for my unbiased review. I will be buying more copies for gifts. This is an inspiring read that spoke to me and I highly recommend it.

I am so happy that I was chosen to read a review copy of this title through #NetGalley. I will be purchasing a copy for my home library. This book is a collection of 31 sermons that she has given as a guest preacher over the years in different church denominations, colleges, universities and seminaries. She begins with a Bible verse and then begins her message. I enjoyed her self deprecating sense of humor. She brought a fresh perspective to many of the verses that I found really moving. I appreciate the wisdom that she shared in such an accessible manner. I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed Always A Guest by Barbara Brown Taylor. As a fan and re-reader of her previous works, this will be no exception. Her concise writing style, delicious word choice and compelling imagery made me stop and re-read multiple sentences. This book is organized in small chapters that is in fact, speeches or sermons she's given in recent years. At first I thought this would be a turn-off, that the sermons would be to specific for an audience or time. However, it was exactly that which made each essay so poignant to me. I was envision her speaking in a specific time and place, to a specific audience and this deeply impacted how I heard her words and heart behind each essay. In a time where context is often lost, this book is a special gift right now in the world.

At a time when few preachers are able to preach in person, it's a blessing to be able to "hear" Barbara Brown Taylor's solid and inspired sermons from the safety of home. A joy for the experienced preacher and an education for the new minister.

Book Review

Title: Always A Guest
Author: Barbara Brown Taylor

Pros: Sermons that leave you wanting more church, easy-to-read short “essays” that can be read out of order
Cons: Not laid out in a traditional devotional style with prayers


You matter.
God sees you.
You aren’t alone.
There is hope.

Barbara Brown Taylor shares the words that everyone wishes they could hear from the pulpit in her new book, Always A Guest.

When I was younger, I so desperately wanted to be popular. I tried to morph myself into the person that could be friends with the “cool kids.” I never achieved this goal (thank goodness). Unfortunately, instead of learning to just be myself, I first tried just being right. If I couldn’t be popular, I would just be the teacher’s pet, the good girl and horribly self-righteous. To my surprise, this version of me didn’t make many friends either. It turns out that pointing out other people’s flaws and short-comings does not endear them to you.

The churches that I have most recently attended are making this same mistake. Instead of throwing the doors open wide and reminding everyone that they are loved and of vital importance to the Creator, churches are too quick to point out the deplorable. In stark contrast, Barbara Brown Taylor reminds readers that God is much bigger than just the literal words of the Bible.

During this time of social distancing and unprecedented uncertainty, this book provides comfort and solace. If you have ever wondered or felt invited to more, this book is for you.

Looking for more? I am a big fan of this type of book. It is a collection of sermons that very easily could be read out of order or picked up from time to time. This is also true of The President’s Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama by Joshua Dubois and Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load by Jen Hatmaker.

2 stars
Always A Guest
by Barbara Brown Taylor

This is an okay book. Some people may find some wisdom and value in what she says. I am not one of those people. She is a good writer and I can really see how others will like her.

Barbara Taylor Brown has a way of getting to us. She puts things in words that we may not have thought of, yet once she does, we immediately recognize them. This compilation of sermons is a series of thought-collections. It's beautiful, it's insightful, it's valuable.

In this book, Taylor will help you see things differently. And usually clearer, even while leaving you less certain about them.

As she says,

"Trust is never entirely logical. Faith never makes perfect sense. "

Here are some other quotes from Always a Guest:

"For reasons that are complex and often unsatisfying, Mary is not nearly as important to Protestants as she is to Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Advent is really the only time she shows up in most Protestant churches, chiefly to hold the baby Jesus in the Christmas pageant and then go back into the closet with Joseph and the shepherds until next year."

"When people figure out that unity is about more than agreeing with each other and reconciliation has more to do with staying in the room than with winning—then remarkable things can happen."

"For the God who loves it all has given it all to you to love as well."

"When we get it deep down in our bones that there is only one feast, set for all God’s people, we will haul all our best dishes out of the church and set them before the world."

My thanks to Net Galley and Westminster John Knox Press for the review copy of Always a Guest.

This collection of sermons made me think about what the Bible really says and it challenged my faith. It also kept me entertained. That's rare for a sermon these days! In fact, based on these sermons, Barbara Brown Taylor makes preaching seem easy. Each chapter flows and connects, and they were a pleasure to read. I found myself wanting to read more than one chapter at each sitting, but I needed time to process the concepts and ideas shared in each chapter.
I would definitely read this book again and give it to my friends!

Thanks to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for a gifted digital copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I've read a few of BBT's books, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this one. And Always A Guest was such a treat. This is a collection of thirty-one sermons Taylor delivered during the past decade or so as a guest pastor (ah, that's what the title means). I enjoyed reading a chapter/sermon each morning - which was a great way to start the day.

Beginning with a short scripture reading from the Bible, Taylor discussed a related topic, explaining her point in an intelligent and entertaining as well as thought-provoking way. I have heard more than the usual number of sermons since I used to work at a seminary, and I can attest that Taylor's sermons are witty and stimulating. I could almost hear her cadences and inflections through her writing, and was sorry when I came to the end of the book. Her observations are fresh and I guarantee you will learn something new with each chapter.

I love Barbara Brown Taylor's writing and this latest book is such a gift. It's a collection of sermons she's delivered as a guest preacher across the country over the years. I've read it in bits and pieces as a devotional before bed each evening and really enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster/John Knox Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Always a Guest" is a compilation of sermons delivered by the author at various venues for which she served as a visiting clergy member. She covers a variety of themes, such as beauty, art, and anxiety, as well as different people from the scriptures. Each selection begins with appropriate scripture verse. I found it best to dip into this book and read selections at random, not necessarily in any order, but selected by topic or intriguing title. The selections are short enough for each to be read in just a few minutes. No matter how one chooses to read this book, readers are guaranteed to find some uplifting and inspirational words that address common concerns and contemporary ideas.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Barbara Brown Taylor's newest book has been the sweetest companion as the weather turned colder. Always a Guest is a collection of her guest sermons in recent years, which I wasn't sure what that would be like for a reading experience. Spoiler: I couldn't have loved it more.

Each chapter is its own start and finish, with plenty of depth and gentleness. I had to pause so often to jot notes in my journal or direct quotes. This book shifted my thinking about multiple accounts from Scripture that I was (overly) familiar with, inviting me to set aside my preconceived notions and experience them fresh, cast in the light of Jesus' love. I have yet to read anything by Barbara Brown Taylor that I don't love with my whole heart and this is no exception. I loved being pastored by her through these pages.

A for me.

#gifted Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

BBT does it again! This collection of 31 sermons looks at familiar Bible passages from new perspectives. Readers who have studied the Bible often think they know it inside and out, but Barbara Brown Taylor's insights inspire us to look deeper into passages we have taken for granted. The set up for this book allows readers to focus on a chapter a day as a monthly devotional, or to skip around and read chapters that are more applicable in that moment.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Using familiar Bible passages, the author gives the readers a sermon in a nutshell for each chapter. With various chapters on various topics, I found that it was easy to skip around and read just what I needed for that day. I especially liked the topics of Jesus’s return and correlating it to His birth. The author appeals to the practical side of each of us in order to get us to look at ourselves more carefully and to become closer to a real relationship with God. Since she is always a guest in different churches, so it would be good for us all to remember that we are only guests here on earth. I was a little taken aback at her humor which sometimes tended to be almost sacrilegious, but other than that, I recommend the book to anyone looking for a series of homilies on topics that are as varied as the colors that you can see in the world that God created. I think it would be a great gift for a pastor who needs some new ideas for sermons...not to use her messages but to get a fresh view of how and what to preach.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Barbara Brown Taylor has put together a collection of 31 sermons from her time guest speaking a various churches and schools. Her messages are wonderful and I’m so happy I found this book at the end of 2020. Her messages are full of wisdom that I craved!

As a Barbara Brown Taylor fan, I was curious when I read what to expect from the book. A compilation of sermons she has preached throughout the last decade or so, as she is and invited preacher to several services. Working on some sermons myself, I was curious to read how she structured her talks, or if she did at all.

If I weren't reading this quickly for review purposes, I think I'd use it more as a devotional or reflection book. Maybe even as journal prompts for evening journaling. Great reflection passages. I was taken back to my seminary days in chapel. All I needed to add were hymns and pastoral prayer, and I had my own personal worship service! Great way to start or end a day.

Thank you to Westminster John Knox Press for the advanced reader copy for review purposes!

Always a Guest: Speaking of Faith Far from Home is a compilation of sermons given by Barbara Brown Taylor as a guest speaker in a variety of settings over the course of many years. In the introduction, Taylor talks about the unusual role the guest speaker plays- sometimes able to speak a little more frankly about touchy subjects like money or passages that are a little more challenging because they don't face the Monday morning complaints, while also not having the connection to the local church to know what they are facing.

The very first sermon, How to Live with High Anxiety (preaching from Luke 21:25-28) was written and delivered for the first Sunday in Advent 2018, but it delivered deep comfort to me in 2020. I have read several of Barbara Brown Taylor's books and have always appreciated her storytelling and deep spiritual lessons. In a time when many of us are distant from our local churches, it was so helpful and comforting to be able to turn to Taylor's sermons for truth that lasts beyond our current events.