“Suppose there is something going on
in the universe which is to ordinary, everyday reality as our
unconcious is to our daily lives? Softly, but unmistakably
guiding it. Most of the time, we are unaware of it. Yet, every
now and then, on account of some ‘fluke,’ we are
startled by the results of its presence. We realize we have
been part of something with neither consciousness nor consent.
It is so sweet—and then it is gone. You say, ‘But I
don’t believe in God.’ And I ask, ‘What makes
you think it matters to God?"’
—from Invisible
Lines of Connection
Lawrence Kushner, whose previous books have
opened up new spiritual
possibilities, now tells us stories
in a new literary form.
Through his everyday encounters with
family, friends, colleagues and strangers, Kushner takes us
deeply into our lives, finding flashes of spiritual insight in
the process. Such otherwise ordinary moments as fighting with
his children, shopping for bargain basement clothes, or just
watching a movie are revealed to be touchstones for the sacred.
This is a book where literature meets
spirituality, where the sacred meets the ordinary, and, above
all, where people of all faiths, all backgrounds can meet one
another and themselves. Kushner ties together the stories
of our lives into a roadmap showing how everything
“ordinary” is supercharged with meaning—if we
can just see it.
“Amazing.... By the time he’s done even the hard-hearted may be wondering if God’s providence isn’t at work in their lives.”
—Sh’ma, A Journal of Jewish Responsibility
“Rabbi Kushner is a beautiful
storyteller.”
—Los
Angeles Times
“Kushner’s new book has found
a way of opening up the path to holiness in the
ordinary....
Will benefit anyone who in any way considers him- or herself
religious.”
—The Rev.
Robert G. Trache, St.
James’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
“Inspiring! Nourishes us with words
for the soul and insights for the heart.”
—Jack
Canfield, co-author, Chicken Soup for the Soul
“These truly spiritual stories do
something both more and different than instruct—they
inspirit. Wonderful stories, from the best storyteller I
know.”
—David
Mamet, playwright
“Kusher yet again proves himself
both a man of great wisdom and a great writer. No one can match him in
catching glimpses of the Holy.”
—M. Scott
Peck, MD, author of The Road Less Traveled and other works
“A charming, anecdotal take on the
larger significance of ordinary life…. Will stimulate you
to perceive the sacred in the mundane.”
—Marge
Piercy
“Entertaining and instructive…
A deeply human book and at the same time a compendium of
instructions for seeking religious epiphanies and revelations,
the ultimate game of hide-and-seek.”
—Thomas
Moore, author of Care of the Soul, Soul Mates and The Re-Enchantment of
Everyday Life