Even this old heathen, raised as a Unitarian, finds Barbara Brown Taylor's writings reasonable and useful. Her most important book for me is "The Luminescent Web", which is her correlation of faith with her attempt to understand the physical universe. However, her sermons focus on the human problems and a human's attempt to make sense of the troubles that affect all of us.

She goes where few preachers or theologians dare, and never, ever leaves the reader without plenty to think about. Of all her books, this one is the least satisfying in some ways because of what seem to me to be some inconsistencies on key points. Maybe that's to be expected given the subject matter. What she succeeds beautifully in doing is revealing how shallow and inadequate most Christian thinking is on the subject of the passion and death of Jesus. No pat answers from BBT, ever. Good for her, and good for those who read her and are prompted to go deeper into what Good Friday means.

I was so enthralled with the sermons written by this female minister, that I could not put the book down! I read 70 pages the first sitting, when I had intended to read only the first two sermons. This is a collection of sermons that is divided into two major categories: the first deals with the problems of pain, tribulations and suffering while we are yet alive and struggling with our spiritual journeys, the second is dealing with the pain of loss by relating it to God's pain in allowing His Only Son to choose to die for us. For anyone who wishes to learn how to make every word count, this is an excellent resource. Human suffering is often one of the hardest issues to address with congregations. This resource can definitely start you on the right foot.