Mixed Blessings

by Barbara Brown Taylor

In this new edition of her earliest collection of sermons Barbara Brown Taylor brings her down-to-earth wisdom and keen perspective to the Bible readings of the lectionary cycle. Originally preached for the congregation of All Saints' Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta, the topics of these sermons range from conversations with Abraham and Moses in the texts of the Hebrew scriptures to our awareness of the communion of saints and how to recognize a miracle when one comes our way.

Genres: Christianity, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion

130 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest. Her first memoir, Leaving Church (2006), won an Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association. Her last book, Learning to Walk in the Dark (2014), was featured on the cover of TIME magazine. She has served on the faculties of Piedmont College, Columbia Theological Seminary, Candler School of Theology at Emory University, McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, and the Certificate in Theological Studies program at Arrendale State Prison for Women in Alto, Georgia. In 2014 TIME included her on its annual list of Most Influential People; in 2015 she was named Georgia Woman of the Year; in 2016 she received The President’s Medal at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Mercer University and is working on her fourteenth book, Holy Envy, forthcoming from HarperOne in August 2018.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixed Blessings is a compilation of sermons written by Barbara Brown Taylor (Episcopalian preacher), written in the first few years in her ministry (mid-1980s).

Reading Taylor is like reading candy to me. I appreciate not only her sermon structure (narrative), but also her phrasing and her theology. Specific sermons I felt to be remarkable to me in this read were: "Saving Space" (Isaiah 40:3-8), "Decked Out in Flesh" (Isaiah 9:6), "Blood Kin" (Matthew 26:36-38), "Mixed Blessings" (Deuteronomy 8:2-4), "Are You the One?" (Matthew 11:2-6), although, honestly, I can imagine reading this book again in a matter of months/years and being struck by different sermons.

Reading this book inspires spiritual devotion and purpose in me, as well as gives me a reference to see how sermons are constructed well.

[Kerith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed blessings, indeed. This slim book of sermons holds many blessings within its pages, and I enjoyed it much more on my second reading, and yet again on my third. I could wish that they were in order of the church year, like a couple of her other books, but there is a page in back that identifies where in the lectionary they fall. Not that it matters -- she is worth reading at any time.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doorways into the Living Word

After many years of reading sermons and preaching sermons, I find this book a refreshing experience. The author stands in a “different place” that gives a new perspective on the passages used in this book. That different place invites me to think differently and openly about the art of preaching. To see in a new way brings the Word to life.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, they're early Barbara Brown Taylor sermons, but they're still good, and for the aspiring preacher who knows her later work, clear markers of how her preaching grew and changed and deepened with her ministry - and can with ours. Fine work.

[Rocky Henriques · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of some of her earlier sermons, "Mixed Blessings" feels to me more like a collection of essays, but that may have more to do with my tradition than anything else. Sermons in my church may sound more like lectures to her than they do to me. But that's okay because we need all types. Anyway, this book is one that will prompt the reader to think, and that's good, but along the way our thoughts somehow turn into feelings, and we are better for it. If you have never read Barbara Brown Taylor, I recommend that you get started, and this is the best place to do it.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of sermons that give both historical context for Bible readings (and acknowledgement that the Bible was not written for us), as well as guidance on how it can still relate to our modern lives.
It wasn’t shocking or profound, but it was thoughtful and meditative. There was some challenge, but in the way that just being a good person can sometimes be harder than it seems to have any right to be.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as her later work, but there were a couple of chapters I liked a lot.

[Joshua Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting to read some of BBTs earliest sermons. it was kind of refreshing to see her not be as amazing. means there is hope for the rest of us.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up
Collection of Brown Taylor's sermons from the 1980s

[William A. Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure

This has been my companion for morning devotions for the past several days. Truly it is “mixed blessings” - all good ones. Just wish it were twice as long!

[Xavier University Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Brown Taylor connects scripture to our daily lives with another collection of effective homilies. The topics discussed will resonate with anyone who has tried to live in the world, understand the Word of God or fulfill their Christian call to love God and neighbor.