Accidental saints: confessions from a religious (but not so spiritual) life

What if the annoying person you try to avoid is actually seconds away from becoming an accidental saint in your life? What if, even in our persistent failings, holy moments are waiting to happen? In Accidental Saints, New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber takes us inside the House for All Sinners and Saints, her congregation in Denver. Tattooed, angry, profane--an altogether unlikely cleric--this former standup comic stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. Yet we watch as, in her doubts and her disasters, she keeps "stumbling into holy moments" which break through her resistance and sweep her up in transforming relationships where giving, receiving, even embodying grace becomes a way of life. As her dramatic stories unfold, we begin to sense that just such holy moments are waiting for each of us. In a time when many have rightly become disillusioned with Christianity,... INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER What if that person you've been trying to avoid is your best shot at grace today? And what if that's the point? In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling au?thor Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls "a religious but not-so-spiritual life." Tattooed, angry and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people--a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop and a gun-toting member of the NRA. As she lives and worships alongside these "ac?cidental saints," Nadia is swept into first-hand en?counters with grace--a gift that feels to her less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit with a blunt instrument. But by this grace, people are trans?formed in ways they couldn't have been on their own. In a time when many have rightly become dis?illusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints dem?onstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives. This unforgettable account of their faltering steps toward wholeness will ring true for believer and skeptic alike. Told in Nadia's trademark confessional style, Accidental Saints is the stunning next work from one of today's most important religious voices. From the Hardcover edition "Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls 'a religious but not-so-spiritual life.' Tattooed, angry, and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people -- a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop, and a gun-toting member of the NRA. As she lives and worships alongside these 'accidental saints, ' Nadia is swept into firsthand encounters with grace -- a gift that feels to her less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit with a blunt instrument. But by this grace, people are transformed in ways they couldn't have been on their own. In a time when many have rightly become disillusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints demonstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives."--Page 4 of cover "Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls 'a religious but not-so-spiritual life.' Tattooed, angry, and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people--a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop and a gun-toting member of the NRA. As she lives and worships alongside these 'accidental saints, ' Nadia is swept into firsthand encounters with grace--a gift that feels to her less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit with a blunt instrument"--Dust jacket flap Saint cookies Absolution for assholes My lowest for His highest What spit in the Superdome You are not "the blessing" A thief in the night Mary, Mother of Our Lord The slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Sandy Hook Elementary Frances Panic attack in Jericho Parlors The lame Dirty feet The dogs of Good Friday Vignettes from an Easter Vigil Charcoal fires and jail cells Judas will now take your confession The best shitty feeling in the world Blessed are they.