A Dresser of Sycamore Trees: The Finding of a Ministry

by Garret Keizer

Overview

A surprise critical sensation that brings to life the everyday epiphanies of a lay minister in Northern Vermont-"One of the most truly religious books I have ever seen."--Noel Perrin

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781567926453
Publisher:	David R. Godine, Publisher
Publication date:	03/01/2019
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Garret Keizer is the author of several books on teaching and faith, including Help: the Original Human Dilemma (2009), The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book about Noise (2012), and Getting Schooled: The Reeducation of an American Teacher (2014). He lives in Vermont with his family.

Editorial Reviews

In Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Keizer, a lay Episcopal minister and author of No Place But Here , finds the end of a winding path that took him to the small, rural parish of Island Pond. There he is husband, father and high school teacher, and attends as well to the spiritual lives of communicants, many of them immigrants from other lives, who reside at what initially seems to him ``the end of the world.'' Keizer's anecdotal account pauses frequently to marvel at what he has received from his informal, even unorthodox ministry. He pays tribute to his ordained mentors, particularly one whose ``moxie, his jovial evangelism, his blithe testing of every assumption and pretense, his daring of himself to go an extra mile--and then another'' appear to be echoed in Keizer's personal journey. The serendipitous blending of faith and work in one man's life is not without humor, making this an arresting and entertaining journal. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this follow-up to No Place But Here ( LJ 9/1/88) Keizer, an Episcopal minister, reflects on a decade of ministry to his parishioners and the townspeople of Island Pond, Vermont. He confronts humanity in all its complexity and seeks to convince the reader that no locale is too remote to benefit from the redemptive work of Christ. Keizer exhibits a refreshing theological acumen and writes with verve and compassion from a viewpoint informed and shaped by the church he serves. His book's title is taken from Amos, an Old Testament prophet who also saw himself as a layperson called by God to minister to human souls. His usually compelling, sometimes humorous, and often moving nonfiction account deserves a wide readership.-- Jonathan D. Lauer, Messiah Coll., Grantham, Pa.

Library Journal

Garret Keizer writes about some of the high and low points in his spiritual journey in the small town of Island Pond, Vermont....A Dresser of Sycamore Trees makes a good case for part-time ministers who are savvy to the ways of the world and the tricky maneuvers of the Holy Spirit. Keizer's labors in this small parish are polished parables about patience, humility, and giving all the glory to God.”—Spirituality and Practice

“Garret Keizer grapples with epiphanies and aggravations with equal eloquence . . . A Dresser of Sycamore Trees is an inspiriting book, its alertness to what one reader calls ‘the extraordinary dailiness of grace’ is both uncanny and true-to-life.” — James Mustich, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die

From the Publisher