Name: Laurie Brock
Where you live:
Lexington, Kentucky
What you do as a vocation or avocation?
Episcopal priest
Your two favorite books:
I have read far too many books to have two favorite - something like trying to choose your two favorite children. My favorite books of the last few I've read are Poetry as Survival by Gregory Orr and the Outlander series by Diana Galbandon. Both nourish my soul in very different ways. One invites me to reflect. One lets me enjoy the story.
Your two favorite songs:
General Seminary (King of Glory, King of Peace) from the Episcopal Hymnal makes me cry every time. That's where I attended seminary, and every word has faces and memories wed to it. And anything by Beth Nielsen Chapman. I listened to her music over and over while I was finishing my manuscript. She captures the extraordinary joy and grief of life perfectly in her lyrics and music.
Why you are interested in spirituality?
Life is not concrete reality, and we are not simply a mixture of flesh and blood. Spirituality gives us a glimpse of that mystery of spirit and soul and connects us to all that has been and all that will be. Spirituality offers us a vocabulary of the unspeakable.
Your favorite quote:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
From Anthem by Leonard Cohen
Your favorite web sites:
I love Facebook. I have friends all across the country and the world, and seeing the mundane and special events of their lives keeps me engaged with them. And I'm a big fan of Dogshaming.com. The posts make me laugh. Every. Time.
Your hero?
Sojourner Truth. Her story is remarkable. Her faith was unshakable. She faced discrimination on so many levels, and yet she preached the Gospel relentlessly. Her "Ain't I a Woman" speech cannot be read and understood enough.
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?
It's one I hope to learn, but realize I will be learning it for the rest of my life - that our brokenness, our wounds, and our scars are the beautiful places where God shines through. Life is about becoming more comfortable and more familiar with the beauty of our scars.
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"
In the horse barn. I ride, and I feel most centered, most connected to God, when I am mucking out stalls, brushing horses, and riding on these amazing creatures. Riding is not just about me. I am in relationship with this animal who has her own personality and quirks, and who, on occasion, drops me on my rear end. Elegant and messy, all at once. That is being spiritually connected for me.
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