The Way Under Our Feet
A Spirituality of Walking
In a time of uncertainly and upheaval, Graham Usher urges us to walk ourselves back into life.
In stock
ISBN-13
9780281084067-grouped
From £14.99
Graham Usher is the Bishop of Norwich. Having worked in parish ministry in Middlesbrough and Hexham, he then served as the Bishop of Dudley. He is an ecologist by background and maintains an interest in environmental issues. He serves on the board of the Human Tissue Authority and is a member of the International Commission for Anglican Orthodox Theological Dialogue. His previous book was Places of Enchantment (SPCK, 2012).
This is a lovely book, full of light, grace and meaning. Usher celebrates his passion for walking by exploring religious texts and stories, but this by no means confines his thoughts. We are drawn by secular texts, too: Macfarlane sits alongside Kierkegaard; Thoreau and Walden alongside T. S. Eliot. Through them all, we learn why walking is so unspeakably good for heart, soul and body.
Wonderful, a book which offers highly original and striking observations and some very arresting quotations. It teems with connected life in all its fullness, with apposite, moving and often humorous (laugh-out-loud) personal anecdotes. A classic . . . catching a genuine and humble holiness which is immensely converting . . . those who listen to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, yearning for something deep, would find it in spades here.
Usher encourages readers to feel creation beneath their feet, waking them up to the possibility that even a mundane stroll to the local shop can be made in the company of the three-mile-an-hour God.
Usher writes movingly . . . he covers a great deal of ground, often referring to scripture, sometime producing a mind-stopping thought.
This volume indicates an author who, besides his love of the countryside, has remembered and collected from a wide choice of literature, thus offering many further explorations for the reader. I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it to all, country or town bred, as a depth of wisdom to be relished or as a source of relaxation.
Obviously a labour of love . . . Preachers and worship leaders will be among those who appreciate the breadth of reading, the biblical underpinning and historical information the author provides. Those preparing services on the particular themes of Creation, Harvest and Remembrance Sunday will find inspiration here.
About
Walking is one of the simplest things we do as humans. It’s how most of us experience life.
In The Way Under Our Feet,Graham Usher conveys how exhilarating it is to walk into the depths of our humanity. We become more ready to recognize the needs as well as the joys of others; we sift our thoughts; we seek to heal our battered world, even as we glory in the beauty of nature; we find ourselves companying with our three mile an hour God.
'This is a lovely book, full of light, grace and meaning. Usher celebrates his passion for walking by exploring religious texts and stories, but this by no means confines his thoughts. We are drawn by secular texts, too: Macfarlane sits alongside Kierkegaard; Thoreau and Walden alongside T. S. Eliot. Through them all, we learn why walking is so unspeakably good for heart, soul and body.'
DAME FIONA REYNOLDS, MASTER OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AUTHOR OF THE FIGHT FOR BEAUTY
'Wonderful. Offers highly original and striking observations combined with apposite, moving and often humorous personal anecdotes. A classic, catching a genuine and humble holiness.'
BISHOP DAVID WILBOURNE
In The Way Under Our Feet,Graham Usher conveys how exhilarating it is to walk into the depths of our humanity. We become more ready to recognize the needs as well as the joys of others; we sift our thoughts; we seek to heal our battered world, even as we glory in the beauty of nature; we find ourselves companying with our three mile an hour God.
'This is a lovely book, full of light, grace and meaning. Usher celebrates his passion for walking by exploring religious texts and stories, but this by no means confines his thoughts. We are drawn by secular texts, too: Macfarlane sits alongside Kierkegaard; Thoreau and Walden alongside T. S. Eliot. Through them all, we learn why walking is so unspeakably good for heart, soul and body.'
DAME FIONA REYNOLDS, MASTER OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AUTHOR OF THE FIGHT FOR BEAUTY
'Wonderful. Offers highly original and striking observations combined with apposite, moving and often humorous personal anecdotes. A classic, catching a genuine and humble holiness.'
BISHOP DAVID WILBOURNE
Author
Graham Usher is the Bishop of Norwich. Having worked in parish ministry in Middlesbrough and Hexham, he then served as the Bishop of Dudley. He is an ecologist by background and maintains an interest in environmental issues. He serves on the board of the Human Tissue Authority and is a member of the International Commission for Anglican Orthodox Theological Dialogue. His previous book was Places of Enchantment (SPCK, 2012).
Reviews
This is a lovely book, full of light, grace and meaning. Usher celebrates his passion for walking by exploring religious texts and stories, but this by no means confines his thoughts. We are drawn by secular texts, too: Macfarlane sits alongside Kierkegaard; Thoreau and Walden alongside T. S. Eliot. Through them all, we learn why walking is so unspeakably good for heart, soul and body.
Wonderful, a book which offers highly original and striking observations and some very arresting quotations. It teems with connected life in all its fullness, with apposite, moving and often humorous (laugh-out-loud) personal anecdotes. A classic . . . catching a genuine and humble holiness which is immensely converting . . . those who listen to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, yearning for something deep, would find it in spades here.
Usher encourages readers to feel creation beneath their feet, waking them up to the possibility that even a mundane stroll to the local shop can be made in the company of the three-mile-an-hour God.
Usher writes movingly . . . he covers a great deal of ground, often referring to scripture, sometime producing a mind-stopping thought.
This volume indicates an author who, besides his love of the countryside, has remembered and collected from a wide choice of literature, thus offering many further explorations for the reader. I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it to all, country or town bred, as a depth of wisdom to be relished or as a source of relaxation.
Obviously a labour of love . . . Preachers and worship leaders will be among those who appreciate the breadth of reading, the biblical underpinning and historical information the author provides. Those preparing services on the particular themes of Creation, Harvest and Remembrance Sunday will find inspiration here.
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In The Way Under Our Feet,Graham Usher conveys how exhilarating it is to walk into the depths of our humanity. We become more ready to recognize the needs as well as the joys of others; we sift our thoughts; we seek to heal our battered world, even as we glory in the beauty of nature; we find ourselves companying with our three mile an hour God.
'This is a lovely book, full of light, grace and meaning. Usher celebrates his passion for walking by exploring religious texts and stories, but this by no means confines his thoughts. We are drawn by secular texts, too: Macfarlane sits alongside Kierkegaard; Thoreau and Walden alongside T. S. Eliot. Through them all, we learn why walking is so unspeakably good for heart, soul and body.'
DAME FIONA REYNOLDS, MASTER OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AUTHOR OF THE FIGHT FOR BEAUTY
'Wonderful. Offers highly original and striking observations combined with apposite, moving and often humorous personal anecdotes. A classic, catching a genuine and humble holiness.'
BISHOP DAVID WILBOURNE