Book Review: Pastrix

I spent time with Nadia Bolz-Weber in person last week.

We were not exactly alone. Nadia came to Pasadena to read from Pastrix: the Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint. We did, though, have the opportunity to compare tattoos.

Nadia is the founding pastor of the House for All Sinners and Saints, a mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in Denver, Colorado. Pastrix is a memoir of the journey that has brought her from where she was born and raised to where she is now.

I enjoy and appreciate Pastrix because it is a lot like what I know about Nadia. It is engaging, insightful, and fun. It is challenging in places, and full of things for me to think about in new ways. It tells deep truths with a full, vibrant vocabulary.

There are quite a few things I admire about Nadia. It is a challenge for me not to want to be like someone who is @Sarcasticluther on Twitter.

The thing that inspires me the most is how she understands and writes about struggling. Nadia sees the irony of struggling, mixing deep honesty with deep humor. She relates to people who suffer, sharing her true self with us.

While suffering may build our character, it challenges who we see ourselves to be. We suffer when we need to let go of what we think we hold dear.

Nadia knows that there is often very little more we can do to relieve suffering and struggle than to be present with people, recognizing their difficulties and helping them see the ironies.

Pastrix is like the tattoos of Mary Magdalene and the liturgical year on Nadia’s arms. It is colorful, it helps me see things in new ways, and it draws me in to discover more.

Thank you, Nadia.

[Image by Rev. Sarah Weaver]