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Reminders of God

Altars for Personal and Family Devotions

Since ancient times, altars have helped remind us of those encounters with God that are often overlooked or forgotten. This enlightening book shows us how a personal altar provides an opportunity to refocus our busy, worry-filled lives so that we may more fully experience the life that God has for us. With warmth and practical wisdom, Anne Grizzle passes along both the desire and the knowledge we need to deepen our worship experience through this life-enriching tradition.

Here are a few excerpts:
"What are the times, events, actions or traditions in your life that are sacred in some way to you? Now think of an object that would symbolize each one. Using these beginning instructions, anyone can begin to create their own personal or family altar at home or while traveling. "

"In the biblical accounts of Noah and the patriarchs and throughout the history of Christina worship, altars serve a central role; they provide a way to openly declare allegiance to God, proclaim God's glorious works, offer thanksgiving, and call believers to ongoing worship. If they serve such a vital role in the history of the church, certainly their use in our personal faith lives can enhance our everyday wonder and worship of God."

From the first chapter
"Wherever we choose to worship on a daily or regular basis, we can set up a small altar to designate the space as sacred and provide a place for reminders of God."

From chapter 3
"Equipped with the practical guidance provided in the book, you can begin using this simple but profoundly helpful spiritual tool in creative ways to further your personal awareness and worship of God. By offering a place to bring the fruit of our labors, the discoveries of our day and our needs and challenges, the altar helps us live embodied lives of worship in ordinary time and space."

From the introduction
"Our altar is like a valentine box for our love relationship with God, a carefully covered container that holds symbols of the most magnificent love relationship of all. Like the valentine box, the altar is lovely in itself but holds true value only as the love relationship remains alive."

This book offers practical suggestions for creating a personal or family altar at home or while traveling but also provides guidance in spiritual disciplines which make the altar into a centering place for the expression of the living love between God and us.

Reminders of God is featured in the family spirituality section of the website of the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, Archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland.

Editorial Reviews:

"Anne Grizzle has done an important service in writing about the family altar. But this is more than a book about a place and a practice. It describes how that place and practice can shape our very lives into a pilgrimage. Anne has been a dear friend and valued member of our board for years. My wife and I have seen in her personal life, her family life, and her ministry to us and others a special quality of caring, which has grown out of her inner life of contemplating God. Both Anne and her fine book point us to how when our hearts are an altar, our lives can be a flame for God."
- Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries

"Anne Grizzle is a wise and realistic counselor."
- Harold S. Kushner

“Beautifully written, right from the heart of everyday life as it is really lived. Reminders of God invites us to celebrate the sacredness that lies along our daily paths…This fascinating book is a treasure trove of practical and original ideas, with the potential to transform every corner of our lives into a portal to God.”
- Margaret Silf, Author of Sacred Spaces: Stations of a Celtic Way

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