Product Description

"There was a time when I was not yet out of the closet when I'd stand for hours scanning the bookstore shelves for a book that dealt honestly with both sexuality and spirituality, that might reconcile the experience of being bisexual with the Christian faith. If I could find this book, I was convinced, I'd be less lonely and more confident of my sanity. It would be my companion during difficult times. Another person's coming out story could be my map so I wouldn't wander in the dark. With complete, unrelenting desire, I ached for this book. There was no such book. The gap on the bookshelves gave me a mandate: Walk into your longing. Write this book." Andrew skillfully and seamlessly weaves the threads of spirituality, sexuality, and the creative process out of the compelling events of her life. Her inspiring memoir stretches from the faith of her childhood, in which she was "taught to look for the word in the Bible" to her revelation as an adult that "the word of God resides in each of us, it dwells among us, full of grace."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #626623 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Parker J. Palmer, author, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
"Written with honesty, grace and power."

Debra Kolodny, editor, Blessed Bi-Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith
"This work will doubtless inspire others the claim the lush delights of their own secret gardens."

About the Author
Elizabeth J. Andrew is a writing instructor and spiritual director living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She trained in spiritual direction through the Center for Spiritual Guidance in St. Paul, Minnesota, and currently teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book
Swinging on the Garden Gate is one of the best books I have ever read. Ms. Andrew tells the story of her journey with such amazing honesty. I found the words jumping out of the page at me. I connected with Ms. Andrew's journey at many intersections. Not only did she tell me her story, she introduced me to parts of my own story. It is her honesty in dealing with difficult issues of spirituality, finding yourself, loving who you are, death, and loss that truly make this book a wonderful work of art!

An Invitation to Story
Swinging on the Garden Gate, by Elizabeth Andrew is an insightful look at the author's internal spiritual journey through what seem, at first, to be extraordinary circumstances. However, they are circumstances that we all encounter--search and discovery, loss and grief, memory and reality. Through sharing her own experience of life and the sacred, Ms. Andrew invites the reader to explore and share his/her own story. Since I read this moving memoir, I have found myself thinking about my own spiritual journey and wanting to share my story with others. While the internal spiritual journey is solitary, sharing the story of our journeys is a life-giving adventure. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your gift.