"Our Church Speaks is a catechism for anyone anywhere, in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, in the East and the West, drawing on the stories of men and women who have lived and died by faith, in hope, for love. Born of unusual pastoral imagination, surprising historical depth and wonderful artistic skill, this new book by Ben Lansing and Dan Marotta is a remarkable gift for this generation and for generations to come, read by many people in many places who long to know more of God and of his faithful people in and through the centuries and cultures whose threads have become the tapestry which is our history."

 

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"Ben Lansing and D. J. Marotta invite readers to pull up a 'third chair' and join this dynamic duo 'at the table' for a transformative conversation. The table is set with a smorgasbord of spiritual delicacies that whet your appetite to know more about the Divine. They entice you with appetizers such as the Calendar of Saints and various theologians through the ages. Their 'dessert' is offered at the beginning, 'How To Use This Book As A Prayer Tool.' Such dessert enhances spiritual disciplines. This book made me feel that I could 'sup on this spiritual smorgasbord' while drawing closer to Yahweh!"

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"This isn't a history textbook but a lively introduction to a group of flawed but faith-filled followers of Christ spanning the breadth of the Christian church. You will come away from this book not just educated about these men and women but inspired to seek out the ways of the Spirit to which they point."

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"This is a beautiful book. Reading it is like coming home to a family you forgot you had."

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"With so many reasons today to feel discouraged about the state of the Christian witness in the public square, Lansing and Marotta draw our attention to a cloud of witnesses—of saints and sinners, priests and poets, Asian and African, Byzantine and Baptist—who persevered in their devotion to Christ in the face of manifold temptations to become a faithless, hopeless, loveless people. This is a wonderful book for those who need a little encouragement to remain faithful, hopeful, and love-full in the face of their own temptations to become otherwise."

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"In a world captivated and mesmerized by the cult of celebrity, this book helps us to reorient our hearts to experience the saints as ones that not only speak to our past but also shine the light and guide the path to our future. We stand on the shoulders of brothers and sisters in the faith who've faithfully shown us the way—and this resource helps make them accessible and relevant to our everyday lives. Our Church Speaks is a useful tool full of stunning artwork and meaningful prayers to help us to sit at the feet of saints young and old and learn from those who are a part of the great cloud of witnesses. For the past few years, I've been shaped and formed by these visuals online. I'm thrilled this collection has been published into a book we can now hold in our hands!"

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"Whenever I've encountered these arresting modern 'icons' on social media, I've always stopped scrolling in order to read further. To have them wonderfully collected into one winsome book is a gift to the church, especially as we seek to know and honor the global story of our great 'cloud of witnesses.'"

Review of Our Church Speaks: An Illustrated Devotional of Saints from Every Era and Place:

"The saints are not finally dead but are our living friends and mentors, alive with us in Christ now. We need their witness and their voice now. Which is why we need this beautiful book, especially with its ultimate aim of leading us into prayer—which is (as every saint insists) our truest work."

"I love Our Church Speaks! Ben Lansing and Dan Marotta are doing such a service to the church in our day by introducing us to so many saints, martyrs, and heroes from around the world. Each of them bore witness to the living Jesus with their lives—and with Our Church Speaks, Ben and Dan are doing the same. Check this book out! You'll be encouraged and inspired."

"Here is profound, incarnated instruction, in both word and example, from the lives of those whom Christ Jesus worked mightily through. Deacon Ben Lansing has a great nose for which sayings of the saints are most odiferous with the sweet aroma of Christ, and these are thoughtfully explicated by D.J. Marotta. This collection reminds us that the saints don't "belong" to some other church or some other age, but they are ours — to be savored."
 

Fr. Ben Jefferies, Rector at The Good Shepherd Anglican Church (Opelika, AL), Liturgical Book Designer at Anglican Liturgy Press, Adjunct Lecturer at Trinity Anglican Seminary and Nashotah House Seminary, Assistant to the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer (2019)

"This book masterfully crafts illustrations and words to bring to life a mosaic of exemplary men and women who have embodied the way of Jesus in various circumstances that inspires us to live faithfully today. I'm grateful for this book."
 

David M. Bailey, founder and CEO of Arrabon and coauthor of A People, a Place, and a Just Society

"I cannot think of a more helpful resource for the future than diving into this resource about the past. Enrich your soul and drink in both the words and art from this trusted guide as you live faithfully into all the vibrant streams of the church that flow from the loving heart of Christ."

AJ Sherrill, Anglican priest and author of Being with God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer 

 

"Our Church Speaks is a catechism for anyone anywhere, in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, in the East and the West, drawing on the stories of men and women who have lived and died by faith, in hope, for love. Born of unusual pastoral imagination, surprising historical depth and wonderful artistic skill, this new book by Ben Lansing and Dan Marotta is a remarkable gift for this generation and for generations to come, read by many people in many places who long to know more of God and of his faithful people in and through the centuries and cultures whose threads have become the tapestry which is our history."