“Whenever I pass the majestic mosque in my city, I find myself wishing that we would emulate our Muslim neighbors who leave their shoes at the door. We can grow almost too Comfortable and easy, almost casual in our relationship with the high-voltage God whom theologian Rudolf Otto termed “a tremendous and fascinating mystery.” But then I, who am happiest and most comfortable, most fully at home when I can slip off my shoes, wiggle my toes, and feel the ground underneath my feet, must wonder. Is the command from the bush a reminder to put us in our place, or is it an invitation to feel at home, to come closer without fear?”

–Margaret Guenther, Walking Home, p. 34