No, I'm not creating a Dead Theologians Society Reading List, another version of The Best Christian Book of All Time March Madness, or even another book review/discussion series per se. Instead I'm in the process of completing the final exam for my summer class on Christian Devotional Classics (Evangelical Seminary). Really, a final exam? Yes, Laurie Mellinger, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and Christian Theology, Dean of Academic Programs), has us wrap-up the roundtable presentation/discussion … [Read more...] about Receiving from the Christian Devotional Classics: Thomas Merton & the Desert Fathers
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Henri Nouwen: A Creative Response (from Loneliness to Solitude)
I'm concluding my series on Henri Nouwen's book Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life with the final chapter from his first section, which deals with the movement from loneliness to solitude. For several days before I began reading this chapter, I had not responded well to events at home, such as my children acting like children, for goodness' sake. Nouwen's words at the beginning of this chapter (entitled "A Creative Response") caught me up short: As long as we are trying to run away from loneliness … [Read more...] about Henri Nouwen: A Creative Response (from Loneliness to Solitude)
Henri Nouwen: What’s the cure for loneliness?
Last week, I began blogging through the first section of Henri Nouwen's Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life (to read the first post click here). The first movement – from loneliness to solitude – struck a chord within me, as I reflected that graduate school can be a lonely time and place for many people. Of course, loneliness can strike at any time and any place. Loneliness is even independent of the number of people you're with. Solitude of Heart What's the cure for loneliness? Solitude. But … [Read more...] about Henri Nouwen: What’s the cure for loneliness?