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Chasing God: One Woman's Magnificent Journey to Spirit

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Chasing God is the profoundly insightful story of Shirley Cunningham, who grew up Catholic as a young girl, spent time in a convent, married, became a mother, divorced, and battled with breast cancer. Shirley's quest to understand the love and gentleness of a God far greater than any institution created around him, makes for a profoundly spiritual tale, embellished with her accounts of dreams, encounters with angels, and revealing a memorable journey of opening one's soul to the Divine. Chasing God is recommended reading for students of spirituality and a recommended addition to Christian Studies supplemental reading lists.

If you are looking for a book that shows the tensions between the real and the "expected," between the inner and the outer, between "chasing God" and "being chased" by God and then resolves those tensions by giving a spiritual vision of wholeness that embraces the paradoxes, then this book is for you. That is not to suggest that Chasing God is a metaphysical or philosophically dense treatise on life. The way the author writes about her relationships with family and friends; about the birth of her son; about the growing romance with her second husband ring so true that the reader experiences the relationship as well. Chasing God is a journey through one woman's life. It is a book written with clarity and beauty.

Cunningham is particularly strong when she describes places. The reader is with her in her high school in Wisconsin, with her in the convent, with her in Spain, with her as she races to a doctor with her new friend Jerry who is suddenly and unexpectedly ill. Cunningham's reflections on being ill, herself, with cancer and her subsequent change in feeling about folks who are not fully well are worth the price of the book.

Likewise, this book is for those who are, at heart, artists
and for whom the daily responsibilities of life have squeezed the artist thin. Cunningham, through her own experience, challenges the reader to nurture the creative within and shows the connections between creativity, spirituality, and healing.

For many of us used to looking for reality "outside," the author of this book asserts not only that the really real is out there, but that the "real thing comes from inside" as well and challenges us to listen.
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This is a powerful book for those that want to understand more about their spirituality. We focus a lot on understanding religion but we do not take enough time to understand our relationship with God. Chasing God opens up a whole new understanding about God and God's love, reaching out toward us. We often hear the phrase, if you want to change the world change yourself...well this book is a step in the right direction. I read the book in one day, I could not put it down.

I found Chasing God to be an inspirational story for women who are in the midst of change in their lives. It is a story of spiritual and personal growth which I feel to be one of the best stories I have ever read. Chasing God will keep you interested from page 1 to the end with Shirley Cunningham's exciting life story. If you enjoy autobiographies, this book is a must for you!!!

A wonderful memoir filled with vulnerability, compassion and strength. A must for anyone who is seeking the genesis of their spirituality.

Shirley Cunningham's deep journey into the bowels of life and connection with the transcendent is a rare memoir that serves as a guidebook to anyone searching for the divine. Her honesty, devotion to the highest good, and real-life struggles captivates and inspires. Her gentle literary touch moves the pages along effortlessly for the reader despite the messiness, joys, complexities, and challenges of a life lived to the fullest measure. It's a book that heals and lightens. I highly recommend this excellent read.

Ms. Cunningham's life journey helped to reinforce in my own life that all things happen for a reason and sometimes you just have to BE, simple but powerful. If you show up God will put you on your destined path. Well worth it!

Shirley Cunningham has given an insight into the convent life (at least, what she experienced) that many will find fascinating. She deals honestly with issues that most of us would prefer to avoid sharing with strangers. The Epilogue articulates an understanding, it seems to me, of what spirituality is.

God is certainly watching Shirley and watching over her. As a child of God, Shirley obviously knows that no one can be against us or defeat us when He is with us. She offers such insight and detail into her own life, yet protects the privacy of those who have interacted with her closely. She does it with style, grace and dignity. Her book may give anyone who reads it the insight and courage to look introspectively into their own lives, pray to our God for His direction and follow the light to the home prepared for us by our heavenly Father. A work displaying vulnerability and done with class. God Bless you always Shirley!

I found this book at the Mesa AZ library and I am so glad I did. This book was so inspiring to me it was like it was part of my own history. I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI, I wanted to be a Sister when I was younger. As I read this book I got the chills sometimes, what an amazing Journey. What I learned in my almost 60 years is you don't need to chase GOD, he and all his magnificents is always with us. All we need to do is ask him into our hearts.I found this book insiteful, amazing, loving, caring,and spiritual. I would never get tired of reading this book. I do hope this amazing Author will write another book and continue her journeys.