Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism [Paperback]

Howard E. Friend Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2008

This book of ten essays is a breath of fresh air, a source of inspiration, a wake-up call, and a bold challenge for pastors, congregational leaders, and church members--both active and lapsed--who long for a new perspective, even a touch of creative irreverence. With an invitation to quietness and stillness, inner strength and resilience, audacious hope and insistent confidence, it welcomes those among the people of God who do not belong to a church or even name themselves as Christian. Yet it does not shy away from raising difficult questions. Howard Friend offers forthright, at times disarming, candor as he shares his personal pilgrimage of activism rooted in contemplation.

Convinced that God still seeks to work in and through the church, Friend shows us where God is present--at times despite the church itself. In his opinion, the church needs to stir the pot, upset the applecart, and dare to welcome the new and refreshing. Yet Friend remains hopeful for and committed to the church, calling and equipping it to become its highest and best. Drawing on a range of stories from the Bible and his own lived experiences, Friend invites us to meet real people--pastors, leaders, everyday folks--who dare to dream a new dream, journey toward a far horizon, walk with tireless determination, and press on with awesome hope.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Christianity at its best has been able to say, "If you want to know what I believe, then watch how I live." In this delightful book, Howard Friend reminds us that we must learn to disagree well--it may be a more important witness to the world than even the best apologetic. --Shane Claiborne, activist and author of Jesus for President

Howard Friend writes from the soul of his own deep journey. Each essay will ignite your own sense of insight and clarity. This timely and extraordinary book will wake you up to the privilege of being alive at this time in history and the vital role you have the opportunity to play. --Lynne Twist, co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance and author of The Soul of Money

This book offers passion, perspective, and wisdom to leaders in our seminaries, sanctuaries, and streets. Friend's insights come across in equal parts as spiritual direction, organizational consulting, and social justice advocacy--a holistic mix of storytelling, social analysis, and theological reflection --Ched Myers, author and activist theologian, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries

About the Author

Rev. Dr. Howard E. Friend, Jr., is an ordained Presbyterian minister, a longtime parish pastor, the founder and lead consultant of the Parish Empowerment Network in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and adjunct faculty at Palmer Theological Seminary. Howard has led workshops and seminars at conference centers around the country, numerous judicatory training and retreat events, and worked with over one hundred and fifty congregations over the last twenty years. His books include Recovering the Sacred Center: Church Renewal from the Inside Out (Judson Press, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Alban Institute (November 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566993741
• ISBN-13: 978-1566993746
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,379,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Friend: a Voice for Tolerance, February 20, 2010

By 

Neal Q. Herrick (Boydton, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism (Paperback)

Neal Q. Herrick, Boydton, VA

Gifts of an Uncommon Life is a remarkable book. It will make you laugh and it will also make you cry. At one level, it is about how to help a church's members "grow" their church. At another level, it is about how a woman or a man might "grow" her- or him-self. It is a striking book in that its author, Rev. Howard Friend, is both a devout Christian and an admirer of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and the other doctrinal explanations for our existence. Fortunately, Rev. Friend makes his points by telling stories. Some of the stories he uses are from the Bible and others are from his own first- or second-hand experience. He is a master story-teller and the points he makes are useful and important - especially the points about how we might "grow" ourselves. He would be giving us all a substantial gift if he would, sometime in the future, write a book that makes its points through an equal and impartial use of stories from the Qur'an, the Upanishads and the Cannons of Buddhism. We are at a point in our history where, not only Christian denominations, but all religions, need to recognize their common values, principles and goals.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism, July 4, 2009

By 

Bob Young "Robert D. Young" (West Chester, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism (Paperback)

Review of
"Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism"
by Howard Friend (Virginia: Alban Institute, 2008)

Howard Friend is a self-confessed maverick, literally hard to brand. He believes in the Trinitarian God, loves Jesus and draws life from scripture, but is comfortable with people of differing faith and allows large space to any definition of the term "the people of God". He is orthodox without the sometimes-sharp edges of orthodoxy. Psychology and meditation techniques are imbedded in his thinking but they usually come out, not as jargon but as he peers into a passage of scripture. The Old or New Testaments invite his forays. He is comfortable (and highly successful) in the pulpit as a preacher, with a long track record as pastor (23 years in one church). He is equally comfortable leading a weekend retreat for church leaders, drawing out and helping shape their mission statement. He can propound theory, as expert speaking to novice, much as a college professor (which he often is). Yet, he prefers to prod and enter a process of discernment - `doing with' rather than `doing for'. As with his first book, "Recovering the Sacred Center", his secret strength is leading the way to God within, who is the source of words, vision, healing, and reality. He tips his hand by having Richard Rohr write the preface - Rohr being the Franciscan leader of the Center for Action and Meditation in Albuquerque. Yet, the proof of such centering is finding the passion of God, - enough to protest as an Old Testament prophet; enough to hope as a New Testament Evangelist. Howard can't be branded, and we the readers are beneficiaries of his wide-ranging, out-of-the-box thinking.

The Rev. Dr. Robert D. Young
3/8/09

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thumbs up, March 13, 2009

By 

Elizabeth Killough - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gifts of an Uncommon Life: The Practice of Contemplative Activism (Paperback)

This is a gem of insight, reflection, and guidance. Howard Friend's honesty inspires my own. I've already adopted some of his suggestions including how to take control of my precious time on this earth. Written from a non-dogmatic religious perspective and in large part to the church community, I am finding this reading quite useful in my personal and secular worlds.