The Heart of Henri Nouwen: His Words of Blessing [Hardcover]

Henri Nouwen (Author), Michael J. Christensen (Editor), Rebecca Laird (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nouwen's birth, Crossroad issued this anthology of the best of Henri Nouwen from our list. This volume focuses on the three themes that were closest to his own heart: hope in suffering, a personal relationship with God, and living for others.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crossroad Publishing Company (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082451985X
• ISBN-13: 978-0824519858
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep this book with you at all times!, August 24, 2004

By 

Michael Rock "Urban hesychast" (Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Heart of Henri Nouwen: His Words of Blessing (Hardcover)

'The Heart of Henri Nouwen' is a wonderful little book. It's the kind of book that I keep with me every day. I read it as I would a meditation or a 'thoughts-in-solitude' type of text. For me, it is for reflection, soul-making, soul-mending, and very healing. It's 'spiritual' in the sense that it connects our normal living -- and its attendant emotions -- with purpose and with vision. It constantly reminds me, whatever my day is like, to look at the following question directly in the mirror: "What kind of a person do you want to be?" Tough question, but I cannot go through life without wanting integrity in my answer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgivenss; celebration; compassion, August 10, 2008

By 

Stephen Richmond "Librarian/Teacher/Reader an... (Newton, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Heart of Henri Nouwen: His Words of Blessing (Hardcover)

This slight book serves as an excellent introduction to the heart and mind of one of the greatest spiritual writers of the 20th century. Nouwen writes extensively of how fragile and frail human hearts can be prepared to share the immensity and power of the heart of God. This work cuts and pastes the densest, most potent passages from more than 40 works. While it is atavistically incorrect to ever read only bits and pieces of any writer's oeuvre, without proper contextuality, the quoted material here well serves its purpose to entice and provoke further reading explorations. Any human being trying to cope with the mundane, but evermore exacerbating realities of contemporary existence will find much comfort, solace, and wisdom here. Although never precisely considered part of the creation spirituality theological cadre, Nouwen's work fits nicely within those paradigms and even quietly rebukes traditional fall/redemption thinking. The best of beautiful writing from a beautiful mind and heart.