Customer Reviews

The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ

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The lack of reviews of this is surprising; in Living Reminder Nouwen has written a must-read for understanding ministry. He explores how Christian ministry, if it is to be genuine and effective, must be sustained by a deep and Christ-centered spirituality.

Nouwen writes that the minister is called to be three things: a healing reminder (connecting human sufferings with those of Christ, being a living reminder of God), a sustaining reminder (where he discusses his novel concept of a ministry of absence and the importance of presence first to God rather than those ministered to), and a guiding reminder (providing prophetic confrontation, inspiration, and hope). In all of these things, Nouwen describes what the living reminder looks like and why, rather than what this minister does: "We have lost touch... we are called to connect, not so much by what we do, but by who we are" (30).

While it is not a how-to at all, this book provides the why and how of incarnational ministry. Nouwen's writing is exceptionally clear, organized well, and concise. His ideas, however, are abstract; he deals with our paradigms rather than our actions. This is short, but very impactful... a must-read for anyone seeking to understand what a living reminder looks like.

I have read most all of Nouwen's books - each are written from the attitude of knowing and serving a God who loves us and wants to be in relationship with those He created. In The Living Reminder, Nouwen emphasizes the importance of remembering where God has brought us from and where He is leading us to go. It is a book for everyone who wishes to minister to the hurting around them (pastors, counselors, laity). The book is short and easy to read - yet profound and encouraging. I highly recommend all of Nouwen's books for those who are searching for a closer walk with God.

I read this book in the 1980s. It was a gift from a wonderful spiritual mentor. I lost it through many changes and chances in my life. Reading it 20 years later helped me go deeper with Nouwen, who is one of my favorite authors. He brings being and action together in a very satisfying way.

We were looking for resources on prayer for our Stephen Ministry Continuing Education and this book was referenced in our training manual. It stresses the importance of keeping prayer and ministry together. Many times we get caught up in the doing of ministry to the exclusion of spiritual direction. This is a very good book, as all the books we have by Henri continue to be.

I recently attended a Formational Counseling seminar at Ashland Theological Seminary. The director of the institute; Terry Wardle...said that he thought this was Nouwen's best book. Sooo...naturally i took that to heart...
Though i have not read all of Nouwen's books. I must say...it is short & sweet...a marvelous distillation and concentration of spiritual honey that i will savor for years to come.