Roots and Wings: The Human Journey from a Speck of Stardust to a Spark of God [Paperback]

Margaret Silf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007

Every person has a personal story - a story as big and beautiful as the universe itself. And each of our personal stories is an essential chapter in the Big Story. We are told that lifes story begins from elements released into space at the death of a star. But what about our destiny? Does that speck of stardust also hold within it a spark of God? Is life evolving toward levels of consciousness that we cannot yet even imagine? This is a book full of questions to inspire deeper thinking. It invites you to participate in an age-old conversation about our origins and our destiny. It encourages you to think about what it might mean to become fully and truly human - and to discover your own response to that perpetual question.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Margaret Silf is one of Great Britain's most popular and successful spirituality writers. Her other books include Wayfaring and Inner Compass

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802824625
• ISBN-13: 978-0802824622
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 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: #423,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Silf travels widely in her work as a retreat director and speaker on Ignatian spirituality. Her books include Compass Points, Inner Compass, Close to the Heart and Going on Retreat(Loyola Press) and The Gift of Prayer: Embracing the Sacred in the Everyday (Bluebridge). She lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Earth to Stardust, September 14, 2007

By 

Benedictine Convent "Sr. Lenora Black, OSB" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roots and Wings: The Human Journey from a Speck of Stardust to a Spark of God (Paperback)

After a breathless whirl through the universe story, the author brings us back to planet Earth with very personal and pointed questions addressed to the reader. These are not all tidily collected at the ends of chapters, but interspersed throughout the text in such a way that they cannot easily be ignored. She shows how creation's interplay of chaos and ordering is reflected in our lives, and helps us learn from the ruins of our hopes. Using anecdotes from her own life, Silf makes her insights tangible and invites us to explore, rather than try to explain our own life story. Brief focused chapters make the book especially useful for those whose reading time is fragmented, yet each chapter offers ample food for further reflection.
While the first part of this refreshing book helps us nurture good roots, the latter part con-tains flying lessons. Familiar Gospel stories are retold from a new perspective, with one of the participants in the story as narrator. Mary Magdalene, trying to cling to Jesus after his resurrec-tion, is told, "We can't ever go back. The way leads only forward. Don't hang on to the past.... The future has such gifts for us, but we can't receive them unless we move on with empty hands." This is a book full of hope, urging us to both dig deeper and soar higher.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind opening, December 15, 2008

By 

Joe Twine "Reader of words" (GA - USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roots and Wings: The Human Journey from a Speck of Stardust to a Spark of God (Paperback)

After reading this book I feel much more able to be a grandparent because it talks about life in verbal images and Silf is a master at telling stories that open your mind to the possibilities one can achieve.