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Seeds of Hope: A Henri Nouwen Reader

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I happened upon this book, and was blown away at it's relevance to personal questions and issues that I had been pondering. Nouwen's understanding of the ebbs and flows of our humanity and our need for relationship with God and his community is exceptional, as is his honesty about his own journey through suffering and personal pain. This is an excellent book for those wanting to experience a closer relationship with God in a practical and authentic way. The editor did an excellent job of choosing short excerpts from Nouwen's writings and journals to present a tasteful collection of inspirational reading, palettable for short periods of reading time.

If you need a spiritual uplift, a beacon of light in a sea of darkness, or just the warm voice of a friend on a lonely day, pick up "Seeds of Hope: A Henri Nouwen Reader" edited by Robert Durback. Henri Nouwen follows the age-old adage about writing, namely, "writing is simple: just take off your clothes." Henri Nouwen, like Jesus, exposes the wounds in his hands, his feet, and his side. He doesn't try to show you only the good stuff. He entrusts you with his fears, hopes, doubts, aspirations, failures and triumphs. Meanwhile, he is pointing away from himself, toward the Master, and also toward the ineffable being that is God.

If you are just getting started in your readings with Henri Nouwent this is a good place to start. This is a great books because it is like a greatest hits album. Just sample some of Nouwen's writings in this book and from there you can choose what you want to read next. I have been reading Nouwen's books for the past three years and I really enjoy his writings.

"Seeds of Hope" is an excellent introduction to the writings of this gifted man of God. The selections contained herein cover a range of related topics and each section is short enough to read in one brief sitting, yet substantive enough to provoke thought and discussion.

Nouwen was a man blessed with many talents: author, lecturer, intellectual. Yet, the gift that shines most clearly throughout his works is pastoral humility. He reminds the reader that thoughtful insight is valuable only if shared with graciousness and humor. Fortunately, most, if not all of his works remain in print. For those seeking an introduction to his inspirational writings, this is the book

Editor Robert Durback has gleaned the best of Nouwen's writings and successfully linked them together in a meaningful sequence creating a chain of inspirational thought. Seldom has the work of an editor paralleled that of the writer, but when it happens the end product is better than the sum of its parts.

Durback has harvested every resource of Nouwen's spiritual essays, taking excerpts from books, magazine articles, and unpublished journals. They touch upon the human journey in a personal, intimate style; a style that has made Nouwen one of the most widely read spiritual writers of the past century. In this anthology his essays define hope and they definately communicate hope in an inspiring manner. I don't feel that Nouwen ever acquired the hope he was seeking, but his desire to capture it for himself, as well as for others, was a lifelong pilgrimage of his. In his search, he shared with his readers the struggle and the ideal of nearing perfection.

Compassion was one grace Nouwen was not lacking and could be found in every topic he wrote about, whether expressed implicitly or explicitly. Here's a sample:

"Compassion lies at the heart of our prayer for our fellow human beings. When I pray for the world, I become the world; when I pray for the endless needs of the millions, my soul expands and wants to embrace them all and bring them into the presence of God....In praying for others, I lose myself and become the other, only to be found by the divine love which holds the whole of humanity in a compassionate embrace."

The second edition includes a 50 page Memorial Tribute that tells of Nouwen's life as a person and as a writer. There's also a great 18 page bibliography.

I have read several books of Henri Nouwen's and I have enjoyed them all. This books was so fascinating that I could not put it down. It has so many short works of Henri Nouwen's.... short but great. I facilitate a group for our Church and it has been so helpful for me to become more educated with what the Catholic Church believes and wants us to practice.I would recommend this book to anyone; but expecially to someone who does not have time to read a lot; it is in such short stories that one could pick this up anytime and still know what Henri Nouwen is teaching. #10 on my list and I will be giving as gifts to special friends.

This is a very good book, full of treasures to dig upon. Henry Nouwen is very real about the faith. Down-to-earth, very heart-touching writings.