The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life [Large Print] [Paperback]

David F. Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

What does it mean to live as a Christian in the busy, secular world? How is it possible not to be overwhelmed by the pace and rush of modern life? These are the central themes explored in the Archbishop's Lent Book for 1998.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ford (Modern Theologians) asks how Christians can practice their faith in what he believes is a hostile environment. We live in a "culture of distraction," he writes, where we are constantly overwhelmed by experiences of love and pain, grief and joy and a fear of the future or dread of the past. As he recounts his own spiritual journey, Ford uses examples from scripture and wisdom from his spiritual mentors to suggest ways of overcoming distraction. He suggests that once we have named and described our distraction we can integrate the lessons of that experience into our spiritual lives. He also counsels us to seek community in our quest for spirituality. Ford proposes that we ask a series of questions as we seek spiritual direction: Who are the people from the past and present who are always in our hearts? What are our deepest desires? How do we cope with so much of ourselves being hidden even from ourselves? What can we learn from those who have suffered intensely? In this eloquent and reflective book, Ford presents a Christian faith that focuses on Christ's being central to the community of our hearts.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

This book has already begun to interfere with my life - He frames the gospel message in ways that dovetail with his uncannily perceptive accounts of our modern, messed-up (but potentially promising) lives. There is no way to anticipate just what this book might be for you. [It] has "against considerable odds (the Old Adam in me is alive and kicking)" made its Christian vision of human flourishing more of an actual possibility for me than it was before I began to read the book. The Shape of Living is like a friend's invitation to a dinner at which you encounter some unexpected guests and hope for some life-shaping consequence. By all means, accept. -- The Christian Century, David Dawson, associate professor of religion and comparative literature and Robert MacCrate Professor in Social Responsibility at Haverford College --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Walker Large Print; Lrg edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410400360
• ISBN-13: 978-1410400369
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,697,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Explication of Christian Spirituality, July 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life (Paperback)

As a practicing Christian and as a doctoral student in religous studies, I have read and perused a number of modern volumes on Christian Spirituality and I must say that this one is simply the best modern text on the subject. Ford's extensive theological and biblical background informs every word yet every word is accessible and plainly spoken. (Very much resembles C.S. Lewis in content and style). Anyone who is serious about their Christian journey should read and savour this volume. If you dare, it will change your life.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adding form to chaos..., August 28, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life (Paperback)

Throughout the history of human existence, life has had the potential for being overwhelming. However, this potential has never been greater than in the modern Western society - despite all of our 'labour-saving' devices and a veritable explosion of courses, books, and strategies for coping and managing stress, there is more to overwhelm us than ever. We look back with nostalgia to 'simpler times' or look forward to an easier future, not realising that neither is true. Into the mix of the rough and tumble of everyday life, sometimes we are presented with an even greater overwhelming - God calls us to do something, to be something. Talk about the ultimate overwhelming!

David Ford, a noted theologian on the faculty at Cambridge University, has written a practical book aimed at those who look for a spiritual dimension in their busy lives, particularly for those who feel a call to some kind of spiritual or ministerial vocation, but also generally accessible to all who have a sense of being called and being overwhelmed at the same time. Ford, in his introduction, makes clear his general Christian orientation, but does a good job throughout of being general enough that adherents of any religious faith would find value in the text - it is not a dogmatic one by any means.

Ford begins from the standpoint of community and people - our lives might not seem so overwhelming if they were lived alone and in isolation (although some who have tried this tactic of 'getting away from it all' have had their own overwhelmings). These can be our families, friends and neighbours, as well as people in the past - those we carry with us in our interior being.

Ford addresses the call in our lives in the second chapter - what satisfies our deepest longings? What are we truly called to do in our lives? The process of discernment can be a formal process for some, and an informal process for others, but it is always there in some form if we open ourselves up to it. Ford looks at vocation in the broadest sense - our callings are not just to career and profession, but to life as a whole.

In subsequent chapters, Ford looks at overwhelmings that are good and bad, the idea of goodness generally, and various issues of how we spend our time, energy, and even information about ourselves. Can secrecy be part of this process of dealing with overwhelming? There are various disciplines discussed here.

Ford uses biblical stories as well as the poetry of Micheal O'Siadhail as primary texts, and weaves in his own experiences as well as those of others into the mix. For example, he uses the story of Noah and the ark as one way of dealing with overwhelming circumstances; he then writes that there have been many ark builders in history. Ford also explains that overwhelmings are a natural part of life - again, the example of Noah is presented here; after having survived the flood, he went on to plant a vineyard that grew grapes, which fermented, and Noah was overwhelmed by the alcohol. We may not have global, catastrophic floods with any regularity, but drunkenness is still high on the list of overwhelming issues in the world.

However, do not get the wrong impression about this book. This is not a book about morality as much as it is a book about guiding one's life in the midst of such overwhelming things in a productive and spiritually-satisfying way. This is not a 'God's little rulebook' kind of text, but rather a wide-ranging theological discussion with some practical examples and suggestions accompanying the main essay.

We use this book in the first course required of most students at my seminary - seminary is an overwhelming experience. It is worthwhile reading for each year, for students in any graduate or professional school, for students starting college, for people beginning new jobs or careers, for people beginning families, and for people generally living their lives wondering how to cope and make life spiritually more fulfilling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning chaos into substance..., August 28, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shape of Living, The (Paperback)

This book was written at the request of George Carey, the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, as a Lenten study. The shape of the book matches that purpose -- there are six chapters to match the six weeks of the Lenten season, and a seventh chapter that matches in theme the joy of the Easter miracle. The shape of this book in many ways parallels the scripture readings and ideas of many Lenten series. Carey provides a nice introduction (and has perhaps the longest sentence fragment I've ever read as part of that introduction, so small marks against the editing), commending the book not only to Anglican readers, but readers of all persuasions seeking greater insight into the shaping of spiritual life.

Throughout the history of human existence, life has had the potential for being overwhelming. However, this potential has never been greater than in the modern Western society - despite all of our 'labour-saving' devices and a veritable explosion of courses, books, and strategies for coping and managing stress, there is more to overwhelm us than ever. We look back with nostalgia to 'simpler times' or look forward to an easier future, not realising that neither is true. Into the mix of the rough and tumble of everyday life, sometimes we are presented with an even greater overwhelming - God calls us to do something, to be something. Talk about the ultimate overwhelming!

David Ford, a noted theologian on the faculty at Cambridge University, has written a practical book aimed at those who look for a spiritual dimension in their busy lives, particularly for those who feel a call to some kind of spiritual or ministerial vocation, but also generally accessible to all who have a sense of being called and being overwhelmed at the same time. Ford, in his introduction, makes clear his general Christian orientation, but does a good job throughout of being general enough that adherents of any religious faith would find value in the text - it is not a dogmatic one by any means.

Ford begins from the standpoint of community and people - our lives might not seem so overwhelming if they were lived alone and in isolation (although some who have tried this tactic of 'getting away from it all' have had their own overwhelmings). These can be our families, friends and neighbours, as well as people in the past - those we carry with us in our interior being.

Ford addresses the call in our lives in the second chapter - what satisfies our deepest longings? What are we truly called to do in our lives? The process of discernment can be a formal process for some, and an informal process for others, but it is always there in some form if we open ourselves up to it. Ford looks at vocation in the broadest sense - our callings are not just to career and profession, but to life as a whole.

In subsequent chapters, Ford looks at overwhelmings that are good and bad, the idea of goodness generally, and various issues of how we spend our time, energy, and even information about ourselves. Can secrecy be part of this process of dealing with overwhelming? There are various disciplines discussed here.

Ford uses biblical stories as well as the poetry of Micheal O'Siadhail as primary texts, and weaves in his own experiences as well as those of others into the mix. For example, he uses the story of Noah and the ark as one way of dealing with overwhelming circumstances; he then writes that there have been many ark builders in history. Ford also explains that overwhelmings are a natural part of life - again, the example of Noah is presented here; after having survived the flood, he went on to plant a vineyard that grew grapes, which fermented, and Noah was overwhelmed by the alcohol. We may not have global, catastrophic floods with any regularity, but drunkenness is still high on the list of overwhelming issues in the world.

However, do not get the wrong impression about this book. This is not a book about morality as much as it is a book about guiding one's life in the midst of such overwhelming things in a productive and spiritually-satisfying way. This is not a 'God's little rulebook' kind of text, but rather a wide-ranging theological discussion with some practical examples and suggestions accompanying the main essay.

We use this book in the first course required of most students at my seminary - seminary is an overwhelming experience. It is worthwhile reading for each year, for students in any graduate or professional school, for students starting college, for people beginning new jobs or careers, for people beginning families, and for people generally living their lives wondering how to cope and make life spiritually more fulfilling.