Customer Reviews

The Way of the Heart

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This book was my first introduction to Nouwen, and if his other books are anything like this one, I believe that I've stumbled on one of the greatest Christian writers ever. This little paperback contains some of the greatest, most basic truths Christianity, silence, solitude, and prayer, and reminds us that in the practice of these simple truths that we can find the true essence of God and of our relationship to Him. Through the example of the desert fathers, Nouwen reminds us that secrets to a more fulfilling life are found not in the number of books we read, the number of extracurricular activities we participate in, or even in the number of church services we attend. True peace with God can be found in the simplicity of quietness, silent devotion, and the willingness to be still and listen for God to speak. For those who are caught up in lives that never slow down or never take time to stop and rest, this book is for them. For those who are looking for a simpler, more genuine way to practice their faith, this book is for them. And, for those who are in the midst of the valley or whose journey of faith is at a dead end, this book will provide refreshing insight and will hopefully lead the way back to fellowship with the Almighty. Wherever you are in your walk with God, this book will surely become one of your all-time favorites as it has mine.

Modern Christians can benefit from this insightful little book as the author describes three essential disciplines for spiritual growth. The very word "discipline" will turn many people away from this book and the message it delivers and this is unfortunate. Rather than becoming a burden, the excercise of solitude, silence, and prayer are actually life living and refreshing. When we excercise these disciplines we enter into a new and intimate walk with God that transforms both our daily walk and our witness to others. From our excercise of these arts God is able to work in our souls to purify and soften us and to bring us to true compassion and wisdom. I found that to get the most value from it I had to read it in small segments and then meditate on it for a few days. Highly recommended.

Nine years ago when I was still a teenager, I obtained this book from my late Parish Priest in Yola, Nigeria. Hardly had I started reading it when I realised it was speaking to me as a person. Nouwen's introduction to the life of the Desert Fathers and the role Silence, Solitude and Prayer can have on our lives is thought provoking. This book has affected me in the most positive of ways. It is for everyone, for those busy with work, for those who go to Church, for those who frequent the bars...evreyone. This book would introduce a peaceful and calm spirituality to you - I highly recommend it and would not hesistate to give it a 10 star!!

Nouwen is a contemporary devotional master! As an evangelical Christian, I have been exposed to do! do! do! my whole life. The path to eternal life -- knowing God (Jn. 17:3) -- begins in solitude, silence, and prayer. As Nouwen reveals, it is only from the knowing of God that begins in the quiet of one's heart that effective ministry can take place.

This tiny volume whispers truth to the soul suffering from spiritual clamor. Take and read, drink in slowly, and absorb the peace.

What more could one want from a book about Christian spirituality? Nouwen looks at the Desert Fathers, the original monks and hermits, and tries to explain what drove them to the desert and what kept them there. Nouwen suggests that we can have much of what they found without traveling to the Sinai. A must-read for those who find themselves "playing church" rather than being a disciple.

It's worth reading every year ... Nouwen's urging us to pursue Solitude, Silence and Prayer directs us, I believe, to the very heart of God, and it serves as a stark contrast to the busyness and loud ambition of both the secular world and the Christian world. You could read it in an hour -- take a week, digest it and see if it doesn't change your life.

This book presented itself to me when I was deep into a project and just needed some factual answers. It's only 94 pages. I thought I could read it very quickly.

Ha.

It did give me answers, but it wasn't a quick read. It was the kind of book that had me reading a page, then pacing the floor, waiting for the million thoughts it excited to settle down so I could read the next. This went on for a week. And then I read it again, and read it out loud to friends. The cheap copy I bought is already wearing out.

What's it about? Simply, it's about the ancient practices of the Desert Fathers, of solitude, silence and prayer, how and why they came about, why they are needed now, and how they can be made to work in our crowded, noisy, distinctly non-contemplative lives.

The thing that first got my attention, was Nouwen's description of the problem of worldliness in the church, our tendency to think the way everybody else thinks. Worldliness, not simply in the way we've all come to see it, drinking and carousing, that sort of thing. He talks about the sneakier form, the kind that creeps in without our noticing, that has us convinced that what makes us valuable, what makes us worthwhile, is what we own, what we have accomplished, and what people think of us. Take those away and we have no reason to exist.

Think what that does to us. Think how it drives our choices, how it colors our view of others.

That's what began to get my attention - but I knew the book would be precious to me when I read the story of St. Anthony, who after some twenty years of practicing the disciplines of solitude, silence and prayer was finally able to pray genuinely - talking to God as himself, not the person he thought or wished or hoped to be. When he rejoined humanity, his very presence was healing to people because at last he could look at them with clean eyes, he could really see them as they were, not as accessories to his own self esteem.

Can you imagine how that way of being would change everything?

Buy this book. If you can, get a good strong copy. It's going to have to hold up to much reading.

Nouwen is one of the best authors of our time. Obscure, in comparison to many of our writers in the Christian pop culture. He far surpasses all of them. An excellent guide to quieting the noise the roars in our souls and finding peace amidst the busy world in which we live. Nouwen states that "Our society is not a community radiant with the love of Christ, but a dangerous network of dominations and manipulation in which we can easily get entangled and lose our soul." He also states that "solitude that at first had required physical isolation had now become a quality of his heart, an inner disposition that could no longer be disturbed by those who needed his guidance." We must reach a state of equilibrium internally before we can reach balance in any area in life. The answer to tranquility is silence in the soul.

Hernri J.M. Nouwen writes with a deep understanding of the Desert Fathers and thier fundamental beliefs. He illustrates how to use thier knowledge of solitude, silence and prayer in simple ways to apply to our daily lives. It is in itself a great comfort to read. For those who are trobled, in any kind of situation, the practices that he describes offers the light of hope.