Soul Provider: Spiritual Steps to Limitless Love (Hardcover)

by Edward L. Beck (Author)
Key Phrases: good discernment, Climacus Step, United States, John Climacus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Sometimes in the quest for a deeper spirituality, we need to be reminded of the basics-the fundamental stepping stones toward spiritual progress throughout life. Beck, a Catholic priest, member of the Passionist religious order, and author of God Underneath, has an extraordinary gift for diving into the Christian spiritual tradition and emerging with profound perspectives and wisdom that speak directly to the heart. For this project, Beck looks to early seventh-century mystic St. John Climacus and his classic work The Ladder of Divine Ascent, and shows, step by step, how these ancient spiritual prescriptions for the good life are just as vital today. A gifted writer and storyteller, Beck delivers straightforward, honest and at times poignant prose, tying his own life experiences in when appropriate. All of the chapters integrate helpful quotations and end with reflection questions to aid readers with their own prayers. Writing about his inspiration for this book, the author states, I was encouraged to face my vices and demons, assured that they didn't have the power to overcome me, and then to move on. Beck conveys similar encouragement through this work, and many people will benefit. (Oct. 16)
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Review
Advance Praise for Soul Provider"Father Edward L. Beck's Soul Provider explains the steps of a classic spiritual guidebook in a way that is apt for the modern world and attractive and useful to readers interested in making their lives meaningful. Anyone can apply these instructions about what to give up and what to adopt, whatever their own personal faith, or, indeed, even if they have none. Here is clear evidence of the role religion can play in promoting basic human good qualities such as love, compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness in the world today."  --His Holiness the Dalai LamaPraise for Unlikely Ways Home“Edward Beck’s book . . . is not about abstract theory but about the concrete lives of real people with real problems. It is hoped Father Beck tells more stories like these.” —Andrew Greeley, New York Times bestselling author“Father Beck has not only written eloquent stories about faith, but life. And the journeys that carry us on so many varied paths toward hope.” —Diane Sawyer, ABC News“Father Beck has assembled a beautiful collection of stories from real people with real problems and real faith.” —The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)



Praise for God Underneath
"A graceful and gracious work of self-revelation and spiritual wisdom." -Los Angeles Times"Edward Beck is one heck of a writer, and this gem of a book is not to be missed...you will not be able to put this book down." -Dallas Morning News --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385515529
• ISBN-13: 978-0385515528
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #470,815 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul Provider really provides for the soul !, December 4, 2007

By	Roseann Aliano (West New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've been searching for a way to deepen your connection with God, and are uncertain about how to begin. Read this book.
In Soul Provider Father Beck takes you step by step in your spiritual journey by exploring the virtues and vices that we can all relate to as human beings. He bases his book on a traditional 30 step work by St. John Climacus which he updates into modern terms that people of all faiths and backgrounds can appreciate.
By sharing his own personal experiences, and the real life stories of the people he's met, Father Beck helps us to see how our relationships with other people, and how we treat them is essentially the path to God's limitless love.
How refreshing in this "me first" society that we live in to read a book that puts God and neighbor first.
I found this book to be quite cathartic, and growth inspiring to find joy in paths that are good for the soul.
I highly recommend Soul Provider to anyone brave enough to challenge themselves to seek true happiness.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul Provider nourishes the spirit, December 17, 2007

By	Eleanor M. Gibeau "ellie" (Sarasota, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had the pleasure of hearing Fr. Beck several times when he was a guest priest at St. Thomas More church in Sarasota, Fl. I have also read his earlier books. What I come away with is how genuine and real he is. His stories and his humor bring life to wonderful spiritual wisdom.

Soul Provider is practical and helpful in putting this wisdom to use. I will read this book often and I have given it as gifts because it "says it all".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly good advice on the spiritual life, March 23, 2008

By	Jeffrey Miller "The Curt Jester" (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I received Soul Provider: Spiritual Steps to Limitless Love by Fr. Edward Beck and here was another book I was not to enthused to review. When you have a book cover with positive reviews by the Dalai Lama and reviews for his previous books by Anne Lamott, Andrew Greeley, Diane Sawyer, L.A. Times etc. you would certainly have a tendency to judge a book by it's cover reviews. Add to that that the book also quotes from Hindu, Islam, and other sources and throws in global warming a couple of times it would certainly seem that I might rather have my fingernails torn out then to read it.

Maybe since it was Lent I read it anyway and I do try to review books sent to me even though it gives me no pleasure to write a negative review when I have to. To my surprise thought I pretty much did enjoy this book. The book is a chapter by chapter following of The Ladder of Divine Ascent by Saint John Climacus. In the original work there are thirty steps along the spiritual path and the book follows this steps with thirty chapters.

Fr. Beck builds on the steps of St. John Climacus by trying these explain these steps in more modern terms. For the most part he succeeds. He tells a wealth of stories from his own life and dealings with others to help the audience see these steps and why following them are important to the spiritual life. My positive reaction to this book is mainly because I judge that this book was written for a larger audience and not specifically for Catholics. If the book was specifically written for Catholics then it is not very good since it almost totally lacks the framework of the sacraments so necessary to advance in the spiritual life. As I suspect that this is a more generic book on the topic of spirituality mostly rooted in a Christian context I have less problems with it.

As I mentioned there are example used from other religious traditions, but the large majority of references are to scripture. I did not get the feeling of syncretism in the use of these other sources and that what was quoted was applicable to the topic at hand. Fr. Beck is a capable writer and he keeps you interested in the topics at hand and has some good insights along the road. I certainly got the idea that he was firmly in the progressive camp when it comes to the Church, but it was not overt and for the most part did not distract from the steps from The Ladder of Divine Ascent. But mostly I had to remember what the audience was for the book for it not to annoy me at times. For people with very modernist ideas who are starting to take God and the spiritual life seriously there is a lot of good in this books. Fr. Beck has had a wealth of dealings I suspect with this audience and thus he examples will be quite useful for them.

One chapter I found that fell short of the rest of the book was the one on lust. This though was not exactly surprising since it is the telltale sign of the progressive side that when it comes to sexual morality that they just don't fully understand why it is sinful. He wants to take a "fresh look" and asks "would any of us be around without lust?" This question perfectly shows his error of understanding and even thought he quotes the Catechism on lust as a "disordered desire" he doesn't seem to understand that sexual desire within marriage does not have to be disordered. I think it is a rather sad worldview to believe that there has to be lust within the covenant of marriage. As if lust is a necessary evil. There are also a couple of mentions of homosexuality that while not condoning it certainly contain no caveats and in another chapter the "Course of Miracles" is mentioned without providing any caveats of this new age nonsense. I found it rather interesting that in the chapter on lust he was totally able to sink his teeth into denouncing avarice and was able to wax long on this subject.

So while I would not necessarily recommend this for most Catholics since there are much better books available on the spiritual life, I still find it quite useful for a wider audience.