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Spiritual Formation book release


JUST RELEASED: 2nd book in the Nouwen Triology
Spiritual Formation  By Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca Laird  (HarperOne July 2010)
The first book in the series, Spiritual Direction, introduced readers to Nouwen’s core message on how to live the questions of the spiritual life. Now Spiritual Formation reveals Nouwen’s sage advice on how to live out the five classical stages of spiritual development.

Purchase at discount:  $17.15 at Amazon.com

“Spiritual formation is not about steps or stages on the way to perfection. It’s about the movements from the mind to the heart through prayer in its many forms that reunite us with God, each other and our truest selves.”—Henri Nouwen, from the Introduction



 “Spiritual formation presents opportunities to enter into the center of our heart and become familiar with the complexities of our own inner life,” says Henri Nouwen, one of the most widely read and articulate spiritual writers of in the late 20th century.

Beyond his 40+ published books on Christian spirituality, this particular book is his integrated teachings and personal examples of the “way of the heart”—the the way to descend from the mind into the heart and there be shaped by the Spirit of God within. As a pastor, psychologist, professor and pioneer in the field of pastoral psychology, Henri Nouwen is a trustworthy guide to what is now commonly called spiritual formation. –Editors, from the Preface

Endorsements

“Lovers of the work of Henri Nouwen will welcome this latest work from the pen of one of the most celebrated spiritual writers of our era.” --Lawrence S. Cunningham, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame

“Spiritual Formation brings the wisdom of Henri Nouwen into a fresh and lively context for us today. It vividly and faithfully reflects the Henri Nouwen I experienced in our times together. I highly recommend this book." --—Richard J. Foster, Author of Celebration of Discipline and Streams of Living Water

"I always knew I was in the presence of a spiritual master when I was with Henri Nouwen. He came to such mastery, however, through observing his own inner life honestly--and then lovingly. Here are some simple, wise words that will allow the master to continue to teach."--Richard Rohr, O.F.M.--Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and author of Everything Belongs.

“The late Henri Nouwen left behind a spiritual treasure trove of lectures, articles, and unpublished materials. In Spiritual Formation, Christensen and Laird have mined these sources and written a "new" Nouwen book that enables us to see more clearly the movements of a spiritual life.”--Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity for the Rest of Us

"This is classic Nouwen - you can hear the whisper that you are beloved and the gentle invitation to do something small and beautiful for God in the world." --Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution.

“One of the book’s many strengths is its integration of an area especially important to Nouwen, the contemplation of icons and other works of art -- visio divina -- in order “to behold the beauty of the Lord.”-- Jim Forest, author of Praying with Icons and The Road to Emmaus

"The editors have performed a labor of love by putting this book together from various sources, including their own class notes of Henri Nouwen's lectures, to bring back to life one of the great spiritual writers of the 20th century" --William A. Barry, S.J., co-author of The Practice of Spiritual Direction

“Read this new book, and let Henri Nouwen accompany you--with his trademark wisdom, acuity, common sense, erudition and, most of all, compassion--and help you encounter God more fully in your daily life.”--James Martin, SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything.

“Spiritual Formation explicates so powerfully that seemingly disparate elements of the human experience--sorrow and joy, resentment and gratitude, fear and love, life and death--actually belong together as movements of grace in our lives.” -- Ruth Haley Barton, president, Transforming Center, and author of Sacred Rhythms.

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