Average customer rating:
- A great life improvement tool book!
- A stellar example of the meaning of the word "excellence."
- Wherever You Go, There You Are
- Fits great under the coffee table leg
- Book Title Says It All!
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Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Jon Kabat-zinn
Manufacturer: Hyperion
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ASIN: 1401307787
Release Date: 2005-01-05 |
Amazon.com
In his follow-up to Full Catastrophe Living--a book in which he presented basic meditation techniques as a way of reducing stress and healing from illness--here Jon Kabat-Zinn goes much more deeply into the practice of meditation for its own sake. To Kabat-Zinn, meditation is important because it brings about a state of "mindfulness," a condition of "being" rather than "doing" during which you pay attention to the moment rather than the past, the future, or the multitudinous distractions of modern life. In brief, rather poetic chapters, he describes different meditative practices and what they can do for the practitioner. The idea that meditation is "spiritual" is often confusing to people, Kabat-Zinn writes; he prefers to think of it as what you might call a workout for your consciousness. This book makes learning meditation remarkably easy (although practicing it is not). But it also makes it seem infinitely appealing. --Ben Kallen
Book Description
In his follow-up to Full Catastrophe Living--a book in which he presented basic meditation techniques as a way of reducing stress and healing from illness--here Jon Kabat-Zinn goes much more deeply into the practice of meditation for its own sake. To Kabat-Zinn, meditation is important because it brings about a state of "mindfulness," a condition of "being" rather than "doing" during which you pay attention to the moment rather than the past, the future, or the multitudinous distractions of modern life. In brief, rather poetic chapters, he describes different meditative practices and what they can do for the practitioner. The idea that meditation is "spiritual" is often confusing to people, Kabat-Zinn writes; he prefers to think of it as what you might call a workout for your consciousness. This book makes learning meditation remarkably easy (although practicing it is not). But it also makes it seem infinitely appealing. --Ben Kallen
Customer Reviews:
A great life improvement tool book!.......2007-10-14
Jon Kabat-Zinn is the master of mindfulness. I was impressed with him as a person and teacher when attending one of his workshops last year. I think readers will be impressed with this solid introduction to his work.
I continue to regularly use this book as a resource and have gifted copies to friends.
Even if you are not yet familiar with mindfulness - or even meditation - this book is a great read for "busy" people who want more peace and tranquility in their lives. I think you will find that as you work through this book, you not only will experience more calm, but you also will experience more energy and joy within your day. Who wouldn't benefit from that?
This book is a great instruction manual for becoming more present in EACH moment of your day - whether at the office, at home with the family or anywhere else.
Use this book to learn to live more fully in the present moment and you will see your life improve. This is such a simple read, with many very brief (2-3 page) chapters. There are many gems within these pages.
Highly recommended!
Mollie Marti
Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success
A stellar example of the meaning of the word "excellence.".......2007-10-05
If you are interested in spirituality and/or meditation and are looking for a book that is both deep and clear, this is the book to read. You will find that the book is worth several book on the same subject by other people -- and it does it in an articulate, elevated, succint, no-fluff manner that will impress the heck out of you as few books ever will. I must ad a warning, more about the subject matter than about the book per se: Not everyone is ready to assimilate its contents (or any other equally serious meditation book's content, for that matter). The saying that you have to be ready for something in order to understand it applies very much in this case. I can imagine that it could be taken as too ethereal by some people -- those who are not ready. You would need to have lived and realized that there are matters of the soul that you need to take care of to receive its message. But if you are genuinely thirsty about spiritual matters: order it right away! This makes what we normally take as "Eastern" concepts accessible to an educated Western mind, and you realize that there is no need to think of it as Eastern or buddhist or use any label at all. I am really thankful for this book. You will be too.
Wherever You Go, There You Are.......2007-09-28
This can be a life changing book. It clearly outlines the concepts and methods of awareness meditation. I keep a copy on hand to give to people who paths I cross who appear to be lost in the happenings of daily life or those who are suffering major crisis. Whenever it is best to stop the world and get off. If only for a breath.
Fits great under the coffee table leg.......2007-09-21
it's easy to meditate when the book puts you to sleep. oh yeah, don't forget to send more money for the tapes. must be so you can tape your eyes open while reading it.
Book Title Says It All!.......2007-09-16
I have read several of Kabat-Zinn's works and find they are terrific self-helps! "Wherever You Go . . ." is a short, cogent helper to enable the reader to break out of the rut and look at life from a different position. The book is non-denominational and not dogmatic! Any person of any faith or atheist can find the text helpful and instructional. There are eastern philosophical references and some of the meditational technique is based on centuries old practices & techniques. This is one of the books that helped me change my life and resolve some old internal issues. It has also helped my play in Tai Chi Chuan. I highly recommend it!
Book Description
Michel de Certeau considers the uses to which social representation and modes of social behavior are put by individuals and groups, describing the tactics available to the common man for reclaiming his own autonomy from the all-pervasive forces of commerce, politics, and culture. In exploring the public meaning of ingeniously defended private meanings, de Certeau draws brilliantly on an immense theoretical literature in analytic philosophy, linguistics, sociology, semiology, and anthropology--to speak of an apposite use of imaginative literature.
Customer Reviews:
Was It Translated From French To Greek?.......2006-05-31
I went to a reasonably good university, and got 580 on verbal SATs, but I can't seem to put the words of this translation together in a way that makes sense. So just to let you readers of average intelligence, like me, know before you spend your money, read the sample pages first. I can't give this book any stars because I don't know if it's any good.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER OF TERRORISM.......2004-04-30
This book - whose subject is the tactics employed by those at odds with institutions physical and intellectual - offers profound insights not only into terrorism and the tools available to terrorists but also the deep philosophical and psychological rift between the Western and Arab worlds. It fact after reading the book I am convinced that efforts to combat terrorism are doomed to failure until the issues in this book are both discussed and absorbed by people in charge of counter-terrorism (on the policy level and on the enforcement side) and the public at large. Though it's not an easy read (What philosophical discourse is an easy read?), it is illuminates the battleground between the institution which imposes order (democracy for instance) and it's improvising enemy, who operates within the dominant force's own field of vision and seizes opportunities as they arise. It would give me great feeling of reassurance if FBI and CIA counter-terrorism officials used it as a practical guide.
Enigmatic and enlightening.......2003-01-13
Sometimes I am simply proud that I have read a book. This slim volume falls into that category. The fourteen short chapters explode with new ideas, fresh perspectives, and tantalizing viewpoints. To summarize these riches is unlikely to do them justice, yet I will try.
De Certeau inverts social values and cultural hierarchies. His hero metaphor is not the exemplar, but rather the ant. Wisdom resides not in the pronouncement of expert or philosopher, but in the routine discourse between ordinary people. To De Certeau the definitional constraints imposed by the experts result in artificial distinctions. Only the discourse of ordinary people is firmly rooted in experience and embraces the varieties and logical complexities of living.
Among these complexities of life is the amazing adaptive capacity of the ordinary. Even the most oppressive and controlling of cultures cannot eradicate the subversive agency of the peasant. This subversive agency is expressed through mythic stories, common proverbs, and verbal tricks. De Certeau refers to the adaptive capacity of the ordinary as tactics of living, and these tactics may be best exemplified when the worker does the personal while on the clock.
The distinction between strategy and tactics is central to De Certeau's thought. Strategy refers to the top-down exercise of power to coerce compliance. Tactics refer to the opportunistic manipulations offered by circumstance. The conflict between strategies and tactics is ironic - as strategic forces expand to increase dominance, there is a corresponding increase in opportunity for tactical subversion.
De Certeau relates his ideas to the theoretical work of Foucault and Bourdieu, and continues his inverted perspective by looking anew at the concept of city, commuter travel by rail, story telling, writing, reading, and believing.
This book is more of a riddle than a narrative; de Certeau provides glimpses of his meaning from time to time, but deliberately avoids propositional clarity. This style requires that the reader take an unusual stance toward this book. Instead of expecting the author to communicate, the reader must content himself with hints and suggestions of meaning. I am convinced that these hints and suggestions are more than worth the reader's investment of time. Find a quiet place and enjoy!
Incomparable style and scholarship.......2002-08-15
Michel de Certeau's brilliant book is one of the primary nodes in the historical switchbox that eventually crossed the signals that led us through structuralism and practice theory to critical realism and Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things. His classic exploration of everyday life will send flashes of light and pleasure through the mind on a constant basis - his dense, absolutely masterful, and witty expository quasi-poetry on economy, power, and practice is essentially an extended series of aphorisms, upon any one of which an entire essay could be based. And a good one, at that.
What we have here is a celebration of the everyday, the common, the mundane, and the wonderful capacity of life to resist systematization and classification via its organic flexibility and espirit de corps. It is a wonderful wake-up call: "A few individuals, after having long considered themselves experts speaking a scientific language, have finally awoken from their slumbers and suddenly realized that for the last few moments they have been walking on air, like Felix the Cat in the old cartoons, far from the scientific ground. Though legitimized by scientific knowledge, their discourse is seen to have been no more than the ordinary language of tactical games between economic powers and symbolic authorities."
Writing in the tradition of Lefevbre (more so than anyone else who comes to mind at the moment), his work touches upon contemporary Foucault and Bourdieu only briefly and then moves on to do much more. For example, in the way of analyses of strategic and tactical behavior, resistances, spatial practices, sublatern hermeneutics, and state/scientific ideologies of secrecy and knowledge. In de Certeau, we see not just a clearing of the intellectual path for towering figures such as Baudrillard, Bourdieu, Giddens, Lash, Appadurai, and Taussig (to name only a handful) - enabling them to come whistling along with their variously insightful ideas from A to Z - but we see it done with a panache and "Ich weiss es nicht" that is memorable in the persona it invokes.
And as long as you're sitting on the Paris-Munchen ICE, scratching your chin and contemplating the axiological implications of beer or coffee at 9am, I can't think of anything better to read than de Certeau's comments on the rite of passage of Railway Incarceration and Navigation (Chapter VIII), in which a whole series of transformations is extracted from the mundane in a suprahumane and very-French manner. Bon voyage!
a book that changed the way I think.......2002-01-14
This is one of the great books of French post-structuralist thought. I realize that to some people that might be like saying "one of the nicest Nazis I know." But for those who don't immediately dismiss the entire genre, there is much to be gained from reading, and rereading, this book.
In essence, Certeau is challenging the rather despairing vision of Foucault's The Order of Things, with its image of the panopticon from which no one can escape. Certeau focuses on everyday practices to see how people do in fact escape the all-seeing gaze of the panopticon. In particular his distinction between "strategy" and "tactics" is useful and intriguing.
The language is highly poetic and at times difficult going, but *how* Certeau says what he says is in some ways as important as *what* he says. He wants to write in a way that at the same time uses and escapes the constraints of ordinary language. It takes some getting used to, but it is worth it.
Book Description
The Five Mindfulness Trainings — to not kill, steal, commit adultery, lie, or take intoxicants — are the basic statement of ethics and morality in Buddhism. In this fully revised edition, Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh argues eloquently for their universal applicability in daily situations. Nhat Hanh discusses in depth the value and meaning of each precept, offering insights into the roles that they could play in our changing society. In a world marked by moral and spiritual emptiness, he says, The Five Mindfulness Trainings offer a path to the restoration of meaning and value. The author calls the trainings a “diet for a mindful society” that transcends sectarian boundaries, and he presents simple yet powerful ways that people can come together around them to explore and sustain a sane, compassionate, and healthy way of living.
Customer Reviews:
Find the older editions.......2007-05-23
There are two older editions of this book, 1993 and 1998. They include responses to the 5 mindfulness trainings by about a dozen contemporary western teachers. For some reason Parallax Press have omitted all but three of these commentaries from the 2007 edition. This is a great book, but for me these commentaries were the best part. In short, don't waste your money on the new edition, find an older one.
Book Description
As a cancer survivor, Randy Becton knows firsthand the onslaught this disease brings on the human spirit. His experience creates a special bond with fellow cancer patients, making his encouragement even more powerful. In Everyday Strength he offers hope and comfort through poetic prayers, Scripture, brief reflections, and uplifting thoughts for each day. Everyday Strength deals honestly with topics such as depression, anger, fear, and loneliness. It guides those who are fighting cancer toward spiritual and mental wellness in the face of physical illness. First published in 1989, these thirty-three meditations are now repackaged with a fresh look for today.
Customer Reviews:
Everyday Strength: A Cancer Patients Guide .......2007-06-08
I have purchased several of these for friends who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis. The BEST book for that situation.
Book Description
Internationally renowned and bestselling author Donna Farhi moves yoga practice beyond the mat into our everyday lives, restoring the tradition's intended function as a complete, practical philosophy for daily living.
Expanding upon the teachings of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the core text of the yoga tradition, Donna Farhi describes yoga's transforming power as a complete life practice, far beyond its common reduction to mere exercise routine or stress management. This is the philosophy of yoga as a path to a deeper awareness of self. Drawing upon her years of teaching with students, Farhi guides readers through all the pitfalls and promises of navigating a spiritual practice.
Farhi's engaging and accessible style and broad experience offer important teachings for newcomers and seasoned practitioners of yoga alike. And because her teachings of yoga philosophy extend into every corner of daily life, this book is an equally accessible guide to those seeking spiritual guidance without learning the pretzel bendings of the physical practice itself. As one of the top teachers worldwide, Farhi's exploration of the core philosophy of yoga is destined to become an instant classic.
Customer Reviews:
A Real Gem.......2006-07-27
I really treasure my copy of Donna Farhi's "Bringing Yoga to Life." No matter how many times I've read it, I can always pick it up and glean some new insight or perspective from any passage. Her writing reflects genuine depth, wisdom, and experience, and she has a real gift for expressing sentiments that we intuitively realize but may not yet be able express ourselves. Note that this is not your typical manual of physical postures (there are certainly plenty of those available), but a very unique work that speaks to the process of integrating one's practice into daily life (which is what yoga is really about). Highly recommended.
Donna Farhi Takes Yoga Beyond The Asanas To It's Depths.......2003-12-30
Donna Farhi is one of the most knowledgeable, sincere, interesting and open minded Yoga teacher/writers that I am aware of, and she has given all of us the gift of another wonderful book.
Her deep and profound knowledge of all aspects of Yoga, both from a Physical and Spiritual perspective is always apparent in her writing and anyone can reap benefits from her books no matter what style (or styles) of yoga you embrace, as she is not bound by any one school of yoga.
In "Bringing Yoga To Life" Donna Farhi goes beyond the postures and moves deeply into the heart of yoga, the practice of yoga in one's day to day life.
Still, you can also bring your actual physical practice of Yoga "to life" by incorporating an awareness of the 8 limbs. This will help you deepen and internalize your asana practice.
This is one of many excellent books that have recently surfaced that take Yoga beyond the postures and show how it can have a profound relevance to real life, beyond the work one does on their sticky mat (or mysore rug). Among these other books I highly recommend "Yoga And The Quest For The True Self" by Stephen Cope, "Yoga and the Path Of The Urban Mystic" by Darren John Main and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy by Michael Lee.
Namaste
Questions answered.......2003-12-03
Soon after practicing yoga and finding myself changing in strange and remarkable ways, I felt I needed a book that might explain the less obvious "benefits" of yoga other than physical fitness. I now read a chapter or two of this book every night and so far I have the feeling that I am conversing with a very wise, benevolent, and understanding teacher. Donna Farhi has a way of communicating exactly what I, at least, have been wondering and feeling about me, my yoga practice, and life. I will send this book to my closest friends.
Customer Reviews:
A scholarly survey perfect for classroom debates and in-depth understanding........2007-06-17
How can Christians live life under grace? Paul Zahl is a scholar and a dean of Trinity Episcopal school for Ministry: his GRACE IN PRACTICE: A THEOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE is for any who would understand how the state of grace interacts with law, church and society. Zahl's expanded view of grace embraces interpersonal, social and political actions alike, and provides college-level readers and collections strong in spirituality with a scholarly survey perfect for classroom debates and in-depth understanding.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
A Tour De Force on Living Gracefully .......2007-06-16
Paul Zahl writes triumphantly of the more-than conquering grace that flows from God in his unconditional "one-way" love. Zahl effectively defines grace and, more importantly, shows us how to experience and give grace in all areas of our lives. In effect, "Grace in Practice" is a life-changing book, as it will provide all that is needed to make all of your relationships "grace-full."
Zahl begins the book by writing extensively about the reality of grace and its conflict with law and judgment. This explanation of grace lays a firm foundation upon which Zahl builds the remaining two-thirds of the book. In Zahl's theology, there is a war between grace and law, and grace is man's only hope through which all blessings flow.
This is NOT a book only for theologians and "professional" Christians. As Zahl explains, the "focus is on everyday life..on how Christianity works...an attempt to bring the gospel of law and grace into direct encounter with the real and tangible stress of living a life within the swooning, human world."
Zahl reveals his uncanny gift of knowing the pulse of the church and the culture. In that gift, he stands alone among writers I have read as someone who relates the mysteries of Christ to matters of everyday life.
His chapter on "Grace in Families" has the insights to improve all of your relationships more than any "relationship" or "marriage" book I have yet read. "Grace in Church" shows the level of learning from experience that Zahl has garnered from over 30 years in ministry. These sections will open the eyes of ministers from all areas and ages.
"Grace in Society" and "Grace in Everything" round out the above sections. If there is any weakness in this profound exhortation to grace it is in the "Grace in Society" section, as I think Zahl leaves some important matters unaddressed in relation to dealing with criminals and terrorist states. In all others areas, his writings of grace are fully applicable and practical; however, in dealing with criminals and aggressive states, the practical application is lacking.
There are few writers or theologians who can effectively balance such writing with quotes from famed theologians along side quotes of vignettes from South Park, Hollywood or the like of The Beatles and Stephen King. Zahl pulls it off masterfully. All sorts of readers will be able to find answers to life's biggest questions and challenges in this book and will find it enjoyable and a pleasure to read.
Breathing Fresh Air Again!.......2007-05-14
On the messy world of contemporary American Evangelicalism, filled with moralistic would-be theologies and sermons about "5 ways to improve your life," "8 ways to be a man of integrity," "5 Pervasive Paths to Prayer"(all beginning with the letter 'P'), and "31 ways to be a Proverbs 31 woman," a light has dawned!
Paul Zahl's book, "Grace in Practice," breathes fresh air into the lungs of any burned-out (or soon to be burned out) Christian. Tossing out the tired, moralistic approaches to Christianity that are popular but which bury the true message of the faith (the Vox Ipsissimi Christianismi), Zahl goes back to the basics of the Christian Gospel--namely, Christ's unmeritted, one-way love to sinners (including Christian sinners).
Zahl stresses the early Reformational insights of distinguishing Law and Gospel, Low Anthropology and High Christology, Judgment and Love. His understanding (which is not his alone, but is a largely-forgotten treasure shared by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Cranmer) that Grace actually produces what the Law commands is life-changing.
Anyone, especially any clergy person who is in need of the refreshing truth of God's Grace, which trumps all other messages, needs to look no further than "Grace in Practice." This book, which concretizes God's grace in all aspects of life (and is chuck-full of great movie quotes!) will hopefully shake-up and shake-off the toxic and widespread moralism of current American Christianity.
Grace, Grace, Infinite Grace.......2007-04-22
When a book gets positive endorsements from both Ligon Duncan, conservative PCA pastor, and Peter Gomes, openly gay theologian at Harvard Divinity school, you know that you are holding an anomaly.
This book is about all about grace. How does grace relate to Law and to other fundamental Christian doctrines? Zahl argues for an expansive view of grace in all areas of life - family, society, and the church. He writes in a lively conversational tone, and sprinkles in a lot of references to popular culture. This book is not dull, and the author was not afraid to hit hard, challenging me on several fronts.
However, there are points of disagreement. For example, in speaking about "Grace in the pulpit", he says, "Sermons should be brief... a minimum of ten minutes and a maximum of twenty. This has everything to do with the humility and the grace-full deference of the preacher." Ligon Duncan, one of my favorite preachers, will speak for an hour on biblical doctrines (like grace) out of the conviction that the hearing of the Word of God preached is a fundamental mark of a biblical church. And when he does so, people leave wishing that he could have preached longer.
So, this book sits as an anomaly. I would suggest it to some who are up for the challenge, but for most people I would recommend other books if they are looking to go deep in their study of grace.
The Law is good BUT it is powerless to change us into its demands.......2007-03-09
This is an outstanding book for understanding a theology of grace and its implications for how we treat other people.
Zahl's section on anthropology, setting up his soteriology, is insightful. His argument for the "unfree will" is compelling as he makes us look hard at the realities of addictions, anger, depression, losing weight, etc. To tell someone to have a positive attitude when they are struggling with depression is inhumane. The Gospel is not about us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It is about Someone loving us when we are stuck, powerless and without hope.
Summary: Grace is One Way Love. Law is Two Way Love. The Law is good because it reveals God's standard. BUT the law is powerless to change us into those demands. Only Grace can do this. Christ loved us while we were yet sinners. May we learn to treat others the same way.
Book Description
Sabbath is one day a week when we should rest from our otherwise harried lives, right? In Living the Sabbath, Norman Wirzba leads us to a much more holistic and rewarding understanding of Sabbath-keeping. Wirzba shows how Sabbath is ultimately about delight in the goodness that God has made--in everything we do, every day of the week. With practical examples, Wirzba unpacks what that means for our daily lives at work, in our homes, in our economies, in school, in our treatment of creation, and in church. This book will appeal to clergy and laypeople alike and to all who are seeking ways to discover the transformative power of Sabbath in their lives today.
Customer Reviews:
We need practices that can lift us out of our narrowness and alienation.......2007-06-06
For most of us, if we are at all concerned with "keeping Sabbath," it is because of and in terms of the Commandment given to Moses: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." We set aside one day out of seven to worship and rest. But in LIVING THE SABBATH, Dr. Norman Wirzba digs deeper into the meaning and intent of the biblical concept of Sabbath as introduced in the Genesis creation account.
In an early chapter titled "The Meaning of the Sabbath, Wirzba introduces the Hebrew word menuha, "the rest, tranquility, serenity, and peace of God." (Think of the deep peace of shalom.) "Menuha, not humanity, completes creation. God's rest or shabbat...is not simply a cessation from activity but rather the lifting up and celebration of everything." In that context, Sabbath, "the climax of creation, is thus the goal toward which all our living should move." It is more than a one-day interlude. It is an attitude "suffusing every moment with the potential for peace and joy." It is delighting in the gifts of God. "The experience of delight is what the Sabbath is all about." It is seeing and valuing the sanctity of all creation --- this in opposition to exploiting our land, our food supply, our energy sources, our time, our fellow travelers. Wendell Berry, who wrote the book's foreword, plays heavily in Wirzba's scenario, as does Abraham Joshua Heschel.
A warning: Part 1 of the book ("Setting a Sabbath Context") is theoretical and theological. It defines terms ("The Meaning of the Sabbath"; "The Practice of Delight"). It explains our errant ways ("The Decline of Delight"). An introductory chapter titled "Losing Our Way" goes into some detail of what is wrong with the "current state of food production." It addresses the problem of evil ("Pain and Suffering"). These initial chapters may be boring if not mind-numbing to the average or recreational reader.
Having said that, Part 1 lays the ground work for Part 2 ("The Sabbath in Practical Context"), which is engaging and practical --- much easier to read. Though there is still snow on the ground, it makes me eager to go out and plant radish and spinach seeds in my tiny border garden. It makes me resolve to buy locally grown seasonal vegetables at the nearby farmer's market even if they are no bargain. It reminds me of the delight --- even if tinged with frustration --- of working alongside other church members on a group project. It makes a case for the "family meal" and family meal preparation --- moments and rituals that engender relationships and community.
Some of Wirzba's suggestions or conclusions may seem unrealistic, pushing toward utopian, but his book challenges me and makes me feel hopeful, seeing that even small changes in my life can paradoxically both cause and be the result of my delighting in God and in God's creation and Christ's redemption. Wirzba concludes: "In a time of consumerist individualism, often empty of generosity and deep delight, we need practices that can lift us out of our narrowness and alienation." Amen, brother.
--- Reviewed by Evelyn Bence
Book Description
A four-skills course that integrates language instruction into meaningful, real-life contexts.
Book Description
This book mines the rich history of the church for spiritual disciplines that have been largely forgotten in the practice of Christianity. After introductory material that considers the human longing for spirituality and setting a working definition of the term (“To be enlivened by God’s Spirit is the goal of Christian spirituality.â€), there is a historical and theological exploration of sixteen different ancient practices.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful survey of spiritual practices.......2007-10-03
The Sacred Way offers a helpful survey of the practices of the spiritual life. I like how Jones categorizes the practices into contemplative approaches to spritiuality including such practices as silence and solitude, sacred reading, centering prayer, meditation, the Daily Office and spiritual direction; and bodily approaches to spiritually with such things as fasting, service, stations of the Cross, sabbath and utilizing the Labyrinth. As you can tell from the few disciplines mentioned that the survey includes spiritual practices from the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant church.
Each chapter, which deals with one spritual practice, inlcudes an opening anecdote, a section on the history of the practice, a short piece on the theology of the practice, and a final section with general guidelines for the practice of each discipline. Jones also provides a very helpful list of book and web resources for further study with each of the practices.
I think Jones' book is very applicable for incorporating spiritual practices in everyday life, especially important for those with a missional mindset where the desire to see the church "go and be" rather than "come and see" is presented.
The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life .......2007-05-13
As a clergy person, it is great to have Tony write a book that reminds me of the great spiritaul practices from the early church that I can do today. The way Tony wrote this book allows me to teach others about such things that will deepen their walk with the Holy.
Great job Tony. The Scared Way is must need book for clergy and lay folks alike.
The Old that is strong does not wither.......2007-01-10
Tony Jones is simply reviewing some ancient Christian customs which those of us in the Protestant West have laid aside since the Reformation and Enlightenment. He points out that while we did not quite throw out the baby with the bath, we did throw out a lot of tradition which would be useful to our spiritual lives. Jesus himself came from a long line of these lost traditions. Among them are fasting, solitude, scripture memorization (not mentioned in this book - I am referring to entire chapters and books, not isolated verses,) and reciting psalms and prayers corporately. If we are to emulate our Savior, should we not also learn from his spiritual lifestyle?
Jesus' earliest followers maintained many of these traditions, and expanded them as they were moved by their new constant companion, the Holy Spirit. We can learn much from Tradition, without necessarily embracing all of the Doctrines of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
I found the chapter on the Jesus prayer especially enlightening. It is clear from the Gospels that we are not to recite endless empty or overly wordy prayers like the pagans. But we are also told that Jesus' name is the only name we can call on to be saved, and that we should ask for everything in his name, and that we should pray without ceasing. The Name is what our Salvation Prayer is all about, but why should it stop there? We are in constant need of our Savior, and we'd do well to remember it.
This book will be slightly uncomfortable to liberal Christians and non-Christians, due to the almost extreme degree of religious devotion it calls for. Some of the theology and doctrine will be difficult for the more Fundamentalist among us. But I think all believers could stand to stretch their minds and challenge their assumptions a little. This book fits the bill, and is highly recommended.
Cranial Hernias and Fun.......2006-03-11
Wow! What an exciting and confusing book. This challenged almost every spiritual doctrine I've ever heard beyond salvation. While struggling through each chapter, I found myself anxious to read the next one. After all was said & done, I liked it a lot.
Everything from a "home run" to an absolute "strikeout" in this one!.......2006-02-16
This review will be a little schitsophrinic. When I buy a book I usually assume that the author wouldn't be writing it and the publishing house wouldn't be publishing it unless the author knew a great deal about the subject matter. Well, in The Sacred Way you can't make that assumption. Evan's chapters are mixed with subjects that he obviously knows a great deal about (stations of the cross), those he knows a little about (silence & solitude) and those he knows almost nothing about (fasting). One moment I find myself saying, "Wow, Tony, you did such a great job. I am blessed." The next moment, "What in the world were you thinking; writing about something of which you obviously know so little." So I gave it a 3. When you average a "0" and a "5" you get 2.5. I was always taught to round the number up, so that comes to a "3". God bless. Mike
Customer Reviews:
wonderful resource for spiritual group sharing .......2007-02-18
I am currently using this book as a guide for church group sharing and we are discovering how wonderful it really is. The structure is easy to follow and filled with options to explore.
It incorporates the traditional Spiritual Exercises and adds quotes from sacred scripture, the Vatican II documents, and practical suggestions for prayer.
Moment by Moment.......2007-01-30
This book is a retreat in everyday life, which I found very encouraging and inspired me to grow in my faith.
I would recommend this book to ones who are looking for a way to examine themselves and searching for a deeper meaning to their lives.
Well written, easy to follow........2006-06-29
Having completed the Spiritual Exercises, I was interested in a book which would help me continue in the Ignatian tradition. I find this book very helpful for continued reflection and prayer.
Listening to God in daily prayer.......2005-05-31
Written by a Catholic nun and a Jesuit priest, the structure of this book is based loosely on the "Weeks" as found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. However, all Christians (non-Catholics included) could well use the exercises in this book for his own spiritual growth. Both authors are well experienced in the ministry of spiritual direction and the book came into focus, as they wrote in the Introduction, "because we wanted to help men and women to find God in their busy and complex lives."
The book is divided into
Moments, all 32 of them (equivalent to a 32-weeks retreat in daily life in Ignatian Spirituality), and for each Moment the authors give pointers to reflect and to pray with Scripture. Each Moment draws on a parallel of the notes as found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Then the author suggests a
Desire (or a Grace if you'd like to call it) for the Moment. Scripture passages provide the ground for reflection and then
Questions posed by the authors help a pray-er to stay focus on God and God's presence in daily life.
The author further provide more pointers in
Suggestion and the
Examen Prayer for one to keep growing in his spiritual life outside of formal prayer time. The Examen is one exercise that St. Ignatius advocate strongly because it is in looking over the day, a week, a month or months, and years that one takes stock of what has happened and how one has responded to the things around him that in the first instance were God's creation. So during the Examen one gets a chance to review his relationship with God's other creatures, which often slips by because of inattention.
Each Moment opens with a photograph, albeit in mono-color. The authors' idea is that visual people might find a possibility to reflect on the pictures and see if the picture/s conjure up feelings and/or emotions. After all, Ignatian prayer is about using all our five senses.
The Moments in this book is do-able for anyone who is serious to grow spiritually in prayer life. Unlike the rigid 30-day Spiritual Exercises that is conducted in a stay-in retreat setting, the 32 Moments provide a way to meditate and to reflect on Scripture every day in the comfort and pace of one's daily living. According to the authors, "each Moment may be used for a day, for a week, or for a random hour of reflection when seeking perspective on your life." For example, if one is serious to use this book as a 32-weeks retreat in daily life, then he should use each Moment for a week before moving on (one Moment for one week). The authors give ample Scripture passages for a pray-er to stay with one Moment for a week.
In my opinion it would be ideal to get a spiritual friend to journey through these exercises. Share insights, thoughts and feelings about what come up during prayer with that spiritual companion. It pays to listen to ourselves and to get support as we allow God to touch our lives.
I recommend this book for busy people who cannot retreat formally to a silent place to pray and to listen to God. This book is definitely not bedtime reading material. It asks of you to DO and if you are ready to spend time daily in prayer as detailed in each Moment, then this book is a good resource to settle you into a habit of listening to God and finding self through Scripture.
A PERFECT GIFT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.......2001-05-04
Moment by Moment is just what I needed to give me some focus, balance and perspective in my busy life. It is very attractive, challenging in its probing questions, and reader-friendly. The authors have taken the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, a 450 year old classic, and skillfully adapted it to the hunger and needs of busy people. I bought the book as gift for family and friends. They loved it!
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