Greg Paul is a pastor and member of Sanctuary (Toronto), a community in which the wealthy and the poor share their resources daily and care for the most hurting and excluded people in the city. After dedicating this book to "all the soul-hungry strivers, the white-knucklers, the duty-bound and the driven, who, like me, long to let go and open wide to a new world of grace," the author shares a lyrical overview of "the path to openness."

"To open is to unveil, to unlock, to unclench, to invite. To create passage, to begin. . . . An open jar of olives is the beginning of a feast; an open bottle of wine, the start of celebration. The sight, the sound, the smell, the taste, the touch. The opening bars of a song, or the opening paragraphs of a book, are the commencement of a shared creative journey."

As we await input from Paul, our souls are ready to go sailing on a sea of new possibilities. The trail of the true human being is one of openness toward others — even those we call stranger.

But first Paul reminds us that openness has many enemies: fear, insecurity, past traumas and disappointments, pride and selfishness. The biggest barrier to sailing the open sea is the excuse that is rampant in our society — our busyness.

Paul's "A Prayer for Openness" gets us out of the harbor, followed by chapters on eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, hands, mind, and heart. He calls this contemplative journey one designed to be more open to God, ourselves, others, and the world we live in. Through the cycle of releasing, receiving, becoming, and doing, we draw closer to the Spirit who makes this journey possible. Paul ends where he began with reverence for the mysteries of God and the human adventure.