The richness of Henri J. M. Nouwen's devotional life provided a seedbed for all of the creative energy and spiritual ardor in his 40 books. Wendy Wilson Greer, President of the Henri Nouwen Society, has gathered together excerpts from his writings on living a prayerful life. This inspirational volume provides plenty of insights into desire, discipline, community, intercession, forgiveness, solitude, and much more.
"Many people tend to associate prayer with separation from others, but real prayer brings us closer to our fellow human beings," Nouwen wrote in his book Compassion. Compassion has its genesis in our devotional lives as we link our hearts and minds with others. Nouwen believed in bringing even those we dislike into our consciousness: "Praying for our enemies is a real event, the event of reconciliation. It is impossible to lift our enemies up in the presence of God and at the same time to continue to hate them."
The writings of this great spiritual teacher also include some profound observations on spiritual dryness in prayer, listening with a sacred text, tending our inner garden, the community of love, and "the language of the heart."
