Nancy L. Bieber is a spiritual director and teacher with 30 years of experience working with individuals and groups in transition. A core leader with Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development, she leads spiritual formation retreats and workshops around the United States. She also teaches at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania.
In this illuminating book about the art of spiritual discernment, Bieber outlines its three major movements: willingness, attentiveness, and responsiveness. In the first, we are challenged to open ourselves to "the Spirit's light and wisdom" and be willing to wait for divine guidance. Saying "yes" to God means that we trust God and step into the dark confident that we will be loved and led in the right direction. To make this step requires that we let go of the fear of not being in charge, the fear of change, the fear of trusting the guide, and the fear of mystery.
The second part of the process of spiritual discernment, attentiveness, involves surveying ourselves — looking at our past, present, and future; confronting our hooks and attachments; and encountering the divine Light. We must also listen to the inner self, notice God's nudges, and develop the habit of focused awareness.
The final step is responsiveness, and Bieber explores it in sections on testing our decisions, taking step by step, waiting, and harvesting discernment. Throughout the book, the author includes helpful spiritual practices and a crosscut of her own poems.
