Nouwen is one of my favourite Christian writers – simultaneously mystical, transcendent, encouraging, and practical. The book was easy to read and brought me into a closer relationship with God. LIFE of the BELOVED SPIRITUAL LMNG IN A SECULAR WORLD Henri J. M. Nouwen CROSSROAD • NEWYORK II BLESSED As the Beloved children of God, we are blessed. We ponder the words from the Bible. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published At 156 pages it is a great source of solace and joy! Read it two years ago, but find myself coming back to it often. I have already come back to it more than a handful of times to soak up the words again and again and again. A younger Jewish man and an older Catholic priest. This book was, for me, spiritual nourishment to help assuage that hunger. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Classifications Dewey Decimal Class 248.4/82 Library of Congress BX2350.2 .N672 1992 The Physical Object Pagination 119 p. ; Number of pages 119 ID Numbers Open Library OL1712754M ISBN 10 0824511840 LC Control Number 92014854 Library Thing 17120 Goodreads 247494. Truly, it doesn't get much better than this. Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Nouwen is delightfully transparent and remarkably succinct in capturing the essence of truths too marvelous for words and struggles too complex for diagrams. This book became a horrible frustration for me to read. Originally written by Nouwen for a Jewish friend, I found it incredibly convicting and humbling and stunning as a lifelong Christian. Cherishing. The fact and description of our being beloved, and our purpose on earth. Where has the time gone? A beautiful meditation on life and death. Nouwen has always been one of my favorites. Respectful. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Read moreRead less. This spiritual classic began as a simple request from one friend to another for a book explaining the spiritual life in terms that he and his friends could understand, avoiding theology and technical language. On p. 36 he states:"Listening to the voice {of the Beloved} with great inner attentiveness, I hear at my center words that say, " I have called you by name from the very beginning. There is very little new information in this book that could be helpful. In the Gospel story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, witnesses hear a voice coming from heaven that exclaims, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2014, Top Contributor: Historical Fiction Books, Extended explanation of identity and role of Christians in the world, Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2017, Though the book was written as a lengthy letter to a friend, Nouwen explains how we are chosen, blessed, broken, and given to the world as God's beloved, a chapter devoted to each aspect of being a Christian, with a seventh chapter on living as the beloved of the Creator. We’ll see what life holds :) but I know I’d recommend this book to anybody! “the real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. We're human: broken and imperf. According to Church tradition, their mother was Salome. Instead of living it in shame and embarrassment, I was able to live it as an urgent invitation to claim God's unconditional love for myself, a love I can depend on without fear.". One of Nouwen’s greatest legacies to seekers of all backgrounds. More than being about what other people tell us spiritual life is based on experience. We are Beloved. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World. Only after much resistance does the author comply. An interesting epilogue celebrates the deepening friendship resulting from his friend's reading, but regretting that he did not convert his atheist reader of the existence and love of Nouwen's God. There are even a story that is repeated from another book in this edition. This sincere testimony of the power and invitation of Christ is indeed a great guide to a truly uplifting spiritual life in today’s world. That means “letting the truth of our Belovedness become enfleshed in everything we think, say or do”. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run. I am deeply inspired and greatly comforted by this work. Beloved is a 1987 novel by the American writer Toni Morrison.Set after the American Civil War, it tells the story of a family of former slaves whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit. I can give that gift only insofar as I have claimed it for myself. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Personal perspective clearly written and informative. See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. He manages to issue a compelling invitation to redemption without demonizing anyone or anything in the process. Free was asking the wrong question. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. We are all Broken. Henri met Fred, a reporter who was Jewish, when he was at Yale Divinity School, and later became acquainted with Fred’s friends as well. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2018. He speaks LIFE. The Life of the Beloved asks how one can live a spiritual life in a completely secular culture. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2020. We discuss how God is Love and He desires to be loved by us. The Life of the Beloved: an Advent Study In a series of three sermons, Henri Nouwen’s message is in essence very simple “You and I are the Beloved Daughters and Sons of God”. Nowen's book, Life of the Beloved, is filled with many inspirational thoughts. Life of the Beloved Kindle Edition by Henri J. M. Nouwen (Author) › Visit Amazon's Henri J. M. Nouwen Page. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. It reveals the wonders of the spiritual journey and renews the fire of faith." Nouwen's conversational prose with a friend makes the heart of the book easily identifiable and accessible. When Nouwen was asked by a secular Jewish friend to explain his faith in simple language, he responded with "Life of the Beloved, " which shows that all people, believers and nonbelievers, are beloved by God unconditionally. Learn more. Unable to add item to List. Don't you often hope: 'May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.' 4.7 out of 5 stars 397 ratings. There are about three months left in my XPLOR journey. He manages to issue a compelling invitation to redemption without demonizing anyone or anything in the process. Nouwen provides us with prayers of contemplation for us to ponder/pray and finally act. Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014. Henri J. M. Nouwen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition. What he wanted to know required him to learn the language of Christianity. Thanks, Connor K, for waiting patiently for me to read and reflect on this book. Read more. Respectful. That’s the truth of our lives. Spiritual Living in a Secular World. We're comforted when we feel our lives are, at least for a moment, in synch with our understanding of God’s will. This isn’t at the top of my list of his books. The great struggle facing you is not to leave the world, to reject your ambitions and aspirations, or to despise money, prestige, or success, but to claim your spiritual truth and to live in the world as someone who doesn’t belong to it.”. Written by a priest to a Jewish friend to explain the spiritual in everyday terms and thoughts that a secular person would understand. Life of the Beloved Info. Over 200,000 copies in print! Can you name some of the voices in your life that have called you ―beloved‖? Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. We may NOT think we Need the Life of the Beloved now, but when the sheer brute force of circumstance brings us down - cowering, right to our knees, as may soon happen to many of us - we may well reconsider. Nouwen's frankness is, simply put, beautiful. I think more of the book is stored away in my quote bank than not. I am now going to read it for a second time to reinforce what i learnt the first time. We're … Refresh and try again. That’s the truth spoken by the voice that says, “You are my Beloved.” I loved this book for its simplicity and down-to-earthness. 4 Used fromCDN$ 29.50. 'All I want to say to you is, 'You are the Beloved.'' "From the moment I was helped to experience my interpersonal addiction as an expression of a need for total surrender to a loving God who would fulfill the deepest desires of my heart, I started to live my dependency in a radically new way. God is gracious; God is redemptive. Life of the Beloved is among the final books published by Nouwen, and in that way is kind of a culmination of much of his life and thought and is thought by many to be his "flagship" work. Yet we remain hungry…hungry for spiritual truth and guidance. Fred challenged Henri to speak to him and his friends so that Henri’s This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. Not in any way a hard read, but one I needed to take my time with, to let it settle in and make space for reflection and action. There are a few poignant points, which saves this book from getting one star, but overall this book doesn't say much that better books have said much better. ‘Beloved Husband’: A Look At Prince Philip’s Life As The Longest-Serving Consort To The Monarch, Following His Death At Age 99 Carlie Porterfield Forbes Staff Books (Besides the Bible) Recommended for Christian Readers, Essential Theology Books for a Seminary Education, Goodreads Staffers' Top Three Books of the Year. search results for this author. No high and lofty theology here - just the basics. In this weeks podcast we finish our Life of the Beloved book study with “Living as the Beloved” and the epilogue. Nouwen's answer has become one of the most cherished books of our era. This work began as a conversation between friends. I found it to be a beautiful depiction of the Gospel message with one vital omission: Christ. Living as the Beloved | Luke 6:12-19 To live as a beloved child of God is to respond to the call to communion, community, and ministry; trusting that those we minister to will lead us closer and closer to the heart of love…to the heart of God. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. After reading Life of the Beloved, I've still only read one Nouwen book that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed (and I can't remember the name of that one). Something went wrong. We are the Beloved. The seduction of the Beloved is strong and real for many who take seriously their relationship with God. This is the way to spiritual death.”. Life of the Beloved. Written as though from a heavenly bird's eye view. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Really consoling if you are passing times of trouble and darkness. Nouwen offers: "The greatest gift my friendship can give to you is the gift of your Belovedness. Cherishing. How strong in your life and spirit are the other voices that tell you that you are ―no good,‖ ―a failure,‖ Please try again. Nouwen is delightfully transparent and remarkably succinct in capturing the essence of truths too marvelous for words and struggles too complex for diagrams. All that God has done for us deserves a response, a personal response to His goodness, His love, and His sacrifice. GET BOOK! A close-knit friendship with a young friend who styles himself a “secular Jew” leads to a pressing request of the author to “…speak a word of hope to people who no longer (come) to churches or synagogues and for whom priests and rabbis (are) no longer the obvious counselors.”. We read interpretations by theologians and spiritual seekers. Nouwen's writing is amazing!! Let me just say this feels like one of those “top 10” books of my life that I’ll return to over and over again and it will speak to me in different ways in different seasons. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2017. On the surface, it's the story of a friendship. He. That’s the truth I want you to claim for yourself. Isn't that what friendship is all about: giving to each other the gift of our Belovedness?". An 8-part Lenten book study of “Life of the Beloved” by Henri Nouwen. "Here is a ringing affirmation that everyone is loved by God and can enjoy "the life of the beloved." An invitation to acknowledge our brokenness and awaken to the abiding love that God has for us, this classic explains the spiritual life in simple terms, avoiding theology and technical language. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more. I have been a christian for many many years but this book opened my eyes to God in a way that i had never seen before. ― Henri J.M. Be the first to ask a question about Life of the Beloved. .orange-text-color {font-weight:bold; color: #FE971E;}View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look. Nouwen My rating: 3 of 5 stars. CROSSROAD PUBLISHING COMPANY; 1st edition (October 1, 2002). 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