06 April 2008
A Delicious Approach to Discipline
Apr/12/2008 06:39 PM Filed in: Books
Soul Feast, An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual
Life
Marjorie L. Thomson
I've been in a spiritual rut recently. Since I like to pretend that the right book can cure anything, I was looking for a book on the spiritual disciplines, when I stumbled upon this one at the local coffeehouse. It caught my eye because it had a forward by Henri Nouwen. In his words, "There are few books in which a solid biblical vision and a practical, hands-on approach are so well integrated. When you have read and lived this book. you have been in touch with the best that Christian spirituality has to offer."
I like the intuitive approach that the book takes to the sometimes dry subject of the spiritual disciplines. Years ago, I plodded my way through Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney and never made it to the end. I learned a lot from it though. It was invaluable to my growth, but I could never recommend it because I found it boring.
Soul Feast is different. Like the subtitle suggests, you don’t feel like you’re being talked at; you feel drawn in, invited to reflect on the ideas. The author takes an ecumenical approach, drawing on an eclectic range of voices in the Christian tradition, from Theophan the Recluse and Saint Benedict to Lord Tennyson and Eugene H. Peterson. Wide margins feature thought-provoking questions and quotes by people like Augustine, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kierkegaard and Dallas Willard. The margins give you room to jot down your thoughts. You'll be invited to reflect on a metaphor. Or to stop and reflect on your gut response to a particular word. Or to recall a scene in a certain movie. The effect is a textured, multi-dimensional view of Christian spirituality. The book’s format will be especially appealing to people who enjoy mulling over and interacting with their books.
The litmus test of any guide to the spiritual disciplines has to be how practical it is. This one passes. The ideas in here are refreshing and actually even fun to try. They're a whole lot more intuitive and holistic than, for example, the old lists and formulae we sometimes call prayer ("Step One: Praise, Step Two: Adoration, Step Three: Confession, Step Four: Intercession"). Her suggestions for prayer, for example, include using your visual imagination rather than words, writing your own psalm, paraphrasing a psalm, and silently focusing on a single prayer word. They are not the textbook methods, and so I hesitate to say that this is a comprehensive, or even ideal introduction to the subject (as Celebration of Discipline or Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life are) but they are helpful during the dry seasons and exactly what I need now.
Chapters cover:
Hunger and Thirst for the Spirit: The Spiritual Yearning of Our Time
Chewing the Bread of the Word: The Nature and Practice of Spiritual Reading
Communication and Communion with God: Approaches to Prayer
Gathered in the Spirit: Our Common Worship
The Practice of Self-Emptying: Rediscovering the Fast
Of Conscience and Consciousness: Self-Examination, Confession and Awareness
Companions on the Journey: The Gift of Spiritual Direction
Entertaining Angels Unaware: The Spirit of Hospitality
Putting It All Together: Developing a Rule of Life
Marjorie L. Thomson
I've been in a spiritual rut recently. Since I like to pretend that the right book can cure anything, I was looking for a book on the spiritual disciplines, when I stumbled upon this one at the local coffeehouse. It caught my eye because it had a forward by Henri Nouwen. In his words, "There are few books in which a solid biblical vision and a practical, hands-on approach are so well integrated. When you have read and lived this book. you have been in touch with the best that Christian spirituality has to offer."
I like the intuitive approach that the book takes to the sometimes dry subject of the spiritual disciplines. Years ago, I plodded my way through Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney and never made it to the end. I learned a lot from it though. It was invaluable to my growth, but I could never recommend it because I found it boring.
Soul Feast is different. Like the subtitle suggests, you don’t feel like you’re being talked at; you feel drawn in, invited to reflect on the ideas. The author takes an ecumenical approach, drawing on an eclectic range of voices in the Christian tradition, from Theophan the Recluse and Saint Benedict to Lord Tennyson and Eugene H. Peterson. Wide margins feature thought-provoking questions and quotes by people like Augustine, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kierkegaard and Dallas Willard. The margins give you room to jot down your thoughts. You'll be invited to reflect on a metaphor. Or to stop and reflect on your gut response to a particular word. Or to recall a scene in a certain movie. The effect is a textured, multi-dimensional view of Christian spirituality. The book’s format will be especially appealing to people who enjoy mulling over and interacting with their books.
The litmus test of any guide to the spiritual disciplines has to be how practical it is. This one passes. The ideas in here are refreshing and actually even fun to try. They're a whole lot more intuitive and holistic than, for example, the old lists and formulae we sometimes call prayer ("Step One: Praise, Step Two: Adoration, Step Three: Confession, Step Four: Intercession"). Her suggestions for prayer, for example, include using your visual imagination rather than words, writing your own psalm, paraphrasing a psalm, and silently focusing on a single prayer word. They are not the textbook methods, and so I hesitate to say that this is a comprehensive, or even ideal introduction to the subject (as Celebration of Discipline or Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life are) but they are helpful during the dry seasons and exactly what I need now.
Chapters cover:
Hunger and Thirst for the Spirit: The Spiritual Yearning of Our Time
Chewing the Bread of the Word: The Nature and Practice of Spiritual Reading
Communication and Communion with God: Approaches to Prayer
Gathered in the Spirit: Our Common Worship
The Practice of Self-Emptying: Rediscovering the Fast
Of Conscience and Consciousness: Self-Examination, Confession and Awareness
Companions on the Journey: The Gift of Spiritual Direction
Entertaining Angels Unaware: The Spirit of Hospitality
Putting It All Together: Developing a Rule of Life