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The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life
Throughout the forty-some books that Henri Nouwen wrote and the hundreds of talks that he gave, the subject of Prayer runs through them all and unites them. For him a life of faith is a life of prayer. Drawn from many decades of his life, the compilation of Henri's thoughts, feelings, and the struggle with prayer, reveal the core of the man and his belief that prayer is th...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
January 1st 2008
by The Crossroad Publishing Company
(first published October 1st 1999)
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May 10, 2011
Ron
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christian_life,
religion-philosophy
An extraordinary effort by Wendy Greer to consolidate and arrange some of Nouwen's thinking on prayer. It warms your heart, even as it hurts your head. Nouwen's being a Dutch Roman Catholic priest living in Canada and teaching at universities helps explain why he is occasionally obtuse, even while he has some great ideas.
The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life opens with a Foreword, a Preface, Acknowledgements and an Invitation. Read only the latter or you're liable to skip the whole b...more
The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life opens with a Foreword, a Preface, Acknowledgements and an Invitation. Read only the latter or you're liable to skip the whole b...more
Dec 08, 2009
Lauren
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people in a spiritual rut
I started reading this book this past spring and was off and on with it for a while until I started incorporating it into my morning readings. Once I did (and to be honest, I did so because I wanted to slowly read and digest Nouwen's wisdom), I would read an excerpt a day and be refreshed and renewed with new truths and reminders about God. It sustained me through a crisis of faith and depression that I went through this past summer, with a fresh daily reminder that God truly and really loves me...more
This is a compilation of very many different works of Nouwen (both published and unpublished), all focusing on prayer. As is sometimes the case with Nouwen the theology is not always excellent, but as is always the case with Nouwen there is still profound encouragement from a great and godly man.
This is a gathering of Nouwen's writings around fourteen themes, and then the fifteenth, and last, chapter is a brief collection of his prayers. This is a fine book, good for getting the essence of Nouwen's writings and good for serious thinking, and praying, about the themes addressed in the book.
Good devotional reading. I read it over and over again. Also useful reading if leading a group devotional.
Kinda hard to read, but once you dig into it, it could be life changing.
Excellent, enlightening and informative.
I absolutely love love love love this book!
This is a book to savor and ponder, as you delight in taking sections at a time as you meditate on what it means to live a life of prayer. I would make it known to the browsing reader that this edition is a compilation of many of Nouwen's works taken in paragraphs based on theme in prayer--themes such as community, hindrances, death and dying.
It's been my daily devotions - on again off again for two or three years, and I will probably return to it often as I have done. Nouwen manages to speak to my inner self about how and why I pray, and does it in a manner that I can absorb. He inspires praying as a part of being.
This book has little excerpts from a lot of his books. It is very easy to pick up and read an excerpt and be encouraged! It always feels like you are reading his secret thoughts or journals. It has been an encouragement to me that has been very easy to read in small doses.
Love this book! If you are a Nouwen fan, this is a must-read. All of his best writings on prayer filed under topics like solitude, unceasing prayer, hindrances, community, eternal life, etc. The excerpts are short and make great devotions.
Great book for small group study with others...whats the point of reading about prayer if you can't pray with friends?!!? Each chapter is interesting and you feel connected to the writing, not just a Christian self-help book.
Dec 03, 2007
Pita
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Shelves:
smartreaderowntheworld
God is all we need,no one else.
If you have Him, you have all
If you have Him, you have all
May 28, 2013
Carol
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spiritual-direction-to-read
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Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen (Nouen), (1932–1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer who authored 40 books on the spiritual life.
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of...more
More about Henri J.M. Nouwen...
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of...more
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“Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.”
—
166 people liked it
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.”
“Prayer is the center of the Christian life. It is the only necessary thing. It is living with God in the here and now.”
—
8 people liked it
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