Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola

by James L. Wakefield

A profound call to Christian discipleship. An intensive course in Christian faith. A creative freedom to serve God that is deeply grounded in Scripture. These are ways to describe Sacred Listening, James L. Wakefield's adaptation of the classic Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola.

Central to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Spiritual Exercises is a manual used to direct a month-long spiritual retreat. Now adapting these time-honored Exercises specifically for Protestant Christians, James L. Wakefield encourages readers to integrate their secular goals with their religious beliefs and helps them reflect on the life of Jesus as a model for their own discipleship.

Combining scholarship with classic forms of spirituality, Sacred Listening will interest church leaders and lay Christians who want to deepen their faith.

Genres: Spirituality, Prayer, Nonfiction, Devotional, Theology

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Steve Penner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an evangelical take on St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius Loyola was a Jesuit with a fascinating story. He developed these exercises for those new to the faith to lay a solid discipleship foundation. It would have been great to have these exercises 30 years ago. At this point they are an unnecessary walking of a familiar path.

[Robert Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful. It does a great job of introducing Protestant Christians to Ignatian Spirituality and the exercises as a whole. I don’t believe it’s the best book on the subject but I still think it’s worth four stars because of how well the book introduces the exercises to christians who wouldn’t have otherwise given them a chance.

[Deryk Rumbold]

I never did the exercises, more just was curious of how someone might adapt the exercises for a more contemporary practice and from the outside this seems to be something really rich and life giving that I hope to put into action when I can circle back to it and really give it the attention it deserves.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Explroing and expanding a practice of Lectio Divina

[Kym Tedesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This journey was amazing and I think it may be the best spiritual foundation practice I have ever done. Definitely one I would do again! 24 weeks of deep and contemplative work ❤️‍🔥

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of spiritual exercises, properly used, takes about nine months to complete, and I'm actually several weeks away from being finished. It is a wonderful systematic approach to guided meditation on scripture, and brought many new insights to me in the past year.

[dthaase · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthwhile guide for anyone looking for a structured interaction with Ignatius' spiritual exercises. It can feel a bit tedious but that is some of the strength of the book.

[NieuCommunities]

Using this book, and being coached through the Ignatian exercises has been one of the highlights of this stage of my life. - John