"The Way of the Heart" by Henri J. M. Nouwen

This is a short but powerful book focusing on solitude, silence, and prayer, drawing from the examples of the lives of the 4th century "Desert Fathers".  It changed my life, especially in relation to ministry!  The whole idea of bringing others into solitude and silence had not occurred to me as a practical thing to do . . . somehow it seemed that each one should mysteriously discover these things on their own.  But here is a book with both mystical and practical elements, that has inspired me to press further into the deeper life of Christ, while at the same time, bringing others further along with me.

Here are some favorite quotes:

Solitude

• "There is seldom a period in which we do not know what to do, and we move through life in such a distracted way that we do not even take the time and rest to wonder if any of the things we think, say, or do are worth thinking, saying, or doing."
• "It is in solitude that we become compassionate people, deeply aware of our solidarity in brokenness with all of humanity and ready to reach out to anyone in need."
• "It is to solitude that we must return, not alone, but with all those whom we embrace through our ministry."
• "Solitude shows us the way to let our behavior be shaped not by the compulsions of the world but by our new mind, the mind of Christ."

Silence

• "If a word is to bear fruit it must be spoken from the future world into the present world."
• "Speaking gets us involved in the affairs of the world, and it is very hard to be involved without becoming entangled in and polluted by the world."
• "As ministers our greatest temptation is toward too many words.  They weaken our faith and make us lukewarm.  But silence is a sacred discipline, a guard of the Holy Spirit."
• "The question that must guide all organizing activity . . . is not how to keep people busy, but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence."

Prayer

• "Wordiness in prayer often subjects the mind to fantasy and dissipation; single words of their very nature tend to concentrate the mind."
• "When we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and are touched by him in the center of our being."
• "The discipline of leading all our people with their struggles into the gentle and humble heart of God is the discipline of prayer as well as the discipline of ministry.  As long as ministry only means that we worry a lot about people and their problems; as long as it means an endless number of activities which we can hardly coordinate, we are still very much dependent on our own narrow and anxious heart.  But when our worries are led to the heart of God and there become prayer, then ministry and prayer become two manifestations of the same all-embracing love of God."
• "The discipline of prayer will help us to move from a distracting, fragmentary, and often frustrating ministry toward an integrating, holistic, and very gratifying ministry.  It will not make ministry easy, but simple; it will not make it sweet and pious, but spiritual; it will not make it painless and without struggles, but restful . . ."