Hello all,
As you might notice our next blog entry has not been posted yet. As I know many of you are experiencing right now, schedules have gotten really hectic as of late. Due to that our post for this week will come tomorrow. Please check back then for our continued discussion. Thanks for your patience.
Jason
Hello all,
One of the difficulties in reading Nouwen the way that we are is that each chapter, in fact each individual entry, contains some amazing bit of spiritual food that we could chew on for a very long time. Attempting to read this book in large chunks forces us to pick some of these morsels for discussion and leave others for later.
Chapter 16 is one of those chapters in which I struggled the most to pick one or two things to highlight. Nouwen’s progression of thought as he ponders the “downward mobility” of Christ is so challenging and so uplifting all at the same time. The process of gaining humility is indeed a bittersweet one. On one hand we come to understand the beautiful truth that we can rely on God’s power and grace to transform us and guide us in this world. On the other hand, doing this requires that we come to terms with the fact that we must give up our self-sufficiency and pride. All of this is incredibly basic, Spirituality 101 in fact, but it is far easier said than done. That is why I find myself fully understanding Nouwen’s struggle when he says:
“I love Jesus but want to hold on to my own friends even when they do not lead me closer to Jesus. I love Jesus but want to hold on to my own independence even when that independence brings me no real freedom. I love Jesus but do not want to lose the respect of my professional colleagues, even though I know that their respect does not make me grow spiritually. I love Jesus but do not want to give up my writing plans, travel plans, and speaking plans, even when these plans are often more to my glory than to the glory of God.”
In what ways have you experienced the same struggle that Nouwen describes here? Who are some people you have known in your life who have been able to overcome this struggle fully embrace Jesus’ example of downward mobility?
One of the things that has seemed to draw us all into Nouwen’s story so far has been that fact that his struggles so easily reflect our struggles. I think that it is highly important for us to find people that we can relate to in this way. However, as Nouwen described his respect for Toni Paoli on page 159 he claims that what stood out to him was Toni’s love for Jesus. It occurred to me that I am not simply drawn to Nouwen because of similar struggles but also because of his tireless affection for Jesus. His life and his words announce to us the new kingdom and the new king. Nouwen’s story, though fraught with struggle is good news. That is why I fell in love with the quote he uses to end chapter 17:
“What a joy to be fully known and fully loved at the same time! It is the joy of belonging through Jesus to God and begin there, fully safe and fully free.”
What has been your experience of the joy you have found in Christ? How have your thoughts on joy changed over the years?
One thing that struck me in these chapters is Nouwen’s continual focus on friendship and relationship. As he nears the end of his time in Trosly he seems to be ever more aware of the importance of his friends. I have come to realize recently that true spiritual friendships are a very rare thing in our time and I wonder why. I would love to hear your thoughts on that. In what ways are Nouwen’s thoughts about friends different than your thoughts or different than your present life situation? Here are a few quotes that caught my eye to spark your thinking:
“We are friends of Jesus not in a sentimental fashion, but as participants in the divine life. If we dare to claim boldly that friendship, then we can also trust in the lasting bond among each other. This mutual friendship is the splendid fruit of our kinship with Jesus. It is much more than an idea. Rather, this friendship is a tangible reality.
“I feel an increasing desire to be silent with friends.”
“Listening together to Jesus is a very powerful way to grow closer to each other and reach a level of intimacy that no interpersonal exchange of words can bring about.”
“Friendship does not grow strong and deep when you do not give it the time and attention it deserves.”
“The great joy of our friendship is that we both deeply feel that it is Jesus who has brought us together so that we would be able to help each other to grow closer to him.”
Feel free to comment on any of this or anything that stood out to you from these chapters.
Jason
Hello all,
I wanted to introduce you to our guest blogger for this week. Alpha Robinson, Jarrod’s mother, has graciously agreed to share some of her personal reflections over this week’s chapters. I know that you will be blessed and challenged by her words. Feel free to respond to anything she has written as well as anything that struck you from your reading.
Jason
As Jarrod shared in the first week –he read this book years ago….then gave me a copy with the parts that spoke to him hi-lighted. Needless to say it is a treasure to me and as I read it this time, I decided to underline and make comments so that “our” copy is a journal too. Jarrod wrote in my copy of this book “I hope and pray that you will find your own words spoken for you in these pages.” His hopes and prayers have been realized anew as I re-read this treasure of a book!
This section – Chapters 11 – 15 has been painful, comforting and challenging and so much of Nouwen’s words meet me where I am more than preceding chapters.
Chapter 11 –A Clear Call has made me reflect even more about my place here in Portland OR with the East County Church. I ask myself –was coming here a move because I felt called? I believe Lewis came here as a result of a clear call –but what about me? I struggle with loneliness and wonder what I’m supposed to be doing as to community life with our church after 7 years. Because of the place I find myself in I found the words in the Daybreak “calling” letter to Nouwen..”We want to support you in your important vocation of writing and speaking by providing you with a home and with a community that will love you and call you to grow.” These were painful words because I don’t feel I have that here. As I try to quiet the self-talk that is automatic for me which leads me to feel unloved, I began asking questions to analyze my concern about being in a place at a time that God didn’t call me. If I have become a part of a community, though imperfect, is that a gift from God –an affirmation that he is with me here and now? Does it have to be a community that is easy to be a part of for it to be from God? Am I growing because I am striving with God to show me where I fit into his plan for me? The final quote that speaks to my struggle so well is in the Christmas Prayer. “I am trying to overcome the feelings of alienation and separation which continue to assail me. But I wonder now if my deep sense of homelessness does not bring me closer to you than my occasional feelings of belonging”.
Chapter 12 –I believe this chapter may be one that speaks to so many –if not all of us. The reality of having family members that you love with all your heart in such a different place spiritually that all your time together is tinged with a sadness and loneliness that is undeniable. “Going home” should be words of comfort and joy –but often our “home” relationships are very complicated. Nouwen is no different. He describes the abandoning of God by his family and how that affects him and his relationship with them. His thoughts and feelings are familiar to me. “Most of those with whom I shared my youth have moved away from the Church and have little connection with anything even vaguely spiritual. Speaking about spiritual things to spiritual people is quite easy. But speaking about God and God’s presence in our hearts, our families, and our daily lives to people for whom “God words” are often connected with hurtful memories seems nearly impossible”. These words lead me to wonder if the abandoning of God has more to do with pain than indifference? How can “God words” be connected with hurtful memories? What hurtful memories would you associate with God and/or his people that could have or did kill faith in you or others? How can we work at using “God words” in a life-giving faith inducing way?
Before we blame the church for all the fall out -Nouwen gives us insight into how prosperity may be the reason those we love leave their faith behind. Speaking of Holland…”The country feels very self-satisfied. There is not much space left, inside or outside, to be with God and God alone….People are just very busy –eating, drinking and going places”. Like Nouwen has modeled –it is so good to tell your story about the alienation that comes from being spiritually disconnected. If you feel up to it –share your story with us!
Chapter 13 –The Struggle of Prayer. I loved this chapter as it comforted me to consider that my feelings are not a good barometer in determining how effective my prayers are. “We must pray not first of all because it feels good or helps, but because God loves us and wants our attention”. Then Nouwen shares the story of Hannah with us and reminds us that simply agonizing in prayer turned everything around for Hannah. “Prayer heals. Not just the answer to prayer.” Had you considered before that fact that Hannah went home in peace and joy without having any idea if she would ever have a baby? Have you ever had a peace that passes understanding come over you because of faithful prayer –not because things were “fixed or healed”? “Prayer is so important. It invites us to live in ever closer communion with the one who loves us more than any human being ever can”.
Chapter 14 –The Deeper Roots. Here Nouwen shares with us Church struggles –specifically the church in Germany. His perspective seems to be that culture is squeezing out God and his word –even in the church. The quote that I brought a resounding “Amen” is “Meanwhile, many church leaders spend and often waste precious energy on issues which do more to distract us than to deepen our sense of mission. Progressives and conservatives fight each other within the Church, but both are in constant danger of becoming completely irrelevant to what molds our contemporary society”. I know that Riveside is on the same journey as our congregation and many others –to become missional . That is a buzz word of sorts –but simply put it is making an impact in our communities and our world by meeting God in his work “out there”. No strings attached –no agenda –just being Jesus –each of us individually as well as the whole community. Share your thoughts on the quote above and how you are experiencing the missional move in your life.
Well I’ve taken up a lot of space and a lot of your time –I tend to do that –I apologize. So I will just share my favorite quote from Chapter 15 –Choosing Life and I hope you will too! ”How do I choose life? I am becoming aware that there are few moments without the opportunity to choose, since death and life are always before me. One aspect of choosing life is choosing joy. Joy is life-giving, but sadness brings death. A sad heart is a heart in which something is dying. A joyful heart is a heart in which something new is being born”.
Hello all,
It has been enriching to follow your discussion over the past week. With the addition of a new baby into our house, I have had little time to read so I was not able to participate much so far. I am excited, though, to enter into the discussion.
I decided to continue the format from last week and choose a quote from each chapter and let you respond. Please feel free to respond to anything that stood out to you even if I don’t mention it specifically.
Quote 1: “Michel, eighteen years of age, writes, ‘Let me appear on radio or television so that I can cry out about the pain of young men who have never been loved, who have been shuffled from place to place, who have never known the love of a family.’
This is a cry for a real neighbor, for someone who is willing to be close, who gives not just food, a house, or a job, but the sense of being loved. Where are the people who can offer this closeness to their lonely brothers and sisters?”
Nouwen writes these words in response to an article about loneliness and the need for affection. These words are a convicting call to a person like me because they make me aware of my tendency to shy away from building real relationships with people who desperately need them. How prevalent do you think loneliness is in our current society? In what ways have you experienced loneliness? How well have Christians filled this need for affection and love in your opinion? How would you answer Nouwen’s question at the end of this quote?
Quote 2: “I learned afresh that friendship requires a constant willingness to forgive each other for not being Christ and a willingness to ask Christ himself to be the true center.” Do you agree with Nouwen’s statement here? What does it mean to “forgive each other for not being Christ”? What experiences have you had with putting Christ in the center of a relationship? How does this idea relate to the call to be a good neighbor from the first quote?
Quote 3: “As I reflected this morning again on the story of the prodigal son and tried to experience myself in the embrace of the father, I suddenly felt a certain resistance to being embraced so fully and totally. I experienced not only a desire to be embraced, but also a fear of losing my independence. I realized that God’s love is a jealous love. God wants not just a part of me but all of me.” In a society that strongly defends the ideas of personal rights, freedom, and independence does a gospel that calls us to give everything to God even stand a chance? How have you experienced the tension between wanting to be embraced by God and wanting to keep your independence?
Quote 4: “Jean remarked that we have to move from feelings to conviction. As long as our relationship with handicapped people rests on feelings and emotions, a long-term, lifelong commitment cannot develop. …we need a deep conviction that God has called us to be with the poor, whether that gives us good or bad feelings.” What do you see as the difference between feelings and convictions? How do we develop convictions in our lives? What kinds of ministries are you passionate about? How have you been involved in those things?
Quote 5: “I now see clearly why action without prayer is so fruitless. It is only in and through prayer that we can become intimately connected with Jesus and find the strength to join him on his way.”
I am not sure that I have always been mindful of the relationship between action and prayer. I have a tendency to try to do good things without the constant foundation of prayer. What connection do you see between action and prayer? How have you struggled with this relationship? What happens when the community of Christ tries to act without the guidance of prayer?
Jason
Good Monday Afternoon Everyone –
Jason and I hope that your first step into our new book, “The Road to Daybreak” by Henri Nouwen, has been a good one. I read this book years ago, and this past week, as I experienced it again, I was struck anew by how deeply thoughtful Nouwen is when it comes to the inner journey of faith and discipleship. He never shies away from speaking exactly what he feels. He never minces any words to spare himself, or us – as his readers – any embarrassment.
The fact that Nouwen was able to make the decision to leave the success and influence he was enjoying at Harvard to join a small community where handicapped people are the center of daily life, is more convicting to me than I can say. When he writes about people who go to school to learn how to be skilled in “helping professions” (such as doctors, counselors, or ministers) more out of a drive to achieve personal success and admiration than to primarily use their skills to actually help others, it convicts me to the very core. It forces me to reassess why I went into full-time ministry in the first place…to use it as a ladder to climb, or to help people as its own reward? What kind of subtle lies have I possibly been telling myself without even realizing it?
I know that it can be a challenge to read someone else’s private thoughts in a journal. “The Road to Daybreak” is a very different experience for the reader than “Peace Like A River.” It has very little narrative to hold the various entries together, and yet it is a compelling story nonetheless…the story of one man’s spiritual transformation. It is that amazing tale of personal change that keeps me coming back for more. I hope that each of you feel something of the same thing.
I thought that the best way to get us to interact online would be to post a few quotes from the first 5 chapters of the book, and ask you to weigh in on them.
Quote #1:
“Many mentally handicapped people experience themselves as a disappointment to their parents, a burden to their families, a nuisance to their friends. To believe that anyone really cares and really loves them is difficult.” (pg. 19)
- I believe that more people than just handicapped people “experience themselves as a disappointment” to the people around them. What do you think Nouwen means with this phrase? Why do you think that many of us struggle with this sense of being a disappointment to the people in our lives? Why is it difficult for some of us to truly believe that the people in our lives who profess to care about us and love us really mean it? How can we overcome this nagging sense of self-doubt?
Quote #2:
“The remarkable thing…is that sitting in the presence of God for one hour each morning – day after day, week after week, month after month – in total confusion and with myriad distractions radically changes my life…I might think that each hour is useless, but after 30 or 60 or 90 such useless hours, I gradually realize that I was not as alone as I thought; a very small, gentle voice has been speaking to me far beyond my noisy place.” (pg. 30)
- You and I may not spend 1 hour each morning trying to pray, trying to quiet ourselves in the presence of God, but most of us probably try to do that at least 10 minutes each day. Have you found that you also struggle with feeling like that time is “useless?” What are the challenges we face when we try and have a regular quiet time with God? Have you ever experienced the truth that Nouwen is sharing in these words…that after some time, those many quiet times of distraction have actually been worthwhile to your spiritual life all along anyway?
Quote #3:
“When handicapped people pray for handicapped people, God comes very near.” (pg. 37)
- One of the central themes of this book is that while some people are physically handicapped in obvious ways, we are all handicapped in one way or another, many times in invisible ways that only we know about. Another way to say what Nouwen is trying to say here is, “When hurting and broken people pray for hurting and broken people, God comes very near.” In what ways do you know that Nouwen is right when he says this? How have your own prayer experiences with others proved his statement true?
Quote #4:
When Raymond, a handicapped man in the Daybreak community, is hit by a car, Nouwen joins everyone else in asking God to watch over him and be good to him as his life hangs in the balance. Nouwen and some others get the chance to meet with Raymond’s parents, who are understandably heartbroken and confused. Nouwen writes, “When we all came together in our common concern for Raymond, we were able to express our feelings to each other…soon a new community developed. Raymond’s father said… ‘You are as much fathers to Raymond as I am,’ and thus acknowledged our pain. We were able to understand why he had not always been grateful for the work Daybreak had done for his son, and thus acknowledged his deep anguish. Raymond’s situation remains critical. We do not even know if he will survive the night. But all those who love him are united and support each other in their struggle…and that certainly is a tangible way in which God has responded to our prayers.” (pg. 42)
- When Nouwen claims that God’s action of creating peace between the Daybreak community and Raymond’s father is a tangible response to their prayers for God to be good to Raymond…do you agree with his, or do you think that Nouwen is too easily letting God of the hook? Try to be as open and honest here as possible.
Quote #5:
“It is not so much the ability to think, to reflect, to plan, or to produce that makes us different from the rest of creation, but the ability to trust. It is the heart that makes us truly human.” (pg. 48)
- I’d like to hear your responses to Nouwen’s claim here about what it means to be truly human. He says that above all, it is our ability to trust. To trust in God and in one another. Do you agree or disagree? If trust truly is so central to our human existence and experience, why do you think it is so hard to live lives of trust?
I know that this is an awful lot to consider, reflect on, and respond to. It is not my intent to overwhelm us on our very first week of sharing about this book. If it makes it easier, just pick one quote above to interact with. And perhaps more than anything, please share a quote or thought for the first 50 pages of this book that have really stayed with you. I look forward to your comments.
Jarrod
Hello All,
I wanted to thank everyone who came to our get-together on Thursday night. We had twelve people, great desserts and some really fun discussions about Peace Like a River. It was an enriching experience to talk face-to-face about our feelings about this wonderful story. We plan on having these get-togethers after some of our other books and we would love to have even more people attend.
I also wanted to take this chance to introduce our next book. Starting next week we will be reading The Road to Daybreak by Henri Nouwen. If you would like to know more about the book please see the Next Book tab at the top of this page or click here. Also, you can find a link to a place where you can buy the book in our Buy Books section to the right. We look forward to hearing from you as we read this insightful and inspirational book.
The reading schedule for this book will be as follows:
The Road to Daybreak Schedule:
April 6 Prologue – Chapter 5 (50 pgs)
April 13 Ch. 6 – Ch. 10 (42 pgs)
April 20 Ch. 11 – Ch. 15 (49 pgs)
April 27 Ch. 16 – Ch. 20 (46 pgs)
May 4 Ch. 21 – Epilogue (37 pgs)
Jason
On Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 pm we will gather at the home of Jon and Gwen Smith for coffee, desserts, and what I know will be lively discussion of Peace Like a River. We are so glad that Jon and Gwen graciously agreed to host this night. Their address is 143 Moore Road Coppell, TX 75019. Coffee will be supplied, but we are asking for your help in bringing desserts. It doesn’t have to be anything big or even homemade, just something to snack on as we talk.
That night we will also give you information about our next book and share with you our ideas for a reading schedule for the rest of the year.
Please note that this invitation is open to anyone who has read this book (I guess you wouldn’t have to have read it, but expect to have it spoiled for you by our discussion). Even if you have never made a comment on the blog, we would love to have you be part of our face to face discussion. Our hope is that this will be a great time of friendship, fun and conversation. Please join us.
Hello all,
This week we reach the end of this remarkable story. In it we come to the heart-breaking climax of the Land’s quest to find Davy. The true danger of Davy’s association with Jape Waltzer is revealed with fatal consequences. Yet, even with the death of Jeremiah hanging over the last pages of the book, I felt somehow satisfied with the aftermath of these events in the lives of the Lands. In many ways I attribute this satisfaction to the author’s beautiful description of heaven (though I don’t remember him using that word).
I was especially struck by the following quotes in which heaven is described as a place of new creation:
“The pulse of the country worked through my body until I recognized it as music. As language.” “Like a rhyme learned in antiquity a verse blazed to mind: O be quick, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet! And sure enough my soul leapt dancing inside my chest, and my feet sprang up and sped me forward, and the sense came to me of undergoing creation, as the land and the trees and the beasts of the orchard had done some long time before.”
What did you think of the description of heaven in the book? How does it differ from the view of heaven that you have had in your life? Did the description of Jeremiah in heaven lessen the blow of his death for you at all? Why or why not?
I was also struck by another event in this final section: Reuben’s disastrous trip with the posse out to Jape’s cabin. It is here that I began to realize that a good portion of this book has been centered around Reuben coming into his own as a person and having to come face to face with his weaknesses and flaws.
“Juval earnestly told me five or six specific things he found discouraging about my character. If you don’t mind I’d rather not restate them, but they were by and large true…”
To me, it was heart-breaking to watch Reuben make some questionable decisions and then admit his flaws all at the age of eleven. Then, for the rest of the book we watch this child seek forgiveness from all of those he felt he had hurt. These are very grown-up lessons for such a young boy.
How did your perception of Reuben change when he decided to lie to the posse? How did you feel about the way Harper Juval handled the situation?
Having finished the book, what do you think this book has to say about sin and forgiveness?
I realize this is a long post but there are a lot of things to think about and discuss in the end of this book. Later this week we will give you more information about our get together next week. I really hope that you will come join us for that.
Thanks.
Jason
Good Monday Afternoon – My family is in town, and I’m a little behind on getting this post out. We are having a great time, but it’s been hard to stay as focused as usual on work items. There are many things that we can discuss about this section of the book, but the primary two questions I would like to have us discuss, are…
1) How did Davy’s sudden appearance and interaction with Reuben affect you? Was it what you hoped it would be? Was it a disappointment? Please explain.
2) I’d like for us to look at how Jeremiah prays. Roxanna overhears him one night, praying about Davy, and Andreeson, and the entire situation. “Sometimes he [Jeremiah] spoke; at intervals Roxanna heard him savagely racing through King James, as if to back up some contention. He doesn’t know You and doesn’t want to, Dad said, gasping then as though taking a blow. At this Roxanna covered her mouth, for it occurred to her with Whom he wrestled. Having long ago accepted the fact of God, Roxanna had not conceived of going toe to toe with Him over any particular concern. Make me willing if you can, Dad cried, a challenge it still shakes me to think of.” – What does this image of prayer mean to you? Is it something you’ve experienced before, and if not, is it something you can even imagine going through in a conversation with God? It is right for us to “go toe to toe” with God over something? Please share your thoughts and feelings. Don’t feel like you need to stick with these two questions. Jason and I always enjoy hearing any part of the reading that makes and impact on you.
- Jarrod
Hello all,
I realize that a mid-week post on this blog is a rare thing but I promised you that we would have a get-together at the end of this book to spend time discussing our thoughts in person. Well, the plans for that time are now finalized and I wanted to invite you to come be part of it. On Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 pm we will gather at the home of Jon and Gwen Smith for coffee, desserts, and what I know will be lively discussion of Peace Like a River. We are so glad that Jon and Gwen graciously agreed to host this night. Their address is 143 Moore Road Coppell, TX 75019. Coffee will be supplied, but we are asking for your help in bringing desserts. It doesn’t have to be anything big or even homemade, just something to snack on as we talk.
That night we will also give you information about our next book and share with you our ideas for a reading schedule for the rest of the year.
Please note that this invitation is open to anyone who has read this book (I guess you wouldn’t have to have read it, but expect to have it spoiled for you by our discussion). Even if you have never made a comment on the blog, we would love to have you be part of our face to face discussion. Our hope is that this will be a great time of friendship, fun and conversation. Please join us.
One final note: This post does not mean that our discussion for this week is done. Please feel free to leave comments on this week’s post. Thanks.
Jason
