Add your review
Avg. Rating: 4.5
to feel precious and loved......
the song title, What the world needs now is love, sweet love......comes to mind when I think of Henri Nouwen's book, Life of the Beloved. My copy is tattered and frayed, and loved. I would give this book to everyone I meet, as hope for our world lies in each person feeling loved and precious. His words help to light up the dark places that reside in us all. What a wonderful world we humans could inhabit, if each human being felt cherished and loved. With each loved and loving person moving toward their potential, think of the benefits to our society, to our neighbors. Maybe then we could eliminate the word "enemy", changing it to stranger, someone we haven't met yet. Think of the potential for peace. It's possible. Because all change begins within. I hope your copy also becomes well used, and shared.
You're special
This is a lovely book, written in an easy-to-read format, which makes the reader feel chosen and special. The author has many books to his credit, but I especially like this one, and bought several copies to give as gifts.
Wisdom in Simplicity
People have been telling me to read Nouwen for years. I finally picked this little volume up, and if the rest of his oeuvre is anything like this, I'll be reading a lot more by him.
In the book, Nouwen is attempting to speak to a secular audience, and such a project would demand that Nouwen understand the difficulties of secular society. Nouwen, of course, does possess such understanding. He speaks gently, but probingly, of the ills, the pains, of contemporary life, and he lovingly and persuasively urges that the reader seek healing by recognizing his/herself as beloved by God and by pursuing the sort of life that would be framed by that knowledge.
The images, the stories, and the prose Nouwen utilizes are all just gorgeous. His depiction of contemporary life is insightful and loving, and his message, though simple, possesses such surprising wisdom. This is a book I expect to return to many times in my life, and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Review this book
|
