Here is the book summary:
Most Christians want to experience
spiritual transformation. But many are frustrated by the limited
progress of our spiritual self-improvement efforts. We find our praying
burdened by a sense of obligation and failure.
But prayer is not merely something we do; prayer
is what God does in us. Prayer is not just communication with God―it is
communion with God. As we open ourselves to him, God does the spiritual work of
transformation in us.
Spiritual director and psychologist David Benner
invites us to discover openness to God as the essence of prayer, spirituality,
and the Christian life. Prayer is far more than saying words to God; all of
life can be prayer when offered to God in faith and with openness. Using the
four movements of lectio divina, Benner explores prayer as attending, pondering,
responding, and being. Along the way he opens us to a world of possibilities
for communion with God: praying with our senses, with imagination, with music
and creativity, in contemplation, in service, and much more.
Learn how prayer can be a way of living. Move
beyond words to become not merely someone who prays, but someone whose entire
life is prayer in union with God.
This expanded edition includes a new afterword and
an experiential guide with questions for individual reflection or group
discussion.
And now, my review:
Despite our differences in some parts of what we believe,
when I saw Opening to God by David G Benner come out, I was really looking
forward to reading it because of the topic and how it might lend well into
spiritual direction. I love Lectio Divina
and looked forward to seeing what he included in this read. I enjoyed his invitations to take a moment to
note… or take a pause to pray… things serve as a call to pause… He also includes information on the examen,
which he calls an exercise of God-spotting, and the labyrinth. He includes quotes from other people in his
books.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest
review.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opening-to-god-david-g-benner/1111417266?ean=9780830835508
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