Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life
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About this ebook
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932–1996) was the author of The Return of the Prodigal Son and many other bestsellers. He taught at Harvard, Yale, and Notre Dame universities before becoming the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak near Toronto, Canada, a community where people with and without intellectual disabilities assist each other and create a home together.
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Reviews for Making All Things New
49 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A short book that touches on finding a way to live a spiritual life in the midst of our "worried-filled world".
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Classical Henri.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the spiritual life in Christ, it doesn't get any better than this.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Making All Things New" is a short book that looks at reconciling our crazy busy lives with putting God's Kingdom first. Nouwen discusses the paradox that our lives are somehow both overly filled and yet are ultimately unfulfilled. Like most of his work that I have read, this book forced me to think about how I live my life. At the same time, Nouwen's life was so far from mine that I find it hard to directly apply what he writes. Despite that, his honesty makes what he writes very approachable. He does not claim to have simple answers or even ones that he is successful at fully implementing. This book, like "Gracias," is one I expect I will read periodically in the hopes that his words better sink in each time and help me to live my life more in keeping with how God would want me to. I think this book is worth reading for most 21st Century Christians looking to find balance in their lives.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I enjoy Henri Nouwen, but this book was a bit too simplistic for me. While he characterized (perhaps better than anyone I've read) the modern, anxiety-ridden, time-ticking pressure bomb of a society live in & the ways our lives suffer from it, he didn't really elaborate how God's presence is a cure. He kept repeating that only if we make time to listen to God, we'll be liberated from this stressful, worry-induced life that keeps us busy, but he really didn't explain the why. I guess as someone who is still trying to answer "why God?" maybe I expected too much, however he did say in the beginning this book could help both believers & non-believers. I think it's helpful for a believer who may have fallen into distraction and is looking for ways to reconnect with God
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What to say... I just love to read Henry Nouveau! His writings are simple and yet deep. The Bible verse: "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26 ESV), have just tricked me in a very special way.
Book preview
Making All Things New - Henri J. M. Nouwen
INTRODUCTION
In this book I would like to explore what it means to live a spiritual life and how to live it. In the midst of our restless and hectic lives we sometimes wonder, What is our true vocation in life?
Where can we find the peace of mind to listen to the calling voice of God?
Who can guide us through the inner labyrinth of our thoughts, emotions, and feelings?
These and many similar questions express a deep desire to live a spiritual life, but also a great unclarity about its meaning and practice.
I have written this book, first of all, for men and women who experience a persistent urge to enter more deeply into the spiritual life but are confused about the direction in which to go. These are the people who know
the story of Christ and have a deep desire to let this knowledge descend from their minds into their hearts. They have a vague sense that such heart-knowledge
can not only give them a new sense of who they are, but can even make all things new for them. But these same people often feel a certain hesitation and fear to enter on this uncharted path, and often wonder if they are not fooling themselves. I hope that, for them, this small book offers some encouragement and direction.
But I also want to speak, although indirectly, to the many for whom the Christian story is unfamiliar or strange but who experience a general desire for spiritual freedom. I hope that what is written for Christians is written in such a way that there is enough space for others to discover anchor-points in their own search for a spiritual home. This can only be a true book for Christians when it addresses itself also to those whose many questions about the meaning of life have remained open-ended. The authentic spiritual life finds its basis in the human condition, which all people—whether they are Christians or not—have in common.
As the point of departure, I have chosen Jesus’ words Do not worry.
Worrying has become such a part and parcel of our daily life that a life without worries seems not only impossible, but even undesirable. We have a suspicion that to be carefree is unrealistic and—worse—dangerous. Our worries motivate us to work hard, to prepare ourselves for the future, and to arm ourselves against impending threats. Yet Jesus says, Do not worry; do not say, ‘What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?’…Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first…and all these other things will be given you as well.
With this radical and unrealistic
counsel, Jesus points to the possibility of a life without worries, a life in which all things are being made new. Since I hope to describe the spiritual life in which the Spirit of God can recreate us as truly free people, I have called this book Making All Things New.
I have divided my reflections into three parts. In the first part, I want to discuss the destructive effects of worrying in our daily lives. In the second part, I plan to show how Jesus responds to our paralyzing worries by offering us a new life, a life in which the Spirit of God can make all things new for us. Finally, in the third part, I want to describe some specific disciplines which can cause our worries slowly