If you are someone who is feeling drawn to a time of solitude and silence and yet cannot begin to imagine how this could happen for you, this is your book. Ruth Haley Barton begins by writing that she did not know where to start either,and uses her learned experience toguide you into new depths in your relationship with Jesus. The book also recognizes the negative effects of being “dangerously tired,” and provides a “Practice” section at the end of each chapter that will usher you into a time of silence as you ponder the content. The book’s appendix also includes a self-help guide in the appendix for spending a personal day in solitude, and group guide for shared solitude.
The Gift of Being Yourself
In the words of the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, “There is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace, and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him.”
Rather than choosing to discover ourselves or encounter God, this short, but insightful book by David Benner, guides us along a new path which permits us to uncover our identity in Christ and learn who God is at the same time.
