About 15 years ago I spoke at a conference outside the U.S. with Henri Nouwen. At the time I was only vaguely aware of who he was. I attended his plenary session, and frankly, was rather unimpressed. He spoke along with one of his housemates from L’Arche, the community near Toronto where he lived. I really didn’t understand what he was seeking to accomplish. I didn’t disagree with anything he said, but neither was I moved by anything he offered. He seemed like a nice gentleman who had left the fast lane for a more simple lifestyle of doing nice things for hurting people.
It wasn’t that Henri’s presentation was bad. He was simply more spiritually mature than I was – so much more mature that I was completely incapable of grasping his understanding of spirituality and the way that God transforms us.
Over the past six years I have been doing research on the spiritual transformation process. The middle two years were a black hole when little was intentionally accomplished on this project while I tried to sort out my frustration with the subject matter.
Upon returning to the project with a renewed sense of calling and energy two years ago, one of the tools the Lord provided was exposure to Henri Nouwen’s writing. After studying a few short pieces he wrote, I have read three of his books in the past two months and have truly enjoyed them. As I have come to realize, whatever his faults and quirks may have been – which he discussed quite openly – he was certainly a man motivated to know God more deeply and to become the Henri that God envisioned, not the Henri that Harvard, Yale, Notre Dame, the church, L’Arche Community, or even Henri envisioned. His journey with God is an interesting trek. I have learned a lot about God, myself, spirituality and ministry from his honest reflections.
If you have never read any of his work, try Spiritual Direction, which was written and compiled in 2006, a decade after Henri’s death, by several of his protégés. It will give you a broad introduction to his ministry, his heart, and his mind. He was a man of substantial wisdom. Let me know what you think of the book if you get the chance to read it.
The others I’ve read so far: Life of the Beloved and The Return of the Prodigal Son – have also been interesting. If you are a Nouwen fan, which of his books has been most helpful to you, and what value did it add to your life?
January 27, 2010
Have you ever read any of Elton Trueblood? I felt the same way about him. Company of the Committed is very revolutionary.
I would also be curious sometime of your thoughts on my church plant I am working on in Southern California. I am from a Mennonite Background, and trained in the Vineyard..but married the daughter of a reformed baptist..so I am hodge podge of mixtures.
http://www.huntingtonbeachchurch.org
January 29, 2010
I have seen the name over the years but have never read anything by him. Thanks for the tip, I’ll check him out…
January 28, 2010
I’ve read several over the years, all good, but the one that sticks out is “In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership” where Jesus’ wilderness temptations are used to highlight temptations we all face, 1) to be relevant, 2) spectacular, 3) powerful.
January 29, 2010
Thanks, Guy, I’ll read it…
February 9, 2010
I was introduced to Nouwen via Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith Podcasts on American Public Radio. http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/larche/index.shtml. If you haven’t listened to it do. I believe he had accomplished and modeled versus taught the true leadership style of Jesus. It seem sometimes as disciples we can get the cart before the horse in our growth. I appreciate your work and insight and look forward to meeting you one day.
February 10, 2010
I discovered Nouwen while I was in seminary and the title of his book “Wounded Healer” became a powerful metaphor for me (I had struggled with cancer while a child.) I found several of his books helpful both personally and for ministry to others (“Reaching Out” was the first that really connected for me and my ministry. Later, his book “Here and Now” provided profound, brief reflections on God’s Presence that I often read to patients at a hospital, especially in the psychiatric and addictions treatment area. “Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring” has been helpful across generations for many of our family and friends. And I owe my discovery of Taize music to Henri Nouwen when he spontaneously taught 500 medical staff and chaplains in a lecture hall at Johns Hopkins, eyes glazing over after lunch, to sing Ubi Caritas.
Nouwen knew much about spiritual renewal at a very deep level. I’m inspired by learning that you are finding his work inspiring. Thanks for sharing…
(If you are still at Willowbrook UMC and see Tim Bruster, tell him I said hello. My prayers are with y’all.
February 11, 2010
I experienced spiritual growth, during times of great loss and change in my life, via the Nouwen books mentioned by Len. My introduction was during divorce when I studied, in a church small group, Nouwen’s Lifesigns. It created a hunger for more.
Closely followed a first cancer diagnosis. The entire journey created a desire to help others grow as I had; I was inspired to work with support groups and patient education programs. Besides the books Len mentioned, I utilized Seeds of Hope, With Open Hands, The Way of the Heart and Our Greatest Gift.
May I suggest: Nouwen may not have been as successful a speaker as an inspirational writer. I wish I could have had the opportunity to hear for myself.
I was not aware of the availability of more wisdom from him via his proteges. I will give Spiritual Directions a go. I have utilized so much growth through the works of Richard Foster and will look forward to comparing the two
February 15, 2010
Thanks for sharing A Carr. Blessings on the journey…
February 26, 2010
The Nouwen book I would recommend is “Adam: God’s Beloved”. This transformed my view of how God sees people with learning difficulties, or the wee children who many of us care for. We so often think that WE know how much or how little these more vulnerable members of our community are capable of understanding (or not!) God and yet the reverse may well be true. “Unless you change and become like a child…..”
Nouwen wrote this book just before he died in 1996. It’s about his friendship with a man in the L’Arche community called Adam. Although Adam could not speak and was wracked with violent seizures, Nouwen called Adam “my friend, my teacher, and my guide,” and credited Adam with renewing his faith in a particularly dark period of life.
He describes how Adam showed him the Jesus of the gospels. It is a profound book and immensely moving.
March 15, 2010
Thank you for such a thoughtful post on Henri Nouwen. God led me to discover Nouwen in 1997 during an intense time of study and revelation; at that time I read ‘A Meditation on Death and Dying,’ ‘Can You Drink the Cup?,’ another on the Story of the Prodigal Son and one influenced by his study of the desert fathers (Way of the Heart?) I came away with from my reading of Nouwen with nothing but the utmost respect for him and his genuine understanding of what God wants from us, as individuals and as members of a community.
I did not read anything else by Nouwen until last summer when I read one of his earliest books (I don’t remember the title) — and it was a HUGE disappointment. The book was spiritually shallow and took me greatly aback, since over the years I’ve recommended Nouwen highly to many people. It also didn’t help that I read this book about the time I first learned that Nouwen admitted to having homosexual inclinations (though I don’t believe he ever acted on them because of his vow of celibacy).
It took me awhile, but eventually I realized that this ‘discovery’ mirrored my experience reading Thomas Merton: writings near the end of Merton’s life are thought-provoking and reflect a mature wisdom, but his first book The Seven Storey Mountain — written while he was still in his 20’s — is so facile, egotistical, and immature, it is not worth the waste of paper required to print it.
For years I was confused and conflicted as to which represented the ‘real’ Merton, until I read that Merton himself disavowed The Seven Storey Mountain later in life, stating publicly that he considered it a personal embarrassment, he wished he had never written it, and he wished people would stop reading it. What a relief to hear him say that, especially since (young people in particular) DO continue to read it, and I believe it confirms spiritual immaturity instead of indicting it and spurring readers to humble themselves before God.
Anyway. Despite Henri Nouwen’s personal flaws which may well have hampered him spiritually in life, especially in his early years, his final works are impressive for their humility, their grace, their insight, their compassion — and I would still recommend to others the first four books I read.
Sincerely,
Diane Stranz
March 15, 2010
Let me add that ‘Can You Drink the Cup?’ is the book which affected me the most, and which I most recommend.
June 30, 2010
Let me suggest HN’s book, The Way of the Heart. You know Jesus’ words, Matt. 13:22″And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” This is a crazy, media-marinated world…with enough worries and deceit to choke out our spiritual vitality in a heartbeat. In a heartfelt attempt to preserve what is precious in my spiritual life, I have been grateful to learn about solitude, prayer, and silence, from Henri Nouwen. I’ve returned to The Way of the Heart again and again and it is a phenomenal help in running the long marathon of life and maintaining our “First Love” with the Lord Jesus Christ.
August 17, 2010
34,000 Christian groups and many don’t speak to each other. Isn’t that confusing to the pagans?
The Messianic movement is interting!!
Be blessed.
August 17, 2010
Boy, I can’t spell.
Should be interesting.