Many classics have described the Christian life using the metaphor of a journey of faith. John Bunyan writes "Pilgrim's Progress" to show us the Christian experience from condemnation to redemption; and from redemption to unification with God. Richard Foster also uses the journey motif for his book, "Celebration of Discipline" on spiritual formation. St Teresa of Avila's "Interior Castle" also describes the life of prayer using the journey from where we are toward union with God. There are many others from famous authors such as Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and St John of the Cross, the latter writing "The Dark Night of the Soul." This book begins with the author describing his struggle about being stuck at a particular phase of his spiritual life. He desires to seek more of God, to receive greater spiritual insights, and to deepen his knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. So he goes off to an Episcopalian monastery in the Northeast to do just that. After a period of frustration, his mentor asks him a few basic questions to help him to be relaxed before God, and to learn to receive instead of digging for spiritual gems. After all, the deep things of God are patiently received. We cannot control God. We need to let go and let God speak to us, and not allow our agendas to define how we learn spirituality. The author soon realizes that the way forward is to be like Mary who had said: "Let it be with me." This posture marks the start of a great journey called "The Magnificent Journey." This is the road less traveled. It begins by the way of surrender. It is the spiritual art of letting the Word of God speak to us instead of us mining it for spiritual information. It is experiencing the presence of Jesus through the gospels. It is about intentionally setting our minds on things above by focusing on the person of Jesus Christ. It is about listening to God and discover the art of spiritual discernment and prayer. Smith shows us the importance of cultivating the conditions of seeing God instead of using our own efforts to reach God. This requires intentional prayer and contemplation.


The second part of the book is about developing kingdom virtues of faith, hope, love, and joy. All of them are built on the actions of God. The first three are called "theological virtues." They are all dependent on the initiative of God. Faith is an extension of knowledge which should remind us that faith is a journey of knowing God. It is "trust without reservation." Worry is a sign of our lack of faith. The more we worry, the more we should pray. Distinguishing hope from wishful thinking, we learn of hope as based on the promises of God and trust in God's character. The chapter on love is particularly captivating. Smith guides us through the four loves as popularized by CS Lewis and then links them back to the greatest commandment of Christ. Gradually, we are reminded that God's love is so great that it is ok to be our own best friend without incurring the jealousy of God. For the essence of love is freedom to do what is essential. For agape love is given by God and enjoyed by all. On joy, Smith shares about his early years as a young writer, outshone by his friend John Ortberg. Through the sharing of joy and learning how to celebrate the joys of others, he writes: "Joy flows from surrender, growing in grace, interacting with the kingdom of the heavens, communicating with God, walking in faith, living with hope, and loving God, self, and others." Joy comes from inside us. He then shows us the five practices of highly joyful people. Brilliantly, he shows us that even though the greatest of the theological virtues is love, he shows us that joy is the culmination of love.

My Thoughts
The journey motif is a lasting metaphor that aptly describes the Christian life. Smith brilliantly applies this to spiritual formation and spirituality. He aims to encourage readers to grow deeper in love with God. This journey itself is magnificently good and desirable. Picking up a book by James Bryan Smith comes with a certain expectation that it will be spiritually nourishing. This book does not disappoint for three areas of spirituality.

First, the spirituality of time. Smith reminds us to slow down and to take time to read the Word for what it is, not what we want. Many of us are accustomed to quick browsing and rapid scanning of Internet pages for all kinds of information. In doing so, we let our restless souls rush through the Bible, only to realize that we have not taken time to drink fully from the water of life. Why rush when God waits? Just like it takes time for water to trickle down through the crevices of a cave, we need to let the Word of God trickle down into our hearts. God does not force His ways into our hearts. We need to open our hearts and receive Him willingly and patiently. This is the art of surrender which is a crucial initiative.

Second, the spirituality of practice. The soul training exercises are crucial to the progress of the spiritual journey. Books can wow and fascinates readers in so many different ways. For all the inspiration that comes through the pages of the book, it takes practice to allow the truths to flow through into our souls. This is done when we take a pause and to let the truths take root. I like the Scripture meditation parts which really highlight the importance of meditation and contemplation. These spiritual exercises are pretty much lost in our modern world of brief tweets and sound bites.

Finally, the spirituality of engagement. Smith writes this book for small groups and individuals. For the latter, this book should be accompanied with a blank journal, prayerful reading, completing of each week's soul training exercise, and a time of reflection. For the former, readers can in addition apply interaction exercises and mutual encouragement. People who embark on any journey must be actively engage in the traveling process. It is ok to pause at various points but we must be careful not to be distracted from the final destination. This final destination will be a pleasant surprise which Smith calls "Surprise by love." May we all catch a glimpse of that as we read this book.

James Bryan Smith is the author of The Good and Beautiful God and the Apprentice series. He is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He also serves as the director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.