I love Henri Nouwen so with that said I was disappointed that this book seemed to be cobbled together without deeper and more thoughtful content I am used to from the author. Apart from the obvious (that the author is resting in peace) the author-editor who pulled either the writings or messages together did not do Henri Nouwen the justice he deserves. I felt like I was getting random snippets instead of ruminations that didn't come to fruition. I was really looking forward to reading something new and profound from Henri Nouwen.

I was incredibly disappointed by this book. I was expecting it to be insightful and thought-provoking. Instead, the first half was underwhelming - fine, but lacking anything noteworthy - and the second half was terribly problematic. The final three chapters are riddled with false dichotomies, language and ideas that could easily be weaponized and used against those in abusive relationships, at least one scripture taken entirely out of context, and a repeated implication that the reader isn't spiritual enough if they're not experiencing what Nouwen describes.

'Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety' by Henri J. M. Nouwen is an ebook from a series of lectures that seems to be published now when it's really needed.

The author wrote these lectures at a particularly low point in his life, but I would never have known it. The six chapters are all based on a scripture out of the gospels and discuss simple principles of the Christian life like following and sacrifice and loving your enemies.

I liked this short book, and found it to be a comfort in the current mental state I found myself in. The words were comforting and calming. I'm glad I read it.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Crown Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

As always, Henri Nouwen's work is wonderful, insightful, and very contemplative. Also a timely read for the COVID era of anxiety.

Henri Nouwen can calm any anxious soul. This timely collection of Nouwen’s writings helps the reader to identity and claim the anxiety in their own life - what is theirs as well as what is the worlds - and find focus and clarity in One who promises to be with us always. I bought my own copy to write in the margins and see if as a beloved book I’ll return to often.

Very easy to read. The quotes from the Bible are very wrong. But such a sobering book bringing us back to the basics!

I love all of Henri Nouwen's books - they are simple, convicting and powerful. This book - based on a series of talks he did - is no exception. I loved the way he talked about following Jesus based out of the New Testament narrative and the Gospels. This is a beautiful, simple read full of convicting truth and challenges! It is the kind of book I will come back to over and over to get the full depth of.

Henri Nouwen is one of my favorite authors, and this book stays true to the greatness of all of his previous books. Anxiety is such a prevalent issue in modern living, and having an insight on how to stay faithful to Jesus through those difficult times is extremely helpful. This is a book that you can go to time and time again, especially since it's separated out into different lectures via the chapters. Definitely excited to add this one to my collection!

We are restless people easily given to fear and driven by anxiety. In a tired world, we gravitate toward doing too much or doing nothing. How can we make sense of our calling in the midst of such a stressful and anxious culture? The simple words of Jesus beckon us: "Follow Me." This is the main idea in this small book about discipleship and spirituality. More important than simply finding a solution to be less anxious or stressful, we are gently encouraged to look to Jesus at every step of the way. Under the teaching of Henri Nouwen, one of the most famous spiritual guides of our age, we have a little gem of spiritual direction. Nouwen sketches six steps in the process of following Jesus. Each step builds on the other to give us a journey to look forward to. The book starts off with a plain questions: "Are you following Jesus?" For many Christians, it would be far too obvious a question to answer. Some might even think it is sarcasm. For Nouwen, it is an essential question that ties together six aspects of spirituality.


It begins with "The Invitation" in which we are invited to listen; to ask; and to dwell in the presence of Jesus. This drawing is different from the worldly types. The difference lies in the idolatry of self vs the worship of God. If we idolize self and self-interests, we will be drawn by things to beef up our ego or personal desires. When Jesus invites us to follow Him, we are assured of drawing from an eternal well of life. All Christians are called to follow Christ. We are called to let go of the ways of the world and to hold on to the ways of Jesus. Third, "The Challenge" is for us to love our enemies. It is a practical way to help us love everybody. If we can truly love our enemies, we will easily love all people as well. After all, it is easy to love people we like. We can love our enemies by prayer and service. In "The Cost," we face the reality of the cross. Just like Jesus who showed compassion to us, we are reminded that compassion comes from the Latin for "to suffer with." Taking up our cross essentially means following after Jesus' heart of compassion to suffer with those who are suffering. "The Reward" in following Jesus is pure and simple joy. The greatest reward is to be able to follow hard after God, and to be in full communion with God. Finally, following Jesus comes with a Promise, that God will be with us.

My Thoughts
Nouwen has a gift of putting difficult concepts into simple terms. There are no theologically heavy words to distract readers. Spirituality is understood best in simplicity and this is why Nouwen remains one of the most read authors in the field of Christian spirituality. In some ways, the ideas presented in the book is nothing new. There are exhortations to pray; calls for obedience; challenge of love; cost of discipleship; and assurance of promises; and so on. Nouwen has a keen sense of observing how the world behaves and how Christians ought to counter such worldliness. He makes an observation about the two types of wanderers: the running-around ones and the just-sitting-there ones. We might be familiar with the former when it comes to anxious living. What is surprising is the latter, which seems to make one wonder: How could the passive one be wanderers? In itself, it does not make much sense. However, using following Jesus as a reference, we immediately see the connection between following and not following. Running busy all the time is to search for meaning in all the wrong places. Just sitting there is searching for meaning without wanting to run around. This is not the way of a Christ-follower. Both forms of wandering do not follow after Jesus.

The book is written like a devotional. Each chapter starts with a Bible passage followed by an explanation, an application, and finally a prayer. Like books on spirituality, it is not meant to be rushed. Let Nouwen be your guide to calm our anxious heart. More importantly, let God's presence be felt as we reflect on the Word of God and the teachings.

Henri Nouwen was an internationally renowned priest and author who wrote 39 books on spirituality. He has ministered powerfully in the ministries of teaching and at L'Arche Daybreak. He was formerly a professor at Notre Dame.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

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

When I began reading this book, I didn't see the subtitle (Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety), so I didn't expect the book to address anxiety and therefore wasn't disappointed. I thought the topics, although profound, were explained in a simple-to-understand way. There was a lot to think about presented in this short book, and I know I'll be returning to it in the future.

In a culture that can sometimes feel like Christians are supposed to have it all figured out and can't show sadness or anxiety or a whole host of other issues without being labeled as bad, Henri Nouwen goes back to the teachings of Jesus to remind us that we are all broken but can find healing at the feet of Jesus. This book comes from a series of lectures at one of Nouwen's lowest points as he talked about leaning on Jesus in an age that seems ripe for causing anxiety in all of us. Nouwen never sounds holier than thou as he offers practical advice from Jesus' teachings to help us on our paths.

While the subtitle talks about "an age of anxiety", this is classic Nouwen, filled with wisdom for any age. His focus is clear, his writing is both simple and profound. I found myself highlighting long paragraphs. This is a book to reread and ponder.

My father introduced me to Henri Nouwen a few years ago when he gave me a copy of The Return Of The Prodigal Son. I liked Nouwen's simple yet profound reasoning in that book, and Following Jesus is no different. I appreciate that.

Nouwen’s desire with this book (which is a compilation of talks he gave) is to plant a seed in our hearts that will lead to a change in the way we live. What a beautiful purpose!
I'm not sure about all of his interpretation, but with books like this one, I prefer to simply let the ideas sink in, see if there is truth in them. Rejecting the whole book on account of a few interpretations that are foreign to me would be a mistake.

Here are a few quotes that stood out to me:

- “ We are invited to leave the familiar place and find God. We are invited to find God and trust that in God we’ll discover who we truly are. The emphasis is not “me” but the Lord.”
- “The Kingdom is where everything is turned upside down.(...) The part of us that is weak, broken, or poor suddenly becomes the place where something new can begin.”
- “Follow me” means “let go of your fears”. “Jesus says, “think about the Kingdom first and all the other things you are so worried about will fall into place.”
- “Our response to the call to follow Jesus can be very concrete. Our response is to take small steps away from “me” and “my fears”, toward the Lord.”
- “Following Jesus cannot be a form of discipleship if it is out of fear.”

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to give more thought to what it means to be a Christian.

Thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the reviewer’s copy.

Following Jesus
Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety

by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Crown Publishing

Convergent Books

Christian


Pub Date 17 Sep 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Following Jesus through Crown Publishing/Convergent Books and Netgalley:


Henri Nouwen gave a series of lectures on the importance of following Jesus, and leaning on him in the age of anxiety, these lectures came at one of the lowest points of his life. During that difficult time Nouwen remained faithful to God and to the teachings of Jesus.


In this never before released book Nouwen writes beautifully about calling and purpose in our walk with Christ, and he goes on to explain why in the 21 St Century the greatest reward for those looking for spiritual direction is rediscovering Jesus’s teaching on love. Along the way, Nouwen offers warm, insightful, practical habits to help readers navigate the narrow, sometimes arduous, but ultimately fulfilling road of conviction and faith.



I give Following Jesus five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Spend enough time in Sunday school or around people who read inspirational Christian books and you'll hear plenty about the love of God. Most of the time it just sounds cheesy or a cliche. Nouwen accomplishes a rare feat and makes that concept seem real -- life changing yet gentle, radical yet comforting. His explanation of how people can discover that love and apply it to their lives may very well change how you see everything.

“Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety”, Henri J M Nouwen, Crown Publishing, 2019, pp 144

There can be no doubting that this is an age of anxiety. It’s a problem that seems to beset many, whether they are crippled with anxiety from Brexit to the pressures of the frantic and frenetic pace of modern life. And it is perhaps the busyness of life that causes us the most anxiety, as Nouwen ponders “if we are asked what we are so busy with we don’t really know.” Despite all our activity, Nouwen posits that we are wanderers of a sort, not actually followers. More so, in our wandering, we eventually become tired and worn out, exhausted people.

It is into this situation – dilemma perhaps – that Nouwen offers his help, when he writes that:

“What I hope to do is guide us from restless wandering to joyful following: from being bored people just sitting there doing nothing to being excited because we have heard a voice.”

Could there be a better purpose statement for writing a book that would speak to a generation of bored people ensnared in restless wandering?

Nouwen’s answer is to hear the voice of Jesus; to hear his call to follow him – a call that will give purpose and direction. This is worked out through in six chapters, which work through the call to discipleship and follows a logical trajectory dealing in sequence with: The Invitation, The Call, The Challenge, The Cost, The Reward, and finally, The Promise; taking as the main basis for each chapter an outworking on a relate-able Bible passage.

This little book is certainly worth reading for those who perhaps feel they are lost in the frantic rush of 21st Century life. There are some opinions where Nouwen’s own tradition comes out that some might not quite come to the same conclusion. However this should not detract others from different traditions within the Christian Church from reading and benefiting greatly from this little book. It has a lot of little gems that recognise an ordinary understanding of discipleship and see how God works often in the unseen ordinary everyday-ness of life.

For an excerpt, including an audio excerpt, why not check out the link at Penguin Random House here.

Note: I received a free review copy from the Publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I was not obliged to post a positive review.

In typical fashion for Nouwen, this book is very accessible to read and yet very helpful for everyone who reads it. He has such deep insight and this is a truth that is so needed to be heard today. Get a copy and read it carefully!

I always look forward to reading a book by Henri J.M. Nouwen. The depth of his knowledge and faith, the gentleness of his prose, the simplistic yet profound way he has of reframing and explaining concepts always make for an enjoyable, instructive and thought-provoking read.

Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety checks off all of those boxes. Nouwen shows us how to handle the difficult situations and times in our lives by following Jesus, explaining what that entails and means. It will make you reexamine your life and show you how to live the life God wants you to have; celebrating the all-encompassing love that He has for you, seeing God in the people and world that surrounds you, enjoying and focusing on the present, because there is nothing to fear in the future.

This book is so uplifting, so inspiring that I recommend it to anyone looking to walk closer with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I've read prayers and articles by Henri Nouwen, but this is the first full length book I've read by him. I went into this expecting wisdom and practical guidance for living and I was not disappointed..The book was full of advice about how to have a joyful life and thrive in the midst of pain. I read this book over a month ago and I'm still reflecting on the following observation, "Joy is not some kind of happy medium between rootlessness and routine. It is not that. Joy is not a momentary vacation from the heaviness of life. Joy is not something to escape the problems of the world. The joy that Jesus offers is of a spiritual order. It is not just an emotional thing. It is not just a physical thing. It is a spiritual gift. The gift of joy."

Nouwen's advice for fellow Christians is consistently backed up with solid Biblical references. He provides enough context for each quotation while maintaining a relatively broad interpretation of scripture. My favorite parts of the book were the prayers at the end of each chapter. Nouwen is eloquent, but never abstruse. His writing stikes the difficult balance between having broad appeal without being vague or superficial. I would encourage everyone I know to read this one.

Loved this book ! How to keep Jesus in front of you in plain english. Like talking with a friend over coffee how to live your best life.