هذا فقط ما لدي، أريده أن يكون مختلف، و لكنني لا أستطيع التغيير، لأن هذا ما أنا عليه،برغم إدراكي أن هذا الأسلوب في الحياة يجب تركه لأن قلبه أكبر بكثير من قلوبنا...
في الصلاة نحن بمثابة من يسير بثبات في رحلة حج. و في طريقنا نقابل الكثير من الناس الذين يظهرون لنا شيئا عن الله الذي نبحث عنه.. .. و لن نعرف يوما بالتأكيد هل قد وصلنا إلي الله ام لا..و لكن نعرف أن هذا الإله هو دوما جديد، و لهذا لا يوجد داعي للخوف
إننا لا نملك ذاتيا القوة التي من خلالها تخرج الخليقة الجديدة إلي الوجود. بل إنها قوة روحية منحت لنا و تقوينا، لنحيا في العالم دون أن يحيا فينا

علاقة بين الصمت و الصلاة
كتاب مينفعش يتنسي أبدا

A fine devotional book. Parts of this are really wonderful. A few pages are a bit dated in their cultural references, now.

Although Henri Nouwen wrote With Open Hands over 40 years ago, this book still provides thoughtful and valuable insights about prayer for today.

taking praying to the next level

This is a book which never needs to be put down. Each page carries a gem of wisdom. It is small enough to include in a backpack or purse for that spare moment when a small reminder of truth could make the difference in a decision or give depth to a conversation over a cup of coffee.

Do you get my point? It is a godly, insightful, practical jewel of wisdom.

don't be fooled by the size of this tiny book--it is filled with so much depth and wisdom. i re-read almost every chapter bc of it. must read book on prayer.

Truly an inspiring message concerning prayer, even beyond the boundaries of Christian theology. Nouwen's writing transcends even the most basic doctrinal teachings without negating any of them. In other words, believers will find little to disagree with and non-believers will most likely feel the same. Highly encouraging and highly recommended.

إلهي الحبيب،
لا اعلم إلي اين تقودني،
حتي انني لا اعلم كيف سوف يبدو يومي او اسبوعي او عامي القادم،
حيث احاول ان ابقي يدي مفتوحتين،
فإنني اثق انك سوف تضع يدك في يدي،
وسوف تقودني الي المنزل.

“Because he is so eager to arrange for his own future, the man of little faith closes himself off from what, in fact, might be coming. He has no patience with the unspecified promise and he has no trust in the unseen situations which the future has in store.

Therefore, when the man of little faith prays, it is a prayer without hope. Likewise, it is without despair, for despair is only possible for someone who knows what it means to hope.

The man of little faith prays a prayer that is carefully reckoned, even stingy, and which is upset by every risk. There is no danger of despair and no chance for hope. The man becomes a midget in a world of tiny things.

…

A man with hope does not get tangled up with concerns for how his wishes will be fulfilled. So, too, his prayer is not directed toward the gift, but toward the one who gives it. His prayer might still contain just as many desires, but ultimately it is not a question of having a wish come true but of expressing an unlimited faith in the giver of all good things.

…

The man who prays with hope might still ask for many things, he might ask for everything, and very concretely, like nice weather or an advancement. This concreteness is even a sign of authen-ticity. For if you ask only for faith, hope, love, freedom, happiness, modesty, humility, etc., without making them concrete in the nitty-gritty of daily life, you probably haven't really involved God in your real life. But if you pray in hope, all those concrete requests are merely ways of expressing your unlimited trust in him who fulfills all his promises, who holds out for you nothing but good, and who wants for himself nothing more than to share his goodness with you.”

This is a meditative work that is not comfortably read in few sittings. A rhythm of reading and meditation is most effective, giving one a chance to think about the principles presented.

Readers should be prepared for the layout, text and presentation to pull one into a quiet, contemplative state. I found this book challenging and insightful, but after having read it years ago, I confess I cannot recall what the challenges and insights were. While my initial impression of the experience was to give it 4 stars, this lack of retention made me bump it down to 3. Read it and see what you think!

Helpful, paragraph-length insights into the effects of the different attitudes we may bring to our times of prayer. Besides the title concept of praying "with open hands," Nouwen contrasts the "prayer of little faith" with the "prayer of hope," in which "there are no guarantees asked, no conditions posed, and no proofs demanded. You expect everything from the other without binding the other in any way. Hope is based on the premise that the other gives only what is good. Hope includes an openness by which you wait for the promise to come through, even though you never know when, where, or how this might happen." (p.73).

An inspired man with a light touch. An angel in disguise. The original edition is worth searching for.