This is a book to savor and ponder, as you delight in taking sections at a time as you meditate on what it means to live a life of prayer. I would make it known to the browsing reader that this edition is a compilation of many of Nouwen's works taken in paragraphs based on theme in prayer--themes such as community, hindrances, death and dying.

Every time I read another Nouwen bk, my aching soul is filled in a way that no other author can. One particular prayer about listening to Jesus brought on such a healing release

Such a deep well of insight for a life of prayer. I've seen a lot of growth in my intimacy with the Lord as I've applied these practices, especially silence and solitude. I appreciate the paradigm shifts that are also presented like Nouwen's interpretation of how to "pray without ceasing", which can seem oh so elusive. Finally, big props to the editors because it's crazy that this actually is a compilation of Nouwen's various works because it does for the most part come off as incredibly cohesive and if anything has me excited to look deeper into the individual references. Nouwen continues to be a role model and inspiration in my discipleship!

Some 25 years ago I read the title of this book and thought, "Really? The only necessary thing? This guy must be mistaken!" I did not know anything about Henri Nouwen, and I did not know nearly enough about prayer (though I clearly thought I knew enough about what is necessary in life).

Through the years, I've seen this book over and over. I began to think, "Maybe he's on to something?"

I finally got a copy and read it, slowly - savoring it and soaking in the wisdom of Nouwen regarding the intersection of prayer and life.

When you truly understand prayer, it's source and outcomes, it truly is the only necessary thing, for it permeates all of life (when done correctly).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish I had read it all those years ago when I first saw it. Grab a copy. Read it slowly and carefully. Enjoy the spiritual growth you will experience by growing in prayer!

This is a gathering of Nouwen's writings around fourteen themes, and then the fifteenth, and last, chapter is a brief collection of his prayers. This is a fine book, good for getting the essence of Nouwen's writings and good for serious thinking, and praying, about the themes addressed in the book.

What a timely book. It was initially very different from what I anticipated. This book is a compilation of all of Nouwen’s books/manuscripts/journals and organized into different categories around living a prayerful life. Part of the book for me was hard to engage in because at points I felt the choppiness of it. But the quality of Nouwen’s thoughts and writing overcame some of the disjointedness for me. Nouwen has a way of speaking to the most broken parts of me, exposing them, and ultimately comforting me. I cannot think of another author who has done that more consistently for me, and in multiple books, the way Nouwen has. Get your hands on every book you can by him, including this one!

I started reading this book this past spring and was off and on with it for a while until I started incorporating it into my morning readings. Once I did (and to be honest, I did so because I wanted to slowly read and digest Nouwen's wisdom), I would read an excerpt a day and be refreshed and renewed with new truths and reminders about God. It sustained me through a crisis of faith and depression that I went through this past summer, with a fresh daily reminder that God truly and really loves me.

The book itself is broken into topical chapters with little paragraph excerpts from Nouwen's vast collection of writings. Well condensed and expertly edited, it is an easy read to get through quickly, but in doing so, you would miss all the true wisdom that Nouwen has to impart about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and real Christian living and loving. You don't want to rush through this book.

I wish I could properly convey the wisdom, knowledge, and genuineness that Nouwen imparts in his writings. All I can say is that it changed my life in sustaining my faith by deepening and strengthening it. It spoke clearly to my heart and my head, and through his words, helped me to gain a little more understanding and a lot more love for the Lord that I passionately love and adore.

Every once in awhile you come across a book that hits you at just EXACTLY the right time on just EXACTLY the right topic at just EXACTLY the right depth. I tried to read this book a few years ago and just couldn't muddle through, but last week I picked it up with the thought, 'Either I read this book or I donate it - no sense continuing to store & dust it!' and it ended up being a divine appointment.

Henri Nouwen is relatively unknown to me, but he smacks of an old-school style of writing that I find easy enough to read but incredibly challenging (in the best sense of the word) to digest. There is depth to his work that reflects a connection with God that I have never experienced.

This particular book is a compilation of excerpts from something like 29 of his books - all small snippets on the practice if prayer. And perhaps that was my fatal flaw a few years ago when I attempted to read. I wasn't even at a level of prayer that could comprehend the things Henri alludes to. But my depth has grown immensely in this past year and the words that stumped me before are now whispers of invitation into the next level of prayer.

Instrumental to leading me into pursuing a life of unceasing prayer.

Have read this book many times over. Paragraph by paragraph one of the best books on prayer.

Certainly belongs on the shelf of anyone hoping to learn how to pray.

“As soon as we are alone… an inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again...

In solitude, we come to know the Spirit who has already been given to us. The pains and struggles we encounter in our solitude thus become the way to hope, because our hope is not based on something that will happen after our sufferings are over, but on the real presence of God's healing Spirit in the midst of these sufferings. The discipline of solitude allows us gradually to come in touch with this hopeful presence of God in our lives, and allows us also to taste even now the beginnings of the joy and peace which belong to the new heaven and the new earth.”

This is a collection of writings and prayers from Henri Nouwen. He was a profound thinker and effective writer, and I found some gold among these nuggets of his thoughts, for sure. I imagine I will refer back to this book off and on, looking for insight about a particular religious season or faith challenge.