Not my favorite Nouwen book, but profound nonetheless. Reaching Out covers three aspects of spiritual life: the inward journey from loneliness to solitude, the outward journey from hostility to hospitality, and the upward journey from illusions (about God) to prayer. The section on loneliness to solitude was especially meaningful as it is key for any person to be able to move outward or upward.

Nouwen’s insights are just as if not more relevant today as we consider our social media filled world. I found his 3rd section on prayer specifically impactful. Nouwen’s style is very easy to read, and he quotes widely from Thomas Merton to Martin Luther.

All in all it’s a book that will inspire you to a deeper life with God.

Beautiful. Honest. Hopeful.
Nouwen has a special way of describing the interior world of a person who recognizes that they're on the spectrum of loneliness, hostility, and illusion on one side and solitude, hospitality, and prayer on the other.
I especially enjoyed his definition of hospitality and how teachers can offer that to students.

From loneliness to solitude, from hostility to hospitality, from illusion to prayer.

Timely book for me, even though it's been around for ages. Hospitality is kind of in vogue in my Christian circles, but Nowen reminded me that this conversation is nothing new. I also enjoyed the Thomas Merton quotes about the desert.

Not easy. Often I’d read a sentence and have to put the book down to think about what he’d just said. While this is usually a good sign, it did mean I took forever to finish a fairly slim volume. I’ll have to read it again - I certainly missed things. In part because I wanted to get through it, and if I paused over every sentence, I’d never finish it. But lots of wisdom. His definition of hospitality is not standard.

This one HIT my lil extroverted always needing to be busy with people SOUL. It reminded me of the necessity of solitude. That filling doesn’t always mean full. Nouwen reminds us in this book to learn to weep, to slow down, to keep vigil. His words were both convicting and refreshing and granted FREEDOM.

QOTB: “We have a false expectation that we are called to take each other’s loneliness away. No friend or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness. And by burdening others with these divine expectations, of when we ourselves are often only partially aware, we might inhibit the expression of free friendship and love and evoke instead feelings of inadequacy and weakness.”

The three movements toward a deeper, more spiritual life are from Loneliness to Solitude, from Hostility to Hospitality, and from Illusion to Prayer ... each is associated with a relationship that is critical to that life; they are respectively, our innermost self, our fellow human beings, and, of course, God ... filled, as always, with Nouwen’s penetrating insight ...

I’m a Nouwen fan for sure. His writings give me a physical ache for a deep prayer life

This was rly good. I am moved most by 2 things: (1) while it seems that the answer to loneliness is community, the true answer to loneliness is solitude. Only someone in peaceful solitude can fruitfully enter into community. (2) hospitality is a space for friendship and freedom - I am most at home when I am free to be myself - and Jesus too must be free to be himself in my home

“God is not only greater than our mind, He is also greater than our heart, and just as we have to avoid the temptation of adapting God to our small concepts we also have to avoid adapting Him to our small feelings.”

Nouwen’s writing is approachable and accessible, creating a reading experience that flows from one concept to the other. While I think he could have been more organized and format and some more substance towards the beginning of the book, it was easy to read and full of good nuggets to think about. I’m sure this won’t be the last Nouwen book I pick up.

Nouwen is restful. His writing is almost too good. I don't always agree with him, but his charity and good attitude make it hard to dislike what he says.


He has an audience of people that desperately need spiritual meaning. He is there to show them the way. I hope he is more of an introduction to them and not a finishing place. But he is good nonetheless.

كتاب لطيف ودسم .. اسلوب سهل ممتنع
الكتاب فكرته الرئيسية ازاي نفرق بين الوحدة والعزلة، اوقات كتير بنخاف نكون في عزلة مع نفسنا فنلتجئ للناس في سبيل اننا نملى فراغ شعورنا بالوحدة بالرغم اننا بنشعر برضه بالغربة معاهم اخذ بمبدأ اللي نعرفه احسن من اللي ما نعرفهوش !
كنت قريت عن هنري نويين اللي كتبه عنه فيليب يانسي في كتاب بالكاد نجوت .. واقدر اكون فهمت قصد هنري نويين وهو بيتكلم عن الوحدة من خلال تجربة شخصية هو كان بيمر بيها.
الكتاب مش بيمدح في الوحدة والعزلة علي العكس هو بيوضح صور مشاركة حياتية يومية سواء في العمل او العبادة وازاي نحول الوحدة لايجابية تبنينا وتبني من حولنا

First two sections sound very worldly and mystic, approaching an endorsement of Eastern mysticism. But hang in there, the last section brings it together under biblical principals, with plenty of scripture references.

However, the focus on Hesychasm in the discussion of prayer tilts back towards the east again.

Nouwen states at the beginning that he doesn't provide answers. I think he is presenting a framework for spiritual formation that has many helpful ideas, but also some dangerous ones.

I feel like if I was to talk with him directly, I would have a better understanding and connection with what he is trying to say.

I think it's an easy book to misinterpret, and appropriate to one's own way of thinking instead of understanding and incorporating Nouwen's ideas as he intends them. But it seems to me that some of his intentions stray from orthodox Christianity. I am always challenged to think about my own theology when I read Nouwen's books because he speaks in ways that I am uncomfortable with.

It is a good book to help one think about one's relationship with God, others, and oneself.