Five stars for the fact I read this with a black pen in my hand, finished it, and immediately picked up a blue pen to mark different things on my second turn.

Another gem of Nouwen's, "Reaching Out" distills the whole of the spiritual journey into three movements: from loneliness to solitude, hostility to hospitality, and illusion to prayer. Through these movements, God's grace at work in us cultivates peace within ourselves, peace with our neighbors, and peace with God.

When I began this book I thought I would be able to fly through it in a week, but like anything else as rich as this, time and space had to be allowed between bites. And so it really became a sort of devotional--three to four pages a day was enough to sustain my mind and heart.

At the center of all of these movements is prayer, and while this book is not necessarily a "prayer book," that's only because it is less concerned with the how-tos of prayer and more focused on the transformation that a life of prayer will lead us to. I recommend it for anyone who yearns to find a deeper awareness of the kingdom of God that lies within and without and around us every day.

Loneliness to solitude, hostility to hospitality, and illusion to prayer are the three movements to reaching out to your innermost self, our fellow human beings, and God, respectively. These are the headers / chapters in this book but perfectly summarize how we grow and move from pole to pole in Nouwen’s book. Written in typically Nouwen style, I highly recommend this book, but i wouldn’t recommend it as the first book of his that you read. To get used to Nouwen’s writing style, I would first recommend his books on the Prodigal Son or Life of the Beloved.

the middle section was EXTREMELY meaningful and the other two were more meh

Read with my minister to model learning from outside my comfort zone. Some good thoughts but I think I am used to it then being backed up by bible verses. He seems to observe the world and come to good conclusions, but can they be trusted?

Some quotes:
"Being useless and silent in the presence of our God belongs to the core of prayer".
"We cannot force God into a relationship. God comes to us on his own initiative"
"As long as we are lonely, we cannot be hospitable because as lonely people we cannot create free space. Our own need to still out inner cravings of loneliness makes us cling to others instead of creating space for them."
"In solitude we can pay careful attention to the world and search for an honest response. ... We can slowly become aware of a presence of him who embraces friends and lovers and offers us the freedom to love each other, because he loved us first. "

Helpful book for broadening my perspective on what it truly means to lead a life in Christ, from the very innermost and mysterious to the outward and practical. Some real gems here, which definitely makes it worth picking up.

Excellent book about the three movements of the spiritual life--transitioning from loneliness to solitude, hostility to hospitality, and illusion to prayer.

This was my third (and favorite!) Henri Nouwen book, and I foresee this becoming a regular reread. Nouwen seems to me to be the king of articulation, and he has such a profound way of expressing the human experience. His perspective on the spiritual movements from loneliness to solitude, hostility and hospitality, and illusion to prayer were deep and thought-provoking, and I’ll be referring back to this book often!

This book is profound and a testament to the incredible author and theologian that Henri Nouwen was. As with all his books, he was incredibly transparent in this one, and showed us his own concerns in a very vulnerable manner.

Throughout he discussed solitude and spending time alone, as spiritual disciplines. He acknowledged the challenges of loneliness, which is where he was probably the most vulnerable himself.

Nouwen's words pierce directly into the depths of my heart and soul. I'll be coming back to this book again and again.

I had to read this book for my Uni subject.
I got a lot out of it with regard to my own spiritual practice and intend to reread it with the intent of putting into practice what Henri Nouwen lays out.
This is a small book and a quick read if just for the sake of reading. If the intention is to actually put into practice anything in the book it will end up being a lifelong read sitting right beside your bible.

Recently, I discovered Nouwen's spiritual writings, and this, the latest book I have stumbled upon, has not disappointed. The author combines deep faith and a truly personal style of writing with profound psychological truths. 'Reaching Out' deals with two common themes in Christian spirituality the levels or stages of spiritual growth and the places where this growth may take place in relation with self, neighbor, and God. His take on these questions is quite unique and well worth considering for anyone serious about growing in peace with self, in hospitable service to neighbor, and in deeper love and union with God.