November 22nd – 25th Advent Introductions

Be sure of my love and prayers and my great desire that your Christmas season is filled with joy and peace.
(p 267  Love, Henri)

ReadingLove, Henri Preface, Forward and A Note from the Editor.

Warm greetings during this very special time of year!  We look forward to another rich Advent book discussion with this very special community of people, and we are particularly excited to explore the second half of Love, Henri Letters on the Spiritual Life.

If you’ve joined us in the past, welcome back!  If this is your first time joining us, we are so glad you are here!  We’ll try to make it clear how this all works, but please do not be shy about asking questions.

Each Sunday you will discover a new “post,” indicated by the bold title, on the blog’s Home page.  Click on the title to enter the post.  There you will find the week’s readings and some questions for discussion.  To leave a comment scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the “leave a reply” box.  It works best if you always add any new comment to the newest post, even if you are referring to an earlier post. That way, everyone will see your comment. After you submit a comment, either Will, Ray or Brynn need to “approve” it, so it may take a few hours before it actually appears on the blog page.  The instructions on how to submit and reply to comments are also included at the bottom of the reading schedule.  Again, if you have any questions about how the blog works, please feel free to ask.

Over the next few days we invite you to take a few minutes to introduce yourself.  You may choose to share:

a) Your general geographic location
b) To whom or what you dedicate your days or energy, and why
c) How you came to “know/read” Henri Nouwen and whether or not you participated last Advent when we read the first half of Love, Henri or in another of our discussions,
d) Insights, thoughts or questions that arose as you read the Preface, Forward and A Note from the Editor
e) What you hope to experience during this discussion

We very much look forward to hearing from each of you!

Be sure to check back here on the Home page on Sunday November 26th!

In gratitude,

Brynn and Ray

RAY GLENNON: Ray volunteers in his parish Confirmation program and other ministries. He and his wife are members of a Catholic charismatic community. Ray came to know and trust Henri’s written word in a special way in 2004 when he found The Return of the Prodigal Son for sale after Mass at the cathedral in Singapore at an important point in his life.  If you have any questions for Ray, please contact him at ray.glennon@1972.usna.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/@RayGlennon.

BRYNN LAWRENCE: Brynn has been helping to preserve Henri’s Legacy for the last several years, mainly through her role as project coordinator of the Nouwen Archive Letter Project (2009-2015), and also by co-facilitating many of our online book discussions.

Announcing the Nouwen Book Discussion for Advent 2017

We are delighted to announce that we will continue our discussion of Henri Nouwen’s Love, Henri for the Advent 2017 Book Discussion.

Love, Henri is a collection of more than 200 personal letters Henri sent to friends, colleagues, and complete strangers who had written to him asking for his counsel and spiritual advice.  Henri was a natural spiritual companion to everyone with whom he engaged. Countless people found him a valued spiritual guide through the struggles and triumphs of life. These letters show Henri as the man he really was — kind, wise, fragile, selfless, encouraging, vulnerable, honest and, most of all, human.

Edited by Gabrielle Earnshaw, longtime archivist for the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust, Love, Henri is the perfect selection to read and discuss during the season of Advent. These letters overflow with Henri’s wisdom, understanding, and his unwavering belief in a loving, compassionate God who chose to become like us through the Incarnation.

Join us beginning Wednesday, November 22nd and journey with us through each week of Advent as we read and discuss this insightful collection of personal letters from Henri Nouwen.

Facilitated by Brynn Lawrence and Ray Glennon, this lively and thoughtful discussion is a wonderful way to ready your heart and mind to celebrate the Christmas season.

We do hope you can join us. A reading schedule will be posted prior to the commencement of the book discussion.

Don’t have the book? It’s available at most bookstores, or you can order it online by clicking on the Bookstore tab in the menu bar above.