Reading: no text assigned for this week. You can find the link to the reading schedule in the black navigation bar, which is located directly below the photo on the top of this page.
A very warm welcome to each of you! You will find here, in the weeks ahead, a caring community of people who encourage each other in their desire after the heart of God. Henri Nouwen is our guide, as we study his books and legacy. We as facilitators do our best to make the space for this community to form, and it is truly each of you that actually creates it. If you’ve joined us before you’ll know how incredible these times are. If this is your first time – welcome!
This Lent we are very excited to be studying The Return of the Prodigal Son. Some of you may remember that we studied this same book two years ago. We believe you’ll find it well worth while to study the book again at this time. If you are the type of reader who likes to underline and make notes, you might consider getting a fresh copy of the book.
Before we jump in, it is always helpful to provide some information on how this online discussion flows. Each Sunday you will discover a new “post,” indicated by the bold title, on the blog’s Home page. This post will have discussion questions based around the week’s readings. 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 Maureen, Ray or Brynn need to “approve” it, so it may take a few hours before it actually appears on the blog page. If you have any further questions about how the blog works, please feel free to ask.
After that long introduction, we would love to hear from you!
Please 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) Whether or not you’ve read The Return of the Prodigal Son before, and if so, how it was significant to you at that time
d) Considering the analogy of a “homecoming,” where you feel you are currently at in your journey with God
We very much look forward to hearing from each of you!
In gratitude,
Ray and Brynn
RAY GLENNON: Ray actively volunteers in his parish Confirmation and Adult Faith Formation Programs. He and his wife are members of a Catholic charismatic community where he also chairs the school board. Ray first became familiar with Henri’s work over 20 years ago. He 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 is a life coach and an experienced group facilitator. She has been helping to preserve Henri’s Legacy for the last five years, through her role as project coordinator of the Nouwen Archive Letter Project, and also by facilitating many of our online book discussions. Brynn is a Strategic Intervention Life Coach, and the founder of Abundant Life Coaching. If you have any questions for Brynn, please feel free to contact her at nouwen.letters@utoronto.ca or through her website.
Note on Comments: This post is now closed to comments. Please come over to the newest post, and add your comment there (including an introduction if you are just joining us). The newest post can be found by scrolling to the top of this page and clicking on the word “Home” found in the bar just below the large image. On the Home page, the newest post is always at the top, and indicated by the bold title which will always include the current week’s date.
