Reflecting on Reflections
When talking to a friend about Stuart’s new book, The Heart of a Calling: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness in Congregational Ministry, she said that she imagined it would be “funny”, because of Stuart’s reputation for lightheartedness. This prompted me to write my own endorsement of his book and issue my own personal invitation to come to the book launch on December 15 at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall to hear excerpts from the book and his presentation about the process of writing it.
While it is true that Stuart is just about the funniest person I’ve ever known and certainly ever worked with, his easy wit is the distilled residue of what percolates to the surface from the deep waters where he actually spends most of his time. This book is the story of the soul journey that brought him from a long season of contemplative learning and meditation to the moment that his life connected to Grace Church’s search for her next rector.
The book is a collection of anecdotes, personal notes from parishioners who were part of the search process and his call as well as from members of the parish staff. It is also his own acknowledgment of the contributions of the desert fathers and mothers and other ancient wisdom sources to his spiritual and theological formation.
I think that the gift of true good humor is that it allows us to observe with some detachment and compassion our frail humanity. The gift of deep water spiritual work is that it comforts us with the assurance that our frailty is surrounded and supported by God.
See you at the book launch event on December 15 at 6:30 PM in the Parish Hall!
Cynthia+