Living in the Presence : Spiritual Exercises to Open Our Lives to the Awareness of God

Rating:
Summary: Practical for today
Review: Tilden Edwards, Director the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, presents in this book the program he uses to help people develop the art of contemplation. His work generally is with groups of people, although many of the exercises in this book can be done by oneself.

This is not a New Age spirituality. Edwards is stepped in the classic Christian spiritualities. Some of the exercises have an Eastern flavor, but the main thrust of the formation program is rooted in western spirituality.

One really should read this book one exercise at a time in order to get an appreciation of the totality of prayer that Edwards presents. While the book seems small, there is a depth of knowledge and experience that takes a while to appreciate.

All of the exercises and reflections in this book are intended to help one to live in the awareness of God. From breathing to sharing reflections, Edwards is not interested in revelation so much as he hopes peope will find in these exercises how God is part of their lives. These exercises are practical for the lives people live today. But the outcome is not "practical" in the sense that Edwards is not looking for "achievement." The only outcome is one's discovery of God. That leads to other things. But then that is grace.