The author was both instructive and transparent which made the good so very engaging. A great balance between theory and practice.

I have to be honest. This book was definitely outside of my comfort zone. While I enjoyed the focus on Merton and contemplative prayer, I struggle with the theology of to whom we might direct our prayers. With that said, I made it two chapters into the book. It is for this reason I am stopping the book right here, despite how I have enjoyed the book. I don't believe (or support) praying to "Mother". If you can get passed that aspect of the book, it very well may help you in your spiritual life. But, I wrestled with their theology for a few reasons.

I appreciate Heuertz' passion for contemplation - teaching us about teachers of contemplative spirituality that have guided her in her journey. Although I don't agree with all that she writes, her enthusiasm for the subject gives her a higher rating in my opinion.

A book for courageous devoted seekers of Jesus
"Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation" was published by InterVarsity Press and written by Phileena Heuertz. She is the founder of Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism, together with her husband Chris, that offers three different kinds of retreats, service of spiritual direction, and Enneagram workshops and consultations. Heuertz writes: "Contemplative spirituality is an invitation to wake up and die so you can truly live. Contemplative prayer is for courageous, devoted seekers ... Contemplative spirituality supports the way of following Jesus, which necessitates dying to self or emptying self to make room for the all-consuming presence of God." She defines contemplative spirituality as "simply a way to practice faith." According to Heuertz contemplative spirituality is for everyone. She includes that contemplative prayer allows the Spirit to flow more freely through us. According to her contemplative prayer and social action must go hand in had for effective social change. The contemplative practices at the end of each chapter are thought to be a help for the readers' application. The goal is that the exploration is not solely an intellectual one.
Heuertz provides a good introduction into some contemplative practices. She reinforces her book with personal examples and references to the lives of historical persons. The book contains a few notes, but it is necessary to note that quite a few references are missing, e.g., her quote of Father Thomas (Keating): "We know we're making progress in the spiritual journey when the things that used to drive us up the wall now drive us only halfway up the wall." does not show at all if it was in a personal talk, a lecture, or in a book that he made that statement. The book does not cover spiritual practices like fasting or writing God's Word, it emphasizes on prayer. It is nothing for hermits, but for the readers who are interested to link contemplative prayer and social action.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#MindfulSilence #NetGalley

The word “Christian” in the title drew me because I often find that spiritual direction and silence and solitude bring with it resources other than the Bible or in addition to the Bible and I just want Bible to the main vein flowing through all direction. This book leans more on Catholicism than on Protestantism. She has a sentence that says: “All great religions…” after she mentions Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam with Christianity tagged on at the end… This is very early on in the book. This book has the potential to lead us down a path we don’t want to go down. There are 2 ways to use Scripture: one is to use Scripture to support what you are trying to say and the other is to have Scripture support itself. I read this book and noticed in quite a few areas that the author's source of truth is other than Scripture as her main source and she pulls from many people and religions/sources that are even to the extent of anti-Christ. When you choose to add these types of people into your spiritual life you are saying that what these people have to offer is equal to the Truth you might find in the Words of Jesus. As one would say after reading Galatians 1:6-10 there is no other gospel. These other individuals would say that there is another gospel apart from Christ, John 14:6. The very essence of Colossians is Jesus plus anything is no longer the Gospel. We are complete in Christ. Colossians 2:8 gives us the warning to be sure everything is according to Christ. If you choose to read this just know that you need to be on guard against statements that would lead you to belief in other viewpoints than Christianity.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This book made me think. A lot. It’s one of those books where every page makes you stop and put the information through a filter of what is true versus what you’re used to.

I have grown up with a western view of academic-Christianity. Contemplative (or mystic or Eastern) Christianity is not native to me. I appreciated the author’s understanding of this and how she tried to reach out to me. The occasional references to Buddhism and Gandhi as good examples was hard to swallow.

Overall, I appreciate the contemplative prayers at the end of each chapter. I will incorporate them into my life. I also appreciate the different viewpoints than what I’m used to and will continue to mull over this book.

I follow the GoodReads rating system. Please note that this means even the 3-star books are ones I liked.
 1 star – didn’t like it
 2 stars – it was OK
 3 stars – liked it
 4 stars – really liked it
 5 stars – it was amazing; I’ll read it over and over and/or it will impact my daily life.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Making time to listen to one another doesn’t happen easily in our hustle-and-bustle culture, in which, whether we realize it or not, most of us have ADHD. We are just way too busy with work, church, small groups, meals, service projects, emails and texts, pop-up media messages, favorite television shows, hobbies, and so on, and so on. Phileena Heuertz’s “Mindful Silence,” is an antidote to our dizzying dilemma and subsequent debilitating soul-symptoms of hurried sickness. Her wise prose, spiritual insights, and life-giving application can lead us to still waters and help us encounter the living God in a fresh way. Her book can also help us find our authentic selves as well. I highly recommend this book!

Title not what thought after reading description. Not sure how to specify because others may find it to be exactly what they are looking for on this topic.