The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life Book

I started reading this book this past spring and was off and on with it for a while until I started incorporating it into my morning readings. Once I did (and to be honest, I did so because I wanted to slowly read and digest Nouwen's wisdom), I would read an excerpt a day and be refreshed and renewed with new truths and reminders about God. It sustained me through a crisis of faith and depression that I went through this past summer, with a fresh daily reminder that God truly and really loves me.

The book itself is broken into topical chapters with little paragraph excerpts from Nouwen's vast collection of writings. Well condensed and expertly edited, it is an easy read to get through quickly, but in doing so, you would miss all the true wisdom that Nouwen has to impart about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and real Christian living and loving. You don't want to rush through this book.

I wish I could properly convey the wisdom, knowledge, and genuineness that Nouwen imparts in his writings. All I can say is that it changed my life in sustaining my faith by deepening and strengthening it. It spoke clearly to my heart and my head, and through his words, helped me to gain a little more understanding and a lot more love for the Lord that I passionately love and adore.