Give Me a Word by Christine Valters Paintner ISBN 9798889831273, 8889831278 instant download

Give Me a Word by Christine Valters Paintner ISBN 9798889831273, 8889831278 instant download

Your word is waiting, hovering just beneath the surface. All you need is the quiet courage to listen and receive it.

Beginning in around the third century CE, a group of monastics known as the desert mothers and fathers retreated to the deserts of northern Egypt, Syria, and Palestine to pursue lives of silence and prayer. A key phrase, repeated often among the sayings of the desert mothers and fathers, is "Give me a word." This tradition of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months—sometimes a whole lifetime.

Fast-forward many centuries to the present day, and we find the practice of seeking a word being reclaimed by the spiritually minded in new ways. For nearly two decades, Abbey of the Arts has posted an online invitation to its virtual community before Christmas, inviting people to listen for a word to guide them in the year ahead. Hundreds of participants look forward to the practice each year.

In...