The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Book Overview

"The Living Reminder was like a visit from a friend I needed to speak with. The surprise for me was how much I needed to hear him say familiar things."
--National Catholic Reporter

The Living Reminder is a gift from Henry J.M. Nouwen--along with C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton, one of the 20th century's most beloved and important spiritual writers. Subtitled "Service and Prayer in the Memory of Jesus Christ," Nouwen's book presents...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0866839151
• ISBN13: 9780866839150
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

WOW

I recently attended a Formational Counseling seminar at Ashland Theological Seminary. The director of the institute; Terry Wardle...said that he thought this was Nouwen's best book. Sooo...naturally i took that to heart... Though i have not read all of Nouwen's books. I must say...it is short & sweet...a marvelous distillation and concentration of spiritual honey that i will savor for years to come.

a short picture of the incarnational minister

The lack of reviews of this is surprising; in Living Reminder Nouwen has written a must-read for understanding ministry. He explores how Christian ministry, if it is to be genuine and effective, must be sustained by a deep and Christ-centered spirituality. Nouwen writes that the minister is called to be three things: a healing reminder (connecting human sufferings with those of Christ, being a living reminder of God), a sustaining reminder (where he discusses his novel concept of a ministry of absence and the importance of presence first to God rather than those ministered to), and a guiding reminder (providing prophetic confrontation, inspiration, and hope). In all of these things, Nouwen describes what the living reminder looks like and why, rather than what this minister does: "We have lost touch... we are called to connect, not so much by what we do, but by who we are" (30). While it is not a how-to at all, this book provides the why and how of incarnational ministry. Nouwen's writing is exceptionally clear, organized well, and concise. His ideas, however, are abstract; he deals with our paradigms rather than our actions. This is short, but very impactful... a must-read for anyone seeking to understand what a living reminder looks like.