A sample of my new book about the Ignatian examen, A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer, is available for your reading pleasure. Click the image above to read the first two chapters. (If you can’t see the image, click here.)
If you like what you see, click here to buy your own copy (and copies for your friends too).
Here’s another short excerpt that explains why the examen attracted me:
There’s nothing complicated or mysterious about making the examen part of your life. The subject matter of the examen is your life—specifically the day you have just lived through. The examen looks for signs of God’s presence in the events of the day—lunch with a friend, a walk in the park, a kind word from a colleague, a challenge met, a duty discharged. The examen likes the humdrum. God is present in transcendent “spiritual” moments, but he’s also there when you cook dinner, write a memo, answer email, and run errands. The examen looks at your conscious experience. The ebb and flow of your moods and feelings are full of spiritual meaning. Nothing is so trivial that it’s meaningless. What do you think about while sitting in traffic or waiting in a long line at the grocery store? What’s your frame of mind while doing boring and repetitive chores? You’ll be surprised at how significant such moments can be when you really look at them.
Go ahead, read more.
I just got the book today and love the direct , uncomplicated way you present this prayer. As a recovering alcoholic (25 yrs, by the grace of God), I immediately recognized much of Ignatian spirituality when I “discovered” it quite unexpectedly via the Creighton U site. Quite fortunately you have designed the book so as to be very pocket-portable! I presume to make one small observation… In the section ” the Christian problem” you draw 3 parallel statements, one of which seems to equate Hindus and Sikhs. I believe this is incorrect, although a common misunderstanding. I believe that they are distinct religions. That editorial quibble aside, thank you for elucidating this wonderful spiritual “tool “!
It arrived last night.
Jim – I ordered the book last week. Expect it should be arriving pretty soon.