Sacred Rhythms
Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
By Ruth Haley Barton
Christian spiritual disciplines are all the rage, and joining the legions of “how-to” books reintroducing contemporary Christians to ancient practices is this offering by Barton, a spiritual director and retreat leader (Invitation to Solitude and Silence). With elegant writing and a personal touch, she covers the basics handily-the role of desire and longing in relationship with God, praying with scripture, and the need for solitude, self-examination, discernment and Sabbath. She concludes with an exercise that helps one develop a “rule of life,” or commitment to “structure and space for our growing.” What makes Barton’s handbook different from the rest is her personality; she describes the practices with the gentle touch of an understanding and knowing mystic, telling her own stories along the way. Barton recounts the time she and her bicycle were run over by a minivan (miraculously, she was not seriously hurt) and as she recuperated, she pondered whether this accident was a time to reconsider her need for Sabbath: “I did not want to acknowledge the possibility that it was that hard for God to get my attention.” This book is a wonderful starting point for Christians eager to more deeply explore the life of the Spirit.
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About the Author
Ruth Haley Barton
Ruth is founding president of the Transforming Center. A spiritual director, teacher and retreat leader, she is the author of:
* Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry (InterVarsity Press, June, 2008)
* Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (InterVarsity Press, 2006)
* Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence (InterVarsity Press, 2004)
* An Ordinary Day with Jesus: Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life, co-authored with John Ortberg (Zondervan, 2002)
* Longing for More (InterVarsity Press, 2007)
* Equal to the Task: Men and Women in Partnership (InterVarsity Press, 1998)
* Ruth: Relationships that Bring Life (Shaw, 2001)
Ruth received her training in spiritual direction through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation (Bethesda, MD) under the guidance of Tilden Edwards, Rosemary Dougherty and Gerald May. Educated at Wheaton College (IL), Northern Seminary (Lombard, IL) and University of Loyola Institute for Pastoral Studies (Chicago), she’s also a student of family systems theory as it relates to congregational life (Lombard Mennonite Peace Center).
Ruth consults with leadership teams in church and organizational settings, providing teaching and guidance in the areas of spiritual formation, leadership development, and discernment at the leadership level. Ruth has served on the pastoral staff of several churches, including Willow Creek Community Church. She has taught as adjunct professor at Wheaton Graduate School, Northern Seminary, and Mars Hill Graduate School.