Today I’m excited to announce something I’ve been dreaming about for a while: The Journey Book Club!
I count reading to be part of my daily spiritual practice, as I consider many of the authors I’ve read over the years to be my most influential journey guides and spiritual midwives. Many significant moments or shifts in my way of being in the world can be traced back to the pages of a book. Because of this, I make sure to always have an inspirational and challenging book on hand, ready to greet me each morning with new insight and ideas to shape the day (and journey) ahead.
Since these books give me such food for thought, I’ve long wanted to be a part of a book club where we would read through a book together and share in the process of transformation. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had this community all along: you!
Would you like to participate in The Journey Book Club, reading alongside me each month as we journey together? Each month we’ll read a new book that goes along with the theme of A Sacred Journey: “spirituality and intention in travels and daily life.” There will be books on travel and pilgrimage, books on intentional living, books on spiritual practices and liturgy, and books on everyday life. There might even be some fiction thrown in! Sometimes the best journeys can only be told in story form.
On the last Friday of each month we’ll gather together here on the blog, where I’ll share my reflections and questions in a post and you’ll be invited to chime in on your experience in the comments (see the book club at A Beautiful Mess for an example). I’ll also announce the book for the following month.
There’s no formal membership for The Journey Book Club—simply read along when a book interests you! And, of course, I’m always open to book suggestions. This book club isn’t just mine—I want it to be a place of belonging and encouragement for all of us.
So, will you join me? Without further ado, here’s the book we’ll be reading for the month of May:
THE JOURNEY BOOK CLUB: MAY PICK
The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See by Richard Rohr
For some reason it took me a while to pick up my first book by Richard Rohr, but after I listened to a recording of his and read my first book by him earlier this year, I promptly ordered a few more. He is rooted in ancient tradition and yet never ceases to provide fresh insight for the way forward, which is especially why I’m looking forward to this book, because I’m finding that I long for the same thing.
Here’s a description of the book from Amazon:
“For Christians seeking a way of thinking outside of strict dualities, this guide explores methods for letting go of division and living in the present. Drawn from the Gospels, Jesus, Paul, and the great Christian contemplatives, this examination reveals how many of the hidden truths of Christianity have been misunderstood or lost and how to read them with the eyes of the mystics rather than interpreting them through rational thought. Filled with sayings, stories, quotations, and appeals to the heart, specific methods for identifying dualistic thinking are presented with simple practices for stripping away ego and the fear of dwelling in the present.”
I’d love for you to join me in reading The Naked Now this month. Then be sure to join me again right here on Friday, May 29, to talk about what we’ve gleaned and find out what book will be next!
GO FURTHER…
Are you in? If so, what other topics, authors, or books would you like to see on the list?
PS: Some of the books that have guided me thus far. Feel free to peruse the list for ideas for the book club! I’d read these again any day and love seeing how they impact me in new ways in different seasons of life.