Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence

Winner of a Christianity Today 2005 Book Award! To seek to fill a book with words about moving beyond words into solitude and silence is a daunting task; it is laughable really, if one sees the irony in it all. I have found myself . . . drawn to the task and yet somehow strangely resistant. On the one hand, I have been drawn to the task because my journey into solitude and silence has been the single most meaningful aspect of my spiritual life to date. . . . On the other hand, I am aware of the continuing challenge solitude and silence represent in my own life. Even though it has been well over ten years since I first said yes to God's invitations to enter more intentionally into these disciplines, I still find it challenging to protect space for these times apart which so deeply satisfy the empty places of my soul. Ruth Haley Barton describes how she has discovered the real presence of God--the God who is present through the practice of solitude and silence. Her book invites you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. It is a call to the adventure of spiritual transformation--an adventure that will lead you to freedom and authenticity, allowing you to become the person God created you to be. In Invitation to Solitude and Silence Barton offers spiritual guidance for your journey, helping you to hear God's call more clearly and showing you concrete ways to say yes. Chapter by chapter she combines teaching and reflection on different aspects of the journey with activities and disciplines that will help you to practice solitude and silence. Barton offers the prophet Elijah as a biblical guide for your journey. And she offers her own perspective to help you understand the ups and downs you might experience along the way. The beauty of a true invitation is that you really do have a choice. You can say yes or no. God is waiting for you to respond to him from the depths of your desire for relationship, belonging and transformation. Will you say yes?

Ruth Haley Barton is a spiritual director, teacher and retreat leader trained through the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation (Washington, D.C.) and the Pathways Center for Spiritual Leadership (Nashville, Tennessee). She is cofounder of The Transforming Center, a community of Christian men and women who shape and care for the souls of leaders--equipping them to guide their churches and organizations in becoming spiritually transforming communities that discern and do the will of God.

Educated at Wheaton College and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Barton has served on the staff at several different churches, including Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. She is a past president of the Chicago chapter of Christians for Biblical Equality. Her other work includes An Ordinary Day with Jesus: Experiencing the Reality of God in Your Everyday Life (a spiritual formation curriculumn coauthored with John Ortberg, Willow Creek Resources) and The Truths That Free Us: A Woman's Calling to Spiritual Transformation (Waterbrook/Shaw).