Give Me a Word – Book Review

I have participated in Christine’s yearly online offering “Give Me a Word” through the Abbey of the Arts for a number of years now. Some years it is “easy” and other years it takes a while for a Word to reveal itself to me. In her latest book Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year, Christine invites people to participate in the process of seeking your Word using all of their senses. She invites the reader to slow down, be still, and savor the moment as she guides them through the ancient practice of seeking a Word that will guide them throughout the year.

This particular passage spoke to my heart during my own pilgrimage as I spent time with my ancestors in Nova Scotia, Canada. It also encapsulates her invitation to you. The invitation to pray with our lives is not about reaffirming what we already know about ourselves but entering into prayer in an openhearted way to receive the grace and new vision offered to us. We pray with our lives as sacred texts to reveal new places of freedom, invitations to new ways of understanding ourselves, and the way God is moving through our stories. (p. 24)

It doesn’t matter when you begin your journey, her invitation truly is timeless and such a blessing, especially in challenging times.