In this series, we highlight books we think our readers may enjoy, written by authors affiliated with the Collegeville Institute.
Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life
Fortress Press, 2021
Eileen Campbell-Reed, former writing workshop participant
In Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life, Eileen R. Campbell-Reed informs and inspires the practice of ministry through slices of “on the ground” learning experienced by seminarians, pastors, activists, and chaplains and gathered from qualitative studies of ministry. Each of the 50 chapters explores a single concept through story, reflection, and provocative open-ended questions designed to spark conversation between ministers and mentors, among ministry peers, or for personal journal reflections. The book provides a framework for understanding ministry as an embodied, relational, integrative, and spiritual practice. The book can be used in multiple settings or personally, and video and journal resources are also available.
The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other
Broadleaf Books, 2020
By Charlotte Donlon, former writing workshop participant
In The Great Belonging, writer and spiritual director Charlotte Donlon reframes loneliness and offers us a language for the disquiet within. Instead of turning away from the waters of loneliness for fear they will engulf us, she invites us to wade in and see what we find there. In vulnerable, thoughtful prose, Donlon helps us understand our loneliness and offers touchpoints for understanding alienation. We can notice God’s presence even when we feel alone in our doubts. Ultimately, Donlon claims, we can find connection that emerges from honesty, and she offers tools, resources, and practices for transforming loneliness into true belonging.
You Can Talk To God Like That: The Surprising Power of Lament to Save Your Faith
Broadleaf Books, 2021
By Abby Norman, former writing workshop participant
Pastor Abby Norman is here to tell us in You Can Talk to God Like That that we can talk to God in the sorrow of our lives and the world around us, not just in praise. In her fresh, straightforward voice, she unpacks the power of the ancient prayer form of lament, providing us with the tools and the grace-filled permission to heal problems and meet God with our whole selves. She shows us how to express our laments to God and to each other when things are definitely not okay. And through this process we will discover a richer connection with God.
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