'This is a book about staying put and paying attention'. I found this book deeply challenging, and actually quite encouraging as I having thinking along these lines for a while. In the Christian culture, we hear many talks encouraging us to 'Go' - but not many that challenge us to stay. Of course, Jesus himself commanded the church to go into all the world, but this is not a book trying to disagree with Jesus. It is a powerful call to live out the ancient monastic vow of stability in our ultra-mobile world.
In a culture and generation when the big question is often 'what am I going to do next?' and this usually translates as 'where am I going to go next?', a commitment to stick around is deeply counter-cultural. But as the author says, 'we are best able to discern the call of God when we are rooted in the life-giving wisdom of stability'.
He tells the story of a friend who told him 'I've given up my spiritual journey'. By this, he meant that often we are always looking for the next stage on our 'journey': the next spiritual high, the next godly promotion, but it can all become so individualistic and self-centred. But what he had learned is that 'God can change us if we'll settle down in one place. So I've given up my spiritual journey. I'm just going to stay with God here and see how I can grow'.
I have read many books in my time, but don't ever remember reading anything like that! I love the counter-cultural, almost subversive nature of it all. It would be great to see a seminar at a Christian conference called 'why you should give up your spiritual journey'! And I can see the value of this stuff, especially for estates like ours in Salford.
Read this and be challenged - you don't have to agree, and it maybe that you'll move from where you live a few times in your life, but this is just a great call to a different type of thinking.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Stability-Rooting-Mobile-Culture/dp/1557256233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303757784&sr=1-1
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