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Finding My Way Home
Henri Nouwen became one of the most inspiring spiritual guides of the 20th century. Culled from a life of intense seeking, these profound meditations on living, waiting, power, peace, and dying offer important insights that will inspire all who dare to travel a spiritual path.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2001
20 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Henri J.M. Nouwen
451 books2,099 followersHenri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, psychologist, professor, and spiritual writer whose work profoundly shaped contemporary Christian spirituality. Born in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, in 1932, Nouwen pursued religious studies and was ordained a priest in 1957. His intellectual curiosity led him to study psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and later at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas, where he explored the connection between faith and mental health. Throughout his life, Nouwen remained committed to integrating pastoral care, psychology, and spiritual theology in a way that addressed the emotional and existential needs of believers.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 29, 2025
Time to read all of Henri Nouwen probably :)
I love how he talks about Jesus
Honest, refreshing, full of peace and really good writing
I love how he talks about Jesus
Honest, refreshing, full of peace and really good writing
August 3, 2021
I look forward to being around a table with this man when all is made new, he is a gift.
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October 12, 2022Four essays by Nouwen on power, peace, waiting, living and dying. Nouwen was a Catholic Priest, a mystic. He offers a lot of insights into the Christian life. Obviously he writes from his Catholic background and his writings reflect his theology. I don't agree with him completely of course, but it doesn't mean that I can't learn from him.
His insights into human behavior are spot on. For example, he writes on power: "God looks at us and weeps because wherever we use power to give us a sense of ourselves, we separate ourselves from God and each other, and our lives become diabolic, in the literal meaning of that word: divisive." (29) He goes on and says, "The most insidious, divisive, and wounding power is the power used in the service of God." (31). I find this to be true.
I agree with this theology of weakness, I see this in the New Testament. He writes: "A theology of weakness challenges us to look at weakness not as a worldly weakness that allows us to be manipulated by the powerful in society and church, but as a total and unconditional dependence on God that opens us to be true channels of the divine power that heals the wounds of humanity and renews the face of the earth. The theology of weakness claims power, God's power, the all-transforming power of love." (42)
My favorite which makes this book worth reading is his essay on peace. He uses the example of Raymond to whom he becomes the primary caretaker. Raymond is completely unable to do anything by himself and yet as Nouwen becomes his caretaker everyday, dressing him, bathing him, putting him to bed he sees the value in him. Raymond's "particular gift of peace is rooted in his being and in his heart and it always calls forth community." He goes on to explain how he does it.
Nouwen explains that Raymond has taught him that peace "is not primarily about doing. It is first of all the art of being." (65). Philosophical but he makes sense as he discovers this with Raymond. Peace comes from the Prince of Peace when we focus on him and we are who we are meant to be. That will bring us peace.
He gets philosophical in many respects, which I enjoy but again don't agree with everything. One thing is certain about Nouwen, he lived what he preached. His struggles were just as real as all of us are.
My least favorite essay was the the one on living and dying. A lot of focus is on the death of Jesus and sending the Spirit which he makes analogous to our dying. Don't think that's so. The death of Jesus is not where we draw our hope but on his resurrection. Jesus was clear, "I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me though dead shall live." There is really no Spirit of Love that remains with us from people. Nouwen get really metaphysical here. He is trying to hold on to those have passed on to eternity (from what I read his theology is that all people go to heaven because everyone is a child of God).
His insights into human behavior are spot on. For example, he writes on power: "God looks at us and weeps because wherever we use power to give us a sense of ourselves, we separate ourselves from God and each other, and our lives become diabolic, in the literal meaning of that word: divisive." (29) He goes on and says, "The most insidious, divisive, and wounding power is the power used in the service of God." (31). I find this to be true.
I agree with this theology of weakness, I see this in the New Testament. He writes: "A theology of weakness challenges us to look at weakness not as a worldly weakness that allows us to be manipulated by the powerful in society and church, but as a total and unconditional dependence on God that opens us to be true channels of the divine power that heals the wounds of humanity and renews the face of the earth. The theology of weakness claims power, God's power, the all-transforming power of love." (42)
My favorite which makes this book worth reading is his essay on peace. He uses the example of Raymond to whom he becomes the primary caretaker. Raymond is completely unable to do anything by himself and yet as Nouwen becomes his caretaker everyday, dressing him, bathing him, putting him to bed he sees the value in him. Raymond's "particular gift of peace is rooted in his being and in his heart and it always calls forth community." He goes on to explain how he does it.
Nouwen explains that Raymond has taught him that peace "is not primarily about doing. It is first of all the art of being." (65). Philosophical but he makes sense as he discovers this with Raymond. Peace comes from the Prince of Peace when we focus on him and we are who we are meant to be. That will bring us peace.
He gets philosophical in many respects, which I enjoy but again don't agree with everything. One thing is certain about Nouwen, he lived what he preached. His struggles were just as real as all of us are.
My least favorite essay was the the one on living and dying. A lot of focus is on the death of Jesus and sending the Spirit which he makes analogous to our dying. Don't think that's so. The death of Jesus is not where we draw our hope but on his resurrection. Jesus was clear, "I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me though dead shall live." There is really no Spirit of Love that remains with us from people. Nouwen get really metaphysical here. He is trying to hold on to those have passed on to eternity (from what I read his theology is that all people go to heaven because everyone is a child of God).
January 24, 2024
Superb, profound, every page resonating with life truths. A very personal testimony to the power of God's love and the peace which comes with knowing where home really is.
June 7, 2017
He's got some good gems in this--it honestly never occurred to me that I could have a Passion, like Jesus had a Passion--I'm not sure I've fully worked that out, but if, as Christians, we are to emulate Jesus, then it makes sense that we'd have a Passion too. I wonder if we also send out our spirit to those we leave behind, in some measure? Is that how Elisha got a double dose of Elijah's spirit? I hate the Path of Waiting--probably because I'm not great at the Art of Being, and because our culture has taught me to love independence at the expense of community. That, and I currently face a lot of open-ended waiting--which is torture because I haven't been promised anything specific, so I'm not entirely sure what I'm waiting for. Anyway--worth a read!
June 29, 2021
I almost didn't finish this book - Nouwen was a Catholic priest and focused his writings on the Bible and Jesus. I parted ways with the Catholic church for reasons that still burn. But I love the Jesuits, Sister Helen Prejean, and Pope Francis. I am adding Nouwen to that list.
His essay, the Path of Waiting, resonates the most deeply with me. "A waiting person is a patient person. The word 'patience' implies the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there." (p. 99) This is mindfulness in large doses - a very difficult, but needed, practice for our times.
His essay, the Path of Waiting, resonates the most deeply with me. "A waiting person is a patient person. The word 'patience' implies the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there." (p. 99) This is mindfulness in large doses - a very difficult, but needed, practice for our times.
March 12, 2019
Not one of Nouwen's deeper books, but insightful nonetheless. One of the most moving parts was his writing of being a caregiver for awhile for a young man with cerebral palsy. He talks about becoming friends in spite of the fact the young man could not communicate with him. Having had a nephew with severe disabilities, it gave me an idea of some of the experience she went through in caring and loving him.
January 26, 2022
It's been over 10 years since I've read anything by Nouwen. I was touched by his writings back then as well. Nouwen talks about Jesus in a way that feels very foreign and distant to me right now. I'm grateful to read his thoughts and reflections to help nudge my heart. Right now I am especially appreciating how is he isn't ostentatious or even that clever in his writings. Instead a spirit of true humility and honesty comes through. It's refreshing.
March 26, 2022
Henri Nouwen always speaks to my heart. He is a voice of the love of God and the passion of Jesus. He wrote about a whole-hearted faith and did not shy away from feelings of pain, abandonment, loneliness and inadequacy. I read this book in preparation for preaching during the season of Lent, and it was full of insight.
June 10, 2022
I have learned to turn to the writings of H.Nouwen when faced with great life and faith challenges and so often his words nourish me in just the right way. I lost my husband suddenly less than two months ago and the pain is exquisite but the last part of this book-“ the path of living and dying” has given me a piece of ground to stand on.
December 12, 2019
Henri Nouwen has a wonderful way of putting our journey into a full perspective. We are are not home, in fact, we are spiritually homeless! Coming to grips with this helps us to move into the phases of our lives with grace and to be at peace, even with our own mortality.
March 1, 2021
Of the four essays in this little book that were compiled after the author's death, the last one "The Path of Living and Dying" is superb. What initially drew me to the book is the title. Finding My Way Home is a Nouwenesque title if ever there was one.
July 14, 2021
Some beautiful passages here. I especially liked the exploration of power and what it means to embrace powerless like Jesus did. A bit wordy for me and felt a little over spiritualised but that might have just been that I read it in small chunks rather than reading the essays as single pieces.
May 2, 2019
This is the kind of book I will read several times - especially when I need some help focusing on how to live a peaceful life.
October 14, 2019
Different perspective of living and dying...interesting.
March 10, 2020
Book gets better at the end. Love the part about his views on when people die.
April 12, 2020
Three profound, moving and timeless essays on power, peace and waiting.
May 2, 2020
Perfect Pandemic read! Explores themes of waiting, suffering, and preparing for death. I love it so much and will no doubt continue to return to its underlined pages for nourishment and support.
August 18, 2020
A beautifully written book of essays on God's love. The writing is thought provoking and inspiring. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2020
Beautiful, soulful essays.
April 29, 2021
Insightful, challenging and inspiring. Nouwen's a spiritual homie; I will definitely be reading more by him.
October 18, 2021
What a wonderful little book. Especially the essays on peace and death/dying. Highly recommend!
December 28, 2021
Wise and lovely book. I'll be revisiting this book from time to time.
November 5, 2022
Different perspective of living and dying...interesting.
January 3, 2023
I'm sure I've liked everything Nouwen wrote. This is a sweet read that invites you to consider what it looks and feels and sounds like to experience Jesus's true peace.
December 1, 2023
Endless wisdom!
December 8, 2024
The “Path of Waiting” chapter is worth reading the whole book. It was a great reflection for the Advent season.
May 5, 2025
soo so good
September 16, 2021
Solid book, I would read more by this author. Good thoughts to contemplate.
March 14, 2017
And I continue to fall in love with Nouwen's writing. The first essay "The Path of Power" is definitely my favorite, but all four are really good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews