Trekking: A Guidebook to Spiritual Transformation

by Gene Maynard

What do you do when you feel spiritually lost? In this day and age, this is a common feeling we have. Trekking is an invitation to deep spiritual and cultural transformation. While the standard and superficial practices of North American contemporary church are being soundly rejected in this cultural moment, Gene Maynard takes you on a journey into ancient, contemplative Christian spirituality to help you retrieve the powerfully transformative practices and rhythms that have always been the hallmark of Christian faith. You will travel with him over the ancient El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage where, with the help of these contemplative Christian practices, he verified their power to transform interior life and surrounding culture. Immersing yourself in the first two sections of the book, you will find interior, spiritual practices that, for centuries, have been healing profoundly the deep, interior places within us that have been marked by wounds, losses, sins, and rejections. You’ll explore and be challenged by practices such as lectio divina, contemplation, and the Jesus Prayer. As you linger with these practices, you will begin to make progress on the way that leads to a deeper life with Jesus. With your soul awakening, you will find in the last section of Trekking spiritual practices that show you how to bring the healing you are experiencing back into your community. These exterior practices, such as simplicity, community, joy, and living life for others will amaze you at their power to make your community and world a better place at a moment in history when a better place is desperately needed. Filled with his own experiences in spiritual awakening, Gene hopes to give people a way to find inner peace. Weaving together stories from ancient pilgrims who hungered for a deeper life with Jesus with powerful encounters with God from his own life, you will find interior ways and rhythms that lead to your own spiritual growth and transformation. Grab this book today!

Genres: Spirituality, Travel

257 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2023

About the author

My first formal venture in book publishing is "Trekking: A Guidebook for Spiritual Formation." It was named Online Book Club's "Book of the Day" for June 5, 2024. My second book, on simplicity, is coming in 2024.

I'm invested in Christian spiritual formation. I have a doctorate in spiritual formation from Princeton Theological Seminary--and I lead a doctoral program in spiritual formation in Sacramento. I am a pastor of a Christian church that has become a formational community in the Sacramento region. I spent quite a few years as a pastor among Quakers where I was immersed in contemplative spirituality.

I'm married to Lorri. We are avid backpackers, usually accompanied by our awesome Cairn Terrier, Fergus.

My second book is about slowing down the pace of life. Slow is the speed of growth, and we're finding lots of energy and joy in learning how to create pace and margin in our life. We are both learning some new skills that force us each to slow down. My wife is becoming a gardener and I'm learning how to bake. I have a discovered a couple of amazing pastry recipes that cannot be rushed. So good!!

Visit my almost daily spiritual formation newsletter on Substacks called Compass: A Spiritual Formation Newsletter! "https://genemaynard.substack.com/"

Visit my Facebook page! "https://facebook.com/genemaynard"

Visit my X (Twitter) page! "https://twitter.com/Gene_Maynard"

Visit my church website! "https://upperroomcc.org"

Reviews

[Karen J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed because I thought the book would be more about the Trekking. The book is really about spiritual transformation and only briefly mentions how parts of the trek helped the author with his spiritual transformation. It has good information and is a guide for one seeking a spiritual transformation. I did like how the author indicates that anyone, anywhere can do a spiritual transformation and they don't have to be associated with any one religious group. I was involved reading and provides a lot to think about.

[Claire Richoux Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and a good read.

[Alicia Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to help find your inner self and open your awareness. You will feel lighter and even more free. Give it a try. Happy reading

[Ashlee Beal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was okay but with the word “Trekking” as the first word of the title, I thought it would be more about that so if you’re expecting that you’ll be disappointed. He talks more about his religious and spiritual journey which is also interesting but I’m not sure how it really fit in with the trekking part except that it was mentioned at the beginning.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is good for anyone that wants to have a deeper relationship with God.

[Terry Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Graduate student, it became a habit to highlight phrases and passages that had an impact on me for later reference. It may have been a quote I wanted to remember and reference later, or something that just really stood out to me. I would often dog-ear the pages so I could easily find these quotes. When reading Trekking, make sure you have a marker or two handy, because you are going to want to highlight many passages.

The author talks about having a two-foot-long shelf where he has a collection of books that have had so much impact on his life and ministry, that he re-reads them at least once a year. I have a similar practice. This book is one of those life-changing books you may want to add to your "two-foot shelf."

This is an excellent read. It is easy to understand and gives great guidance on spiritual formation. it is also very interesting from a walking and spiritual journey point of view as it describes the 500-mile El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage he undertook in Spain. It's a wonderful book, that I highly recommend.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received notification that I won an advanced copy of this book in a Good Reads giveaway back in January.
The book never showed up, and I feel like I have been ghosted in my attempts at following up to receive the copy I won.
Extremely unprofessional in my opinion.

[Aletha Pagett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much new (to me) old information! This can be a help to anyone longing to connect more deeply with scripture and the Savior. This e-book was received from Goodreads.