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Light When it Comes: Trusting Joy, Facing Darkness, and Seeing God in Everything
On finding joy and spiritual meaning in life's small moments
We all have moments of joy, moments that move us somehow, spiritual moments that we can't quite put a finger on. But then we rush on and soon forget. In this book Chris Anderson encourages us to remember and share such moments. What he writes will inspire readers who are hurting, doubting, or searching to find wisdom and meaning in their lives.
Drawing on an ancient prayer tradition, the examen of conscience, Anderson spurs readers to take stock of their own experiences. He shows how the examen can serve as a simple but powerful way to remember moments of light, of struggle, of joy. And however small or fleeting these moments are, through them God is always calling and meeting us.
We all have moments of joy, moments that move us somehow, spiritual moments that we can't quite put a finger on. But then we rush on and soon forget. In this book Chris Anderson encourages us to remember and share such moments. What he writes will inspire readers who are hurting, doubting, or searching to find wisdom and meaning in their lives.
Drawing on an ancient prayer tradition, the examen of conscience, Anderson spurs readers to take stock of their own experiences. He shows how the examen can serve as a simple but powerful way to remember moments of light, of struggle, of joy. And however small or fleeting these moments are, through them God is always calling and meeting us.
181 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2016
9 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Chris Anderson
22 books4 followersChris Anderson is professor of English at Oregon State University, a retreat leader, an author, blogger, and a Catholic deacon. An award-winning writer and teacher, he explores the struggle, joy, and doubt of contemporary spirituality through personal story & literary collage. He is the author of 14 previous books, including poetry and nonfiction, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. When not behind the writing desk, teaching podium, or altar, Chris is walking in the woods of McDonald Forest in Corvallis, Oregon. Visit his blog “The Imperfect Catholic” at www.deaconchrisanderson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 6, 2016
I agree with Chris Anderson's premise that God is present in all moments of our life; the small as well as the large, the dark and despairing times as well as the joyful, and that we should acknowledge, and give praise for His continuous presence and availability. What I did not enjoy were the jumbled, random collage of vignettes designed to promote his point. Some spoke to me, most didn't. It can be hard to translate a personal moment of awareness to the general community of believers. And while you can tell people over and over again to be aware of the moments where God brushes our life, it is hard to impart how to do that. This book didn't succeed in that part of it's goal.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for allowing me to read and review an e-ARC of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for allowing me to read and review an e-ARC of this book.
November 18, 2016
For some of us the spiritual life is a challenge, especially when it requires that we examine our lives, asking questions about the nature of our relationship to God and the world. Down through the ages, however, there have been those willing and able to pave the way. We tend to call them saints, or at least the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches do (maybe we Protestants should have a better mechanism to recognize pathfinders). One of those pathfinders who have guided many on the spiritual path is Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits in the 16th century.
Central to the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius is the examenen. This is a prayer taught by Ignatius that invites us to remember. I know of it, though I can't say I've truly practiced it. Author Chris Anderson, an English professor at Oregon State University and a Roman Catholic Deacon, makes use of this spiritual device as the foundation for his latest book. The book is composed of a series of meditations and reflections organized around ten themes, divided into three sections. Before we get to the chapters, it would be helpful to take note of the key to the book -- the examenen prayer that is to be prayed at the end of each day if you're following the Spiritual Exercises.
"we remember the light and give thanks for the light;
"we remember the darkness and ask for forgiveness and refuge, and strength;
"and we let it all go: we ask for the grace to follow the light,
to know what we should do -- but we then leave it all to God, trusting in his kindness." (pp. xiii-xiv).
It is an invitation to look at life, discerning moments of light and moments of darkness. Both occur and both important elements in the spiritual journey.
With this prayer guiding the conversation, we move into the book, which is divided into three sections: "Trusting Joy," Facing Darkness, and "Seeing God in Everything." Under "Trusting Joy," we look at expressions of light under chapter titles "Seeing the Light," "Doubting the Light," and "Following the Light." The reflections in each chapter cover a multitude of life experiences and expressions. The reflections might be a couple of paragraphs to several pages. In Part 2, "Facing Darkness," we explore such topics as "Dying to Ourselves," Holding On," "Laughing at Ourselves," "Learning to Serve." With chapters like these, you discern that darkness might not be what you thought it was. In the chapter "Dying to Ourselves," Anderson reflects on the Examenen, and reminds us that it not only allows us to revel in the light, but face darkness as well. He writes that "It's the darkness that shows us the light. It's desolation that teaches us what joy really is" (p. 47). He points to Mother Teresa's experiences as a reminder that saintliness and darkness aren't mutually exclusive. The final section, "Seeing God in Everything," covers topics including "Going Wild," "Remembering these things are Mysteries," and "Completing Creation."
The reflections are often personal, arising out of times of spiritual retreats and points of ministry. Though they can emerge out of observing nature, including the pathways of migrating birds. The point is to look at things more deeply and ask spiritual questions. At the end of the book Anderson offers a note on the Examenen. Each point along the way in the book is rooted in the Examenen. Anderson closes with this note -- while Ignatius' language may be awkward, mechanical, and drawn from his military background, "underneath all that, throughout "The Exercises," there is a deep conviction that God is present in our lives, in all our thoughts and actions" (p. 141). That seems to be the point -- God is present, and if we're willing to take the time, we might discern that presence even in the most mundane parts of life. This leaders to prayer, which he calls autobiography.
This isn't a systematic book. He doesn't explain things point by point. Instead, he weaves reflections and stories in such a way that we are drawn into the act of discernment. It's a good book, that can prove beneficial to the spiritual journeys of Christians, whether Catholic or not.
Central to the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius is the examenen. This is a prayer taught by Ignatius that invites us to remember. I know of it, though I can't say I've truly practiced it. Author Chris Anderson, an English professor at Oregon State University and a Roman Catholic Deacon, makes use of this spiritual device as the foundation for his latest book. The book is composed of a series of meditations and reflections organized around ten themes, divided into three sections. Before we get to the chapters, it would be helpful to take note of the key to the book -- the examenen prayer that is to be prayed at the end of each day if you're following the Spiritual Exercises.
"we remember the light and give thanks for the light;
"we remember the darkness and ask for forgiveness and refuge, and strength;
"and we let it all go: we ask for the grace to follow the light,
to know what we should do -- but we then leave it all to God, trusting in his kindness." (pp. xiii-xiv).
It is an invitation to look at life, discerning moments of light and moments of darkness. Both occur and both important elements in the spiritual journey.
With this prayer guiding the conversation, we move into the book, which is divided into three sections: "Trusting Joy," Facing Darkness, and "Seeing God in Everything." Under "Trusting Joy," we look at expressions of light under chapter titles "Seeing the Light," "Doubting the Light," and "Following the Light." The reflections in each chapter cover a multitude of life experiences and expressions. The reflections might be a couple of paragraphs to several pages. In Part 2, "Facing Darkness," we explore such topics as "Dying to Ourselves," Holding On," "Laughing at Ourselves," "Learning to Serve." With chapters like these, you discern that darkness might not be what you thought it was. In the chapter "Dying to Ourselves," Anderson reflects on the Examenen, and reminds us that it not only allows us to revel in the light, but face darkness as well. He writes that "It's the darkness that shows us the light. It's desolation that teaches us what joy really is" (p. 47). He points to Mother Teresa's experiences as a reminder that saintliness and darkness aren't mutually exclusive. The final section, "Seeing God in Everything," covers topics including "Going Wild," "Remembering these things are Mysteries," and "Completing Creation."
The reflections are often personal, arising out of times of spiritual retreats and points of ministry. Though they can emerge out of observing nature, including the pathways of migrating birds. The point is to look at things more deeply and ask spiritual questions. At the end of the book Anderson offers a note on the Examenen. Each point along the way in the book is rooted in the Examenen. Anderson closes with this note -- while Ignatius' language may be awkward, mechanical, and drawn from his military background, "underneath all that, throughout "The Exercises," there is a deep conviction that God is present in our lives, in all our thoughts and actions" (p. 141). That seems to be the point -- God is present, and if we're willing to take the time, we might discern that presence even in the most mundane parts of life. This leaders to prayer, which he calls autobiography.
This isn't a systematic book. He doesn't explain things point by point. Instead, he weaves reflections and stories in such a way that we are drawn into the act of discernment. It's a good book, that can prove beneficial to the spiritual journeys of Christians, whether Catholic or not.
February 22, 2017
A Mosaic of Images on Joy and Prayer
I come from a tradition that is suspicious of written or scripted prayers, believing that spontaneity is a sign of sincerity and casting askance glances at those who must borrow the words of others in order to talk to God. Then I became a mother and realized that not only were my own words in prayer untrustworthy at times, but there were also events in life for which words would not come. Praying the examen of conscience at the end of a day has often given my tired brain a place to go and an outline to guide my conversation with God.
Light When It Comes by Chris Anderson is a guide book for the practice of “paying fierce attention” to life in order to enhance one’s prayer life and to ensure that we catch all the stories that matter. At the end of the day, it is helpful to me to remember that I have an audience with God and to review the events of the day with thanksgiving, paying attention to emotions, to the ways in which guidance has come and miracles have happened. It is also a time to offer up all the failings and disappointments for forgiveness and grace and to make plans for a more Christ-centered tomorrow.
In the midst of this reflection, I find that life distills down to a series of moments.
“The only place I can be is the moment.
Everything else is an abstraction.” (25)
Chris Anderson intersperses his teaching on joy and prayer with vivid re-tellings of moments from his own life in a way that I found to be jarring at first: a story about a yellow warbler calling “sweet-sweet-sweet-sweeter-than-sweet” jostles around between a vignette from a funeral and a description of the sound of his son playing the harmonica with a Bruce Springsteen CD. Eventually, though, these disjointed stories began to “appear in their real potency,” just as the unsettling stories of Scripture do when we let them speak for themselves and to communicate beyond the stained glass and the flannel boards.
Reviewing the events of the day in the presence of God is an opportunity to face the darkness as well as to remember the joy. This too is part of the paying attention, part of the humility that acknowledges that “God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things“– including the things we wonder about.
The author examines servanthood from his perspective as a church member and a deacon, acknowledging his own mixed motives (the only kind of motives available to humans), and the thirst that tries to satisfy itself with something other than Living Water (Praise? Order? Certainty? No, these do not quench the thirst . . .)
He portrays service as a learning process:
“Whatever else it is, the story of Jesus is the story of letting go and the giving up we have to do every day of our lives.” (86)
This paying attention to life means that God shows up in surprising ways: in the midst of confusion, on the days when I don’t like myself, when what I really need to do is to stop analyzing and to start trusting. It is a recognition of the humility of a simple “and” when viewing the pieces that make up the mosaic of our lives, not striving for or forcing our way into “thus” or “therefore” before light has come, but offering up the individual events, both good and bad, so that the creation of the mosaic is, in the end, left to God.
Chris closes with two premises that bring the pieces together into a joyful whole:
“God is present in every moment and in every molecule. His grace and His love are nowhere less than complete and full, anywhere in the universe, anywhere in time.
The love of God and the grace of God are freely given, are nothing but gift, [and] there’s nothing we can ever do to earn them. No matter how much I read or pray or do good works, I will never be more loved by God than I am in this very second. Yes, we should strive to be better, we should strive to be more moral and faithful people, but not in order to merit the love of God but rather as a loving and grateful response to it.”
Having said all that, it is not in premises that Light When It Comes urges us to find our life, but rather in the blessed randomness of holy joy that flows into the wildly disjointed pieces of our moments and our days, making of it all a gift.
//
This book was provided by the William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I come from a tradition that is suspicious of written or scripted prayers, believing that spontaneity is a sign of sincerity and casting askance glances at those who must borrow the words of others in order to talk to God. Then I became a mother and realized that not only were my own words in prayer untrustworthy at times, but there were also events in life for which words would not come. Praying the examen of conscience at the end of a day has often given my tired brain a place to go and an outline to guide my conversation with God.
Light When It Comes by Chris Anderson is a guide book for the practice of “paying fierce attention” to life in order to enhance one’s prayer life and to ensure that we catch all the stories that matter. At the end of the day, it is helpful to me to remember that I have an audience with God and to review the events of the day with thanksgiving, paying attention to emotions, to the ways in which guidance has come and miracles have happened. It is also a time to offer up all the failings and disappointments for forgiveness and grace and to make plans for a more Christ-centered tomorrow.
In the midst of this reflection, I find that life distills down to a series of moments.
“The only place I can be is the moment.
Everything else is an abstraction.” (25)
Chris Anderson intersperses his teaching on joy and prayer with vivid re-tellings of moments from his own life in a way that I found to be jarring at first: a story about a yellow warbler calling “sweet-sweet-sweet-sweeter-than-sweet” jostles around between a vignette from a funeral and a description of the sound of his son playing the harmonica with a Bruce Springsteen CD. Eventually, though, these disjointed stories began to “appear in their real potency,” just as the unsettling stories of Scripture do when we let them speak for themselves and to communicate beyond the stained glass and the flannel boards.
Reviewing the events of the day in the presence of God is an opportunity to face the darkness as well as to remember the joy. This too is part of the paying attention, part of the humility that acknowledges that “God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things“– including the things we wonder about.
The author examines servanthood from his perspective as a church member and a deacon, acknowledging his own mixed motives (the only kind of motives available to humans), and the thirst that tries to satisfy itself with something other than Living Water (Praise? Order? Certainty? No, these do not quench the thirst . . .)
He portrays service as a learning process:
“Whatever else it is, the story of Jesus is the story of letting go and the giving up we have to do every day of our lives.” (86)
This paying attention to life means that God shows up in surprising ways: in the midst of confusion, on the days when I don’t like myself, when what I really need to do is to stop analyzing and to start trusting. It is a recognition of the humility of a simple “and” when viewing the pieces that make up the mosaic of our lives, not striving for or forcing our way into “thus” or “therefore” before light has come, but offering up the individual events, both good and bad, so that the creation of the mosaic is, in the end, left to God.
Chris closes with two premises that bring the pieces together into a joyful whole:
“God is present in every moment and in every molecule. His grace and His love are nowhere less than complete and full, anywhere in the universe, anywhere in time.
The love of God and the grace of God are freely given, are nothing but gift, [and] there’s nothing we can ever do to earn them. No matter how much I read or pray or do good works, I will never be more loved by God than I am in this very second. Yes, we should strive to be better, we should strive to be more moral and faithful people, but not in order to merit the love of God but rather as a loving and grateful response to it.”
Having said all that, it is not in premises that Light When It Comes urges us to find our life, but rather in the blessed randomness of holy joy that flows into the wildly disjointed pieces of our moments and our days, making of it all a gift.
//
This book was provided by the William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
June 17, 2017
I found this book very interesting and I totally agree with Chris Anderson that God is present in ALL the moments of our lives. The dark and the light the smallest detail to the large chooses. Chris uses his own life experiences to demonstrate this. These reconciliations is where I found myself struggling at times and cheering at others. Sometimes our life experiences mean so much more to us then to recreate for someone else. That all said I think this is a concept that everyone should look for. Trevor Thompson does the narrative for this book and at times his voice was to monotone for me over all it was great.
August 28, 2019
awe inspiring and inspirational, with a focus on everyday life
February 28, 2023
I enjoyed the poetic writing and the author's observations on everyday things and how they are God inspired.
February 7, 2017
Helpful read on spiritual discernment using the Ignatian way. Anderson is a Catholic deacon and university professor.
December 28, 2017
A thought-provoking read of reflections on life's moments: moments of loss, moments of joy, moments of confusion, moments of clarity, etc. The book, through the life stories and reflections by the author, challenges the reader to reflect on life's moments, big and small, as part of the bigger journey of faith guided by God's love. I found it to be a pretty moving book.
November 15, 2016
I found this engaging, full of stories and personal anecdotes. Anderson is a Catholic deacon in Corvallis, Oregon and a professor at OSU. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews