Divine Intervention: Encountering God Through the Ancient Practice of Lectio Divina

by Tony Jones

For 1500 years, Christians have used "sacred reading" or Lectio Divina as a way to tap into the power and vitality of God's Word.Author and youth pastor Tony Jones explains the four steps of Lectio Divina: lectio (reading) meditatio (meditation) oratio (prayer) contemplatio (contemplation) Includes 12 lectio divina exercises with passages from The Message Remix

144 pages, ebook

First published September 8, 2006

About the author

Tony Jones writes historical fiction set in the late Roman world, an age of frontier wars and palace intrigue. His debut trilogy traces the rise of a soldier's son — born to a concubine on the empire's margins — to Constantine the Great, drawn not as a saint or a symbol, but as a man: ambitious, ruthless, and human. He has three adult children, and he lives in Minnesota with his wife and two dogs.

Reviews

[Tommy O'Keefe]

I've read a handful of things on the practice of Lectio Divina. Tony Jones' book is definitely the most accessible one I've come across. He makes it a spiritual practice that anyone can easily begin incorporating into their daily life. The downside is that the book can be a bit simplistic rather than just simple. The writing style is a little too casual for my tastes and some of the examples just felt a bit too one dimensional. That said, I still think this book does a good job of presenting the reader with the basic steps involved in the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, and makes those steps learnable and attainable for those of us who don't live in a monastery.

[Blake Chenoweth]

A great, honest read on Lectio Divina and a prayerful heart to reading God's Word. This is a book that encourages those of us who strive to spend more time in meditation on God's Word and strive every day to put it into our hearts.

Tony Jones writes in a heartfelt, honest way and I am sad that this is the first thing I have ever read from him. A great book for those of us who love God's Word and desire to live it out more every day.

[Dustin Tramel]

An easy to read, and short, introduction to the ancient prayer technique Lectio Divina. I have tried out the method and really find it helpful. Prayer is mysterious and there are so many ways to "do" prayer that I usually end up avoiding it or not being disciplined. I think I'll incorporate Lectio Divina into my routine - or at least try it out for a while.

[David]

Great primer on lectio divina, an ancient method of prayer. Lays out what it is and how to do it privately, in a small group of large group setting. Very helpful.

Also, in the introduction I thought he was channeling NT Wright in After You Believe in Christian formation until I realized this book was written before Wright's.

[Kimberly Olson Olson Olson Sutor]

"Lectio dvina"(Latin) - an ancient method of prayer - translates as "sacred reading." There are 4 steps: Lectio (a selection or a reading), Meditatio (thinking over or meditation), Oration (speaking or praying), and Contemplatio (contemplation).