Unteachable Lessons: Why Wisdom Can't Be Taught (and Why That's Okay)
Ebook
Overview
Why Christian spirituality must be “caught” rather than "taught."
We speak of spirituality as a “journey,” which implies not only a destination toward which we travel, but countless adventures encountered along the way. The journey is the destination—both at once. We may all be trying to get to the heart of God, but there are infinite ways to get there.
Can wisdom collected along the pilgrim path even be captured in words, codified into a book? Probably not. And why do the wisest books refuse to offer glib formulas or step-by-step instructions for happiness or enlightenment? Why are the great spiritual classics mostly just an invitation to keep our eyes, ears—and especially hearts—open?
Because we’re often stumbling on miracles while we’re looking for something else.
Using engaging and disarming stories from his own life, Carl McColman, a leading author of books in spirituality, gently leads readers toward a recognition that although the wisdom of the past is worth reading, hearing or reading others’ experience of God is ultimately no substitute for opening our own eyes, ears, and hearts to God.
Riveting, inspiring and beautifully written, a moving account of finding God amidst both the laughter and tears in life.
—— author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
These lively stories of loss, awakening, and moments of divine encounter and surprise offer invitations at every turn to recognize how the Spirit lives and moves in our own lives as well as in the author’s. Deft and funny, rich with spiritual insight and unpretentiously articulate, this book is one to be enjoyed, dog-eared, carried to retreats, and shared.
—— author of When Poets Pray
This powerful little book inspires and instructs masterfully. A must-read for those interested in truths beneath the words.
—— author of Soul at Work and The Soul of a Leader
Product Details
- Title : Unteachable Lessons: Why Wisdom Can't Be Taught (and Why That's Okay)
- Authors:
- McColman, Carl
- McLaren, Brian
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781467456852
Carl McColman is the author of Befriending Silence, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages, and Answering the Contemplative Call. He lives near Atlanta, Georgia, where he is the member of the Lay Cistercians of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, a contemplative community under the spiritual guidance of Trappist monks.