Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life – A Powerful Guide to Spiritual Formation and Finding God's Will

Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life features the wisdom that spiritual leader and counselor Henri J. M. Nouwen brought to the essential question asked by every Christian and seeker: What should I do with my life?

Nouwen emphasizes listening to the Word of God—in our hearts, in the Bible, in the community of faith, and in the voice of the poor as a way to discern God’s plan.

Although the late Henri J. M. Nouwen counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of discernment were never collected into a single volume. Now, in association with the Nouwen Legacy Trust, Michael Christensen—one of Nouwen’s longtime students—and Rebecca Laird have taken his coursework, journals, and unpublished writings to create this and other books in the series exploring God’s will for your life.

How can we learn to recognize God’s voice amid the noise of daily life?

Discerning God’s Will: Move beyond uncertainty with Henri Nouwen’s gentle guidance on finding essential purpose in life. Four Avenues of Listening: Learn to recognize God’s voice through scripture, prayer, community, and the witness of those on the margins. The Overlooked Voice: Discover why Nouwen considered attention to the marginalized an indispensable key to understanding God’s call. A Legacy of Wisdom: Drawing on Nouwen’s previously unpublished teaching, this volume makes his principles of discernment available for the first time.