Review: Invitation to Solitude and Silence

Ruth Haley Barton's book Invitation to Solitude and Silence was given to me as a gift and I was immediately excited to read it. I had heard great things about Barton's books, she also wrote another book Sacred Rhythms.

Normally when reading a book, I write all through it, underlining phrases that I like etc. But this book was different, it was so beautiful and made me ponder so deeply that I decided that I couldn't write through it. And I didn't.

Barton writes about the need for solitude and silence in a world that is so chaotic and busy. It is clear that Barton herself has had to face her own need to slow down in a chaotic world and she writes about that. This book is realistic when facing the difficulties that come in the development of the rhythm of being alone and silent. I found the advice that Barton presented to be simplistic enough to bring into my own life. I enjoyed the balance that she had in this book between her own story and then history/explanation etc. of this spiritual practice.

At the very end of this book I found myself being able to connect with Barton as she shared her own story of listening to the voice of God and the obedience then required. She writes of being in seminary in preparation for ordained ministry, while also balancing the role of being a wife and mother. In the midst of this the stillness of God spoke to her of calling her from the role of being in seminary into a role of being a spiritual director. This calling brought about a huge change in Barton's life. She writes that "the capacity to recognize the voice of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit arises out of friendship with God that is sustained through prayer, silent listening, and attentiveness to all that is going on outside us, inside us, and between us, and God."

I'm discovering in different ways in life, how sometimes God calls us from what the world thinks we should be doing into something beautiful, often mistaken by the world for foolish.

If you are interested in spiritual formation, the practice of silence, listening for the voice of God, or if you are feeling caught in a chaotic cycle of life - you should check out this book. Its a beautiful piece of work.