"For the last two decades my wife and I have spent about half of each year in leading contemplative retreats around the world. Doing so has convinced me that real transformation seldom comes simply from reading a book or listening to a lecture. It requires the fertile place of solitude and stillness. It demands the openness of heart and mind that can only be given when space is created for wahtever measure of stillness we can receive from God and are then prepared to offer back to God as our gift. Seeking silence, solitude, and stillness is always, therefore, a response to the Spirit, who calls us within our spirit to deeper places. It's a response to a longing that we may not even know is present. Acknowledging and responding to this longing is itself a way of expressing faith and saying yes to God." (David Benner, Spirituality and the Awakening Self, p 66.)
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