As the noise of the holiday season rises, how can we recover the stillness, peace, and joy at the heart of Advent? In this deeply moving episode of Now & Then, host Wendy VanderWal Martin welcomes pastor and author Rich Villodas to explore his new devotional, Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal.
Rich shares how the rhythms of the church calendar have reoriented his life and ministry in New York City — “the city that never sleeps” — toward waiting, peacemaking, rejoicing, and beholding. Together, Wendy and Rich reflect on how these ancient Advent themes offer an antidote to our culture’s frenzy and distraction, inviting us into a slower, more attentive way of being with God.
Listeners will be drawn into stories of how prayer sustains community, how true peace begins within, and how joy and lament can coexist in the same heart. Rich also opens up about the lasting influence of Henri Nouwen — his honesty, vulnerability, and insistence that we are all the beloved of God.
Whether you’re longing to rediscover the sacred meaning of Advent or simply seeking renewal in a weary world, this conversation offers a compassionate and contemplative guide to centering your life on Christ amid the clamor of December.
“Waiting is not despair — it’s dependence.” — Rich Villodas
Listen now to be inspired, refreshed, and reminded that even in a restless world, the invitation to behold beauty and live as God’s beloved still stands.
___________
Resources:
https://www.richvillodas.com/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/776021/waiting-for-jesus-by-rich-villodas/9780593602607
___________
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As the noise of the holiday season rises, how can we recover the stillness, peace, and joy at the heart of Advent? In this deeply moving episode of Now & Then, host Wendy VanderWal Martin welcomes pastor and author Rich Villodas to explore his new devotional, Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal.
Rich shares how the rhythms of the church calendar have reoriented his life and ministry in New York City — “the city that never sleeps” — toward waiting, peacemaking, rejoicing, and beholding. Together, Wendy and Rich reflect on how these ancient Advent themes offer an antidote to our culture’s frenzy and distraction, inviting us into a slower, more attentive way of being with God.
Listeners will be drawn into stories of how prayer sustains community, how true peace begins within, and how joy and lament can coexist in the same heart. Rich also opens up about the lasting influence of Henri Nouwen — his honesty, vulnerability, and insistence that we are all the beloved of God.
Whether you’re longing to rediscover the sacred meaning of Advent or simply seeking renewal in a weary world, this conversation offers a compassionate and contemplative guide to centering your life on Christ amid the clamor of December.
“Waiting is not despair — it’s dependence.” — Rich Villodas
Listen now to be inspired, refreshed, and reminded that even in a restless world, the invitation to behold beauty and live as God’s beloved still stands.
___________
Resources:
https://www.richvillodas.com/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/776021/waiting-for-jesus-by-rich-villodas/9780593602607
___________
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: henrinouwen.org/donate/
* SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY E-MEDITATIONS:
henrinouwen.org/meditation/
* MORE FREE RESOURCES: henrinouwen.org/
* FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/henrinouwensociety/
TWITTER: twitter.com/nouwensociety
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/nouwensociety/
Henri Nouwen | Henri's Bookshelf | Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety
henrinouwensociety
43 minutes 37 seconds
1 year ago
Henri Nouwen | Henri's Bookshelf | Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety
Henri Nouwen gave a series of lectures on the importance of following Jesus in an age of anxiety which became the basis for this book. Following Jesus explores calling and purpose, fear and hope, and why, when the twenty-first-century seeker has so many choices, including atheism and secularism, the greatest reward for those looking for fulfillment is to choose to embrace the truth of God’s love. Henri Nouwen offers warm, insightful, and practical spiritual habits to help readers navigate the oft-less- travelled, but ultimately life-giving road of faith in and through following Jesus.
Our Guest: Robert A. Jonas, Ed.D. (Harvard University), M.T.S. (Weston Jesuit School of Theology) was a dear friend of Henri Nouwen and is the author of The Essential Henri Nouwen, (Shambhala Publications) and Henri Nouwen (Orbis). His most recent book is, My Dear Far-Nearness: The Holy Trinity as Spiritual Practice (2022 Orbis). Trained as a psychotherapist, Dr. Jonas is an author, father and grandfather, video artist, musician, environmental steward, and retreat leader. Dr. Jonas is the director of The Empty Bell, a contemplative sanctuary in Northampton, MA whose website is an extraordinary resource for contemplative Christians and for Buddhist-Christian dialogue.
https://www.emptybell.org/
___________
Book Discussed:
Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety
https://amzn.to/3frmy7R (US)
https://amzn.to/3cWRWta (Canada)
___________
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: henrinouwen.org/donate/
* SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY E-MEDITATIONS:
henrinouwen.org/meditation/
* MORE FREE RESOURCES: henrinouwen.org/
* FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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PINTEREST: www.pinterest.ca/henrinouwen/
henrinouwensociety
As the noise of the holiday season rises, how can we recover the stillness, peace, and joy at the heart of Advent? In this deeply moving episode of Now & Then, host Wendy VanderWal Martin welcomes pastor and author Rich Villodas to explore his new devotional, Waiting for Jesus: An Advent Invitation to Prayer and Renewal.
Rich shares how the rhythms of the church calendar have reoriented his life and ministry in New York City — “the city that never sleeps” — toward waiting, peacemaking, rejoicing, and beholding. Together, Wendy and Rich reflect on how these ancient Advent themes offer an antidote to our culture’s frenzy and distraction, inviting us into a slower, more attentive way of being with God.
Listeners will be drawn into stories of how prayer sustains community, how true peace begins within, and how joy and lament can coexist in the same heart. Rich also opens up about the lasting influence of Henri Nouwen — his honesty, vulnerability, and insistence that we are all the beloved of God.
Whether you’re longing to rediscover the sacred meaning of Advent or simply seeking renewal in a weary world, this conversation offers a compassionate and contemplative guide to centering your life on Christ amid the clamor of December.
“Waiting is not despair — it’s dependence.” — Rich Villodas
Listen now to be inspired, refreshed, and reminded that even in a restless world, the invitation to behold beauty and live as God’s beloved still stands.
___________
Resources:
https://www.richvillodas.com/
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/776021/waiting-for-jesus-by-rich-villodas/9780593602607
___________
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: henrinouwen.org/donate/
* SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY E-MEDITATIONS:
henrinouwen.org/meditation/
* MORE FREE RESOURCES: henrinouwen.org/
* FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/henrinouwensociety/
TWITTER: twitter.com/nouwensociety
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/nouwensociety/
