Reviews for When Faith Becomes Sight
"From shimmering moments to synchronicities to following the threads of our lives, Beth Booram and David Booram have written a truly lovely guide to paying attention to those moments of the divine breaking into ordinary moments. This book sparkles with possibility and gives language and practices to help us recognize and savor those moments."
Christine Valters Paintner
Author of The Soul's Slow Ripening and Dreaming of Stones
"We have often thought of spiritual direction as not only a beautiful kind of ministry but also a fruitful lens through which to view our lives and relationships. Through imagination, creative engagement with Scripture, and real-life stories, Beth and Dave take us deeper into the heart of spiritual direction. What a joy to find ourselves there in the loving heart of Jesus for us. We encourage you to embark on the invitational journey of When Faith Becomes Sight."
Gem and Alan Fadling
Founders of Unhurried Living Inc.
Authors of What Does Your Soul Love?
"When Faith Becomes Sight is an invitation to taste and see the wonder of God in daily life. Beth and David Booram guide Christ-followers on a multidimensional spiritual adventure, enabling readers to experience the shimmering moments and sacred threads of God hidden as priceless treasures in what many see as mundane moments of life. This resource is biblically faithful, spiritually formative, historically grounded, and psychologically sound. In short, it is a gift."
Terry Wardle
Professor emeritus of practical theology at Ashland Theological Seminary
Founder of Healing Care Ministries
"Beth and David Booram bring us the fruit of their mature life and spiritual experience in helping the reader to recognize, reflect on, and respond to God's loving and guiding presence in their lives. The many examples of how this shows itself in people's lives who come to them for spiritual direction provide much concrete help in understanding how God's presence uniquely shows itself in our experience, even in times when that presence feels totally absent. The authors also offer fresh interpretations of many scriptural passages where people speak of their transcendent experiences. Drawing on the understanding and practices of the spiritual journey from giants in Christian tradition like John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila, and Ignatius of Loyola enhance the depth of the book, as do the sections that challenge our illusions born of the false, egotistic self that divert us from our true self in God. The lucid, personal, and honest writing style of the authors contributes a lot to the book's readability. I think it is a valuable complement to other contemporary books about the spiritual journey and the ministry of spiritual direction."
Tilden Edwards
Founder and senior fellow of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
"If you have ever pondered your ability or willingness to slow down and notice God around you, you may simply need a nudge from a trusted guide to help open your eyes. The Boorams are such guides and offer wisdom for finding God in all things. With an invitation to linger, their writing not only gives permission for the contemplative in each of us to slow down and simply be present but to also move toward wonder and anticipation with God. As wonderfully trained companions on the spiritual journey, that companionship translates beyond the page for the reader in When Faith Becomes Sight. Be prepared to open your eyes to God's presence with their relatable stories, imaginative Scripture interaction, and practical reflection."
Whitney R. Simpson
Author of Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit
"With the rich fruit of years of Beth and David's companioning others in soul attentiveness, When Faith Becomes Sight glistens with wisdom and shimmers with the ways of our self-revealing God. Winsomely illustrated with examples from the Scriptures and from spiritual conversations and offering thoughtful reflection questions that help the reader to live into the invitations of each chapter, this book becomes its own burning bush experience!"
Susan Porterfield Currie
Director of Leadership Transformations' Selah Certificate Program in Spiritual Direction
"When Faith Becomes Sight is a modern-day Practicing the Presence of God for those of us who aren't vocationally washing dishes in a monastery like Brother Lawrence. Dave and Beth guide readers through an everyday contemplative spirituality that is accessible and adaptable for those of us who feel pulled in many directions by the busyness of life. Anchored in on-the-ground application and wisdom, When Faith Becomes Sight mines the deep tradition of the historic church and builds a modern spiritual architecture. This is a field guide to cultivating a mysticism in the mundane, the power of God always present and at work put at your fingertips. We will be recommending this book as a resource to every person who goes through our training with Gravity Leadership Academy."
Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe
Copastors of The Table
Cofounders of Gravity Leadership
"Beth and David masterfully and creatively awaken our deeper longings for an authentic relationship with God. Offering insights and practices from their own experiences as spiritual directors, this book is a gift to all of us who desire not only to grow in awareness of God in our day-to-day life but also to help others do the same."
Mike Bowden
Director of Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association (ESDA)
"A world full of noise and distraction dulls us to the subtle movements of God and our own hearts. Dave and Beth Booram have shared generously from years of accompanying others to invite us to an awakened, discerning life. This book is like being in the room with them as they creatively guide us to a world-contradictory, God-responsive life."
Scott E. Shaum
Associate Director of Barnabas International
Author of The Uninvited Companion
"It's all too easy for us to lose track of God's presence with us in our daily lives, especially when we are blinded by trauma, grief, or other challenges of life. Beth and David Booram are wise and hospitable guides who use stories from their many years of spiritual direction to show us how to recognize God's presence with us. By calling our attention to the Giver of all life, When Faith Becomes Sight is a life-giving book, one that will undoubtedly transform the lives of all who read it."
C. Christopher Smith
Senior editor of The Englewood Review of Books
Author of How the Body of Christ Talks
"Spiritual direction is in high demand. So many are seeking, but few know how to find what they're looking for. When Faith Becomes Sight is an extraordinary book that guides the reader to the center of their heart where direction for life's journey reveals itself. This is a helpful resource for anyone looking to sharpen their discernment."
Phileena Heuertz
Founding partner Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism
Author of Mindful Silence and Pilgrimage of a Soul
"When the sacred and the secular meet we open ourselves to the transcendent power of the Holy One. Beth and David Booram take us to the brink of those moments when our faith becomes sight and we find ourselves transformed by the inherent holiness of each moment of life."
Suzanne and Joseph Stabile
Cofounders of Life in the Trinity Ministry
"When Faith Becomes Sight lovingly calls us with tender care yet intense focus to awaken all our senses to discern God's presence and activity in our lives. It is an ongoing work that requires us to stay in tune with what is happening within and around us as we cultivate our capacity to be still and know how God is working in our midst. This book is a gift to anyone who is ready to take the next step of seeing God anew and, in the process, seeing oneself anew as well."
Leah Gunning Francis
Author of Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community
"There are many books that describe what it means to be in relationship with God—theologically, and even experientially—but precious few that actually provide ground for that very encounter. When Faith Becomes Sight is a true gift. As its title suggests, the wisdom and words of the Boorams usher the reader from the place of faithful understanding to a place where God can be seen and known—particularly, individually, incarnationally. This book isn't just about the life with God, it is something I have rarely experienced: When Faith Becomes Sight is spiritual direction in book form. It is a companion on the journey, a reminder of the ways God speaks and moves, an encouragement when times are dark, and a reminder that we all need a soul friend (or two) who will point us to the sparks of the divine within and around us at all times. I will return to it often, and I encourage you to, as well."
Tara Owens
Spiritual director and founder of Anam Cara Ministries
Author of Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone