Silence as an Invitation
Recommended Resources featuring Ruth Haley Barton
Embracing the Invitation
I've been sitting with silence a lot the last two years—learning to embrace it, to let it teach me. And one of the guides who's helped me most is Ruth Haley Barton.
In all her work, she captures something I've been trying to articulate in my own: silence is an invitation from God himself, waiting for us just beyond the noise of our lives.
As we close the Draw Near Dwell Well series, I wanted to share Ruth's wisdom with you. Consider engaging with the resources below as companions on your journey to wholeness.
This week, Ruth and Jay delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by technology in our spiritual lives. They discuss the necessity of solitude, silence, and retreat for spiritual formation and explore how digital distractions can hinder these practices. Ruth shares her personal journey and insights into managing technology's role in her spiritual practices, while Jay offers practical strategies for minimizing digital interruptions. They emphasize the importance of intentionality in creating sacred spaces free from technological distractions and offer thought-provoking questions to help listeners assess their relationship with technology and its impact on their spiritual life.
Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence
Much of our faith and practice is about words—preaching, teaching, talking with others. Yet all of these words are not enough to take us into the real presence of God, where we can hear his voice. In Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Ruth Haley Barton invites you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life.
In today's conversation, Ruth Haley Barton is here to talk about silence and solitude, ordering your true desires, why the sabbath isn't simply a "day off," and why there are no emergencies with God. Ruth Haley Barton is the founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, Christian leaders, and the congregations and organizations they serve. A sought-after teacher, retreat leader, and trained spiritual director, Ruth is the author of numerous books and articles on spiritual life.
From Beyond Words | Transforming Center
The invitation to solitude and silence is an invitation to enter more deeply into the intimacy of relationship with the One who waits just outside the noise and busyness of our lives for a space within which meaningful connection can occur. It is an invitation to communication and communion with the One who is always present even when our awareness has been dulled by distraction. It is an invitation to the adventure of spiritual transformation in the deepest places of our being, an adventure that will result in greater freedom and authenticity and surrender to God than we have yet experienced.
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about the resource
Ruth Haley Barton
Author. Spiritual Director. Teacher. Founder of Transforming Center.
Ruth (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Seminary) is a teacher, seasoned spiritual director (Shalem Institute), and retreat leader, Ruth is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Sacred Rhythms, Life Together in Christ, Pursuing God’s Will Together, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Invitation to Retreat, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.
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