Fresh Insight

Hearing with the Heart reflects on discerning God’s direction

Hearing With the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s Will for Your Life Debra K. Farrington Jossey-Bass, 247 pages, $19.95

Believers across the centuries have wrestled with how they can discern God’s direction for their lives. Debra Farrington, publisher at Morehouse Publishing and a popular retreat leader, reflects on this age-old concern. “Discernment is a subtle and intentional art that requires openness to the Spirit and a little bit of practice,” Farrington writes. She later adds, “Our task is to use the gifts of the heart to discover—to discern—what God asks each of us to be or do as individuals and then to choose to act in ways that bring that vision to life instead of working against it.”

She divides the book into three sections: big-picture issues, ideas for practice, and the skills required for discernment. Most CT readers will not share her views on homosexuality, but her insights on silence, listening, community, and accountability should connect universally.

Even as she prods the reader with practical exercises to discern God’s will, Farrington appreciates the mystery of faith, which prevents her advice from becoming formulaic. She strikes a commendable balance between the practical and the mystical. A potential classic.

Cindy Crosby is a frequent contributor to Publishers Weekly.