For forty years, James Finley’s Merton's Palace of Nowhere has been the standard text for exploring, reflecting on, and understanding the rich vein of Thomas Merton's thought. Spiritual identity is the quest to know who we are, to find meaning, to overcome that sense of “Is this all there is?” Merton’s message cuts to the heart of this universal quest, and Finley illuminates that message as no one else can. As a young man of eighteen, Finley left home for an unlikely destination: the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived as a contemplative. Finley stayed at the monastery for six maturing years and later wrote this Merton’s Palace of Nowhere in order to share a taste of what he had learned on his spiritual journey under the guidance of one of the great religious figures of our time. At the heart of the quest for spiritual identity are Merton's illuminating insights—leading from an awareness of the false and illusory self to a realization of the true self. Dog-eared, tattered, underlined copies of this book are found on the bookshelves of retreat centers, parish libraries, and the homes of spiritual seekers everywhere. This anniversary edition brings a classic to a new generation and includes a new preface by Finley.
Enter a Monastery Without Walls Christian Meditation introduces an ancient practice to a contemporary audience. James Finley, a former monk and student of Thomas Merton, presents the fundamentals of both understanding and practicing Christian meditation. He provides simple, helpful instructions, as well as explaining the deeper connection with the divine that meditation can bring. Above all, he makes clear that the aim of meditation is to allow us to experience divine contemplation -- the presence of God.
Wandering Wounds is an expression of feelings and / or experiences of life's turbulent journey. Pain, anger, and grief mixed with hope are forefront through childhood to adulthood. The poems' presentations differ in styles and formats and many use allegories and / or metaphor to deliver their message.Opening pieces, universal in nature, relate to effects on life, moving through depression, the battle against evil and life's frustrations. The focus then turns to specific causal areas of life's trials and sorrows, such as illness and recovery, physical and sexual abuse of children and adults, and drug and alcohol addiction. Poems will traverse the wondrous mountain peaks and the deepest and darkest gullies of love.Much of the writing contains a morphing quality, as life's circumstances change you will find poems revealing new meaning.James L. Finley's first book Wandering Wounds shines a light upon the hope that resides on the outskirts of "Happiness Falls".
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