Tending Body, Heart, Mind & Soul: Following Jesus in Caring for Ourselves

This book is a series of meditations focusing on how the gospels portray the human Jesus and the way he tended himself emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. The meditations are careful, insightful, and often provocative glimpses into the person and life of Jesus. I find this work to be beautifully written, and quite unique in its approach. This unique perspective combined with the author's compelling voice are both worth hearing. While the writing is not academic, the book's scholarship is sound. Gorman's material is engaging, challenging and accessible. She allows herself to imagine and to speculate, but with responsibility and courage, and sometimes even a little playfulness! The writing is of superior quality, the insights rich and provocative and the style engaging for a wide variety of readers. The book is good for both private meditation and group reflection. Discussion questions are included with each chapter, making it appropriate for classes and other study groups, as well as helpful for personal study and introspection. I found the questions at the end of each section to be quite useful and, surprisingly, as carefully and intentionally crafted as the actual content of the material itself. This book provided a deep, challenging and rich experience for my intellectual and devotional life, something not always found in this genre of material.