The Sacred Journey

I like the fact that Buechner does not paint a surfacy, sugar-coated picture of his life in the several memoirs. He is honest almost to a fault and he crafts it all into a story that teaches while it fascinates. I've never been bored by Buechner and that is quite an accomplishment because I've read quite a few of his books. To be honest, I prefer his non-fiction to his fiction. I know some readers are the opposite. In any case, with some folks, even celebrities, you wonder why in the heck they bothered to write their autobiography. This is not true with Buechner. Even breaking it up into several books, each is constructive and extremely readable in its own way.

I have read The Magnificent Defeat, Godric and the meditation book, Listening to Your Life. I've read other books by Richard Rohr that have blown me away in how they've illuminated Christianity for me but I've never read anything quite so beautiful, so rich with humanity as this slim little volume.It is rare that words fail me but it seems that anything I could say about this work wouldn't do it any justice at all. It's not about Christianity, it's about looking into your life, listening to all the strangeness, horror and wonder and perchance finding what God might be saying.and still my words fail. Read this and take the journey yourself. You'll see what I mean.

The mystery of our lives. The oddity of memory. The things that make us who we are. Frederick Buechner explores all of these topics in the first volume of his autobiographies, "The Sacred Journey."Slowly--word by word and line by line, Buechner has won my respect as an author. How he unravels the story of his own life, how he makes the past breathe, gives it life...it has all combined to deepen my esteem for him. He is one of the greatest living authors. Buechner's honest search for something universal in his story has captivated me. We all stand, in one way or another, in the shadows of our own lives. Alone, we cannot even comprehend the whole of our own journeys. The value of Buechner's excavation of his past is that when others view it, it may help them see the importance of their own journey.In spite of the author's uncertainness about writing them, I have found Buechner's autobiographies to be of great value. I am thankful for the man's openness, courage and skill (they are fun to read).I give "The Sacred Journey" my wholehearted recommendation.

Perhaps the best thing about Rev. Buechner's book is that, in reading about his early journey toward finding Christ, it really will, as so many have noted, help you reflect on your journey. Buechner writes about how our lives are like novels, that they have a structure and a meaning, and indeed, they do, if we take the time to delve into them and try to process them. God, of course, is the Author of that meaning, and as Buechner finds meaning in his life, so too can we find meaning in ours. This is one I am sure I will read again and again. (Fair warning -- the cover photograph will come to haunt you as you read about what happens to Buechner's father!)

Rev. Buechner has an amazing gift for crafting language to portray exactly what he feels and needs to say. He writes this autobiographical and spiritual book, he says, with the hope that the reader will see the threads of his or her story weaving in and out of his own.Buechner's work is popular, and this book is the perfect introduction, explaining the major events of his childhood, which shape his life, minsitry, and writing. Sacred Journey is certainly not a self-help book, but you will be encouraged toward reflection on your life past and present, and if you let him, Buechner will shape your life.