At the Feet of Jesus - by Bruce Hindmarsh & Carolyn Hindmarsh (Paperback)

About the Book

"Encounter Jesus Prayerfully with Mary of Bethany. You are in the presence of Jesus. Right now. And he loves you like he loved Mary, her sister Martha, and her brother Lazarus. Like them, we can open our home to him. Like them, we can be befriended by him. This short book is both a guide to prayerful reading of Scripture and an invitation to join one of Jesus' closest friends as she sits at Jesus' feet in faith, falls at Jesus' feet in hope, and anoints Jesus' feet in love. The exercises in At Jesus' Feet will help you look afresh at the Lord, draw near to him, and encounter him personally. He is inviting you to "choose the better part.""--

Book Synopsis

Transform Your Prayer Life and Draw Closer to Jesus

At the Feet of Jesus isn't just another book about prayer. It's a guided adventure into the heart of the gospel story, inviting you to step into the lives of some of Jesus' closest friends--Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Picture yourself sitting at Jesus' feet in faith, just like Mary did, or finding hope and love in his presence, just as Martha and Lazarus experienced. At the Feet of Jesus makes these timeless stories come alive, offering you a chance to experience Jesus' love in a profoundly personal way.

At the Feet of Jesus was written to bring you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus, transforming your daily routine into a spiritual retreat.

Unique Features

• Prayerful Readings of Scripture: Engages you with the Word of God in a way that speaks directly to your heart.
• Personal and Group Retreat Guide: Perfect for individuals wanting a solitary retreat or groups looking to grow together in faith.
• Experiential Exercises: Thought-provoking activities that encourage you to encounter Jesus personally and profoundly.

Open the door to a more profound prayer life and a closer relationship with Jesus as you embark on a daily spiritual retreat that will enrich your faith and transform your daily life.

Review Quotes

"At the Feet of Jesus is a book that Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh are uniquely qualified to write. It is informed by both their academic and experiential experience, and it is inspired by insights from devotion masters through the centuries, with a particular tip of the cap to Ignatius of Loyola. I think this is a book that would have made Dallas Willard smile--and perhaps is making him smile. This multi-use guide is written to help the reader increase awareness of the availability of friendship that is being offered by the very present and very loving Jesus. Pull up a second chair as you read."

--Gary W. Moon, founding executive director of the Martin Institute and Dallas Willard Center at Westmont College and author of Becoming Dallas Willard and Apprenticeship with Jesus

"At the Feet of Jesus is a profound and moving exploration of three gospel passages that center on Mary of Bethany. The Hindmarshes' work (whether read by an individual or as content for a retreat) invites us to sit with Mary as she beautifully models for us what it means to have living faith, hope, and love. Drawing on their rich academic backgrounds and having run spiritual retreats for many years, Bruce and Carolyn sensitively bring together their combined gifting in creating a book that I found not only deeply insightful but also spiritually nourishing. I plan to return again and again!"

--Dan Steel, principal of Yarnton Manor in Oxford

"At the Feet of Jesus is a thoughtful, accessible, and deeply challenging collection of devotional meditations from Scripture that take us through the character of Mary of Bethany. Mary's posture and interactions with Jesus offer rich launching points into much-needed directions and considerations for our own spiritual lives. My own soul has benefited greatly from the gift of this book, and I believe yours will as well."

--David C. Wang, Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders and associate professor of spiritual formation and psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary

"At the Feet of Jesus is an invitation. The Hindmarshes welcome us to come in, remove our shoes, and take a spot on the floor next to them--and Mary of Bethany. In a series of meditations that are as beautiful as they are thoughtful, as theologically profound as they are deeply moving, Bruce and Carolyn invite us to sit at our Lord's feet. As you pray through this book, you'll encounter the love of Christ in an intimate and transformative way."

--Paul J. Gutacker, executive director of Brazos Fellows

"At the Feet of Jesus is balm for the longing soul. Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh, seasoned seminary professors and spiritual guides, bring Scripture alive in its context, history, and sensory embodiment, allowing each reader to encounter Jesus in his fullness even in the midst of our own particular lives. With this guided retreat we accompany Mary of Bethany as she attends to Jesus with faith, hope, and love. One can almost see the meal in Martha's kitchen, feel the roughness of Lazarus' tomb, and smell the nard Mary lovingly pours on the Lord's feet. The fragrance of the holy fills us . . . and lingers."

--Susan S. Phillips, sociologist, spiritual director, and author of Candlelight and The Cultivated Life

"At the Feet of Jesus is not simply a book about the idea of placing oneself at the feet of Jesus. Rather, it is both an invitation to actually encounter Jesus in the present moment, by placing oneself in the scriptural setting alongside Mary of Bethany, and an inspirational guide on how to do so. Most meaningful to me were the thought-provoking springboards for paying attention to my own responses as I entered into these encounters; they did indeed place me at the feet of Jesus."

--Patti Pierce, founder of WellSpring: A Resource for Christian Spiritual Formation

"At the Feet of Jesus offers a short and easy-to-use retreat guide sensitively blending the authors' experience of Jesuit methods of meditation with Benedictine lectio divina. The heart of the book comprises three meditations on the stories of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus which help readers explore, in terms of faith, hope, and love, the spiritual dimensions of their lives. A final reflection, adapting the examen to these meditations, will help make the move from prayer back to life."

--David Foster, professor of philosophy, Greek, and Latin at the Collegio Sant'Anselmo and author of Reading with God, Deep Calls to Deep, and Contemplative Prayer

"An eloquent, lovely, and supremely helpful guide to praying with Scripture in general and with Mary of Bethany in particular. With the keen insight of historians and the tender wisdom of spiritual directors, Bruce and Carolyn bring three gospel stories to vivid life, ushering us into real-time, heart-changing encounters with Jesus."

--Carolyn Arends, recording artist, author, and director of education at Renovaré

"An inspiring and rich guidebook inviting the reader to find their way into the presence of Jesus, the living Word of God, to become reservoirs filled up and overflowing with the love and life of God. The book also offers a theologically rich and helpful step-by-step guide for those who want to discover meditative reading or lectio divina but do not know how to begin."

--George Westhaver, principal of Pusey House, Oxford

"Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh have a remarkable ability to combine solid biblical insight with perceptive spiritual direction. Through their gentle and loving guidance, this little treasure will help any disciple of Jesus 'be still and know' him more deeply. I will gladly keep this book close at hand for years to come. Thank you, Hindmarshes, for such a needed and nourishing gift in our fast-paced modern world."

--Shawn Reese, pastor of Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino

"Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh have long sat at the feet of Jesus, and they have welcomed many others into his presence along the way. In this elegant book, they now invite the rest of us to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the tender goodness of the Lord. With a quiet erudition that draws deeply from the wellsprings of the Christian tradition, they provide just the right amount of direction to help us sit with Jesus at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. In modeling such patient, loving attention, they make room for us to dwell with Christ--to discover anew the one thing needful."

--Alex Fogleman, director of the Catechesis Institute in Waco, Texas, and author of Knowledge, Faith, and Early Christian Initiation

"Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh remind us of what medieval Christians knew so well--that Mary of Bethany is a model for us of faithful Christian prayer that desires intimate union with Jesus Christ. Arranged as a retreat, this book will help its reader, its retreatant, come to the feet of Jesus with Mary, contemplating him in our minds and with our eyes. As an exercise in practical theology, Christian history and Christian theology are brought to bear on how to do this well, and the Hindmarshes show themselves to be excellent retreat masters."

--Greg Peters, professor of medieval and spiritual theology in the Torrey Honors College of Biola University and servants of Christ research professor of monastic studies and ascetical theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary

"Can we meet Jesus in real time--a personal encounter that is no less real than that which the first disciples had with Jesus? Are we merely talking about Jesus and reading about how the first disciples knew Jesus and heard his voice and dwelt in his love? Or can we, in like fashion, know Jesus and the grace of his immediate presence in our lives, no less so than those disciples? Here is the guide to precisely that: an experience of prayer that is no less immediate than that of Mary of Bethany."

--Gordon T. Smith, executive director of Christian Higher Education Canada and author of Your Calling Here and Now

"Combining and integrating the rich spiritual treasures of Ignatian and Puritan spirituality, Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh have crafted a welcome guide to reading some of the most popular gospel stories of Christ. This book promises not only to assist readers to engage Scripture deeply but, more importantly, to experience Jesus in new and fresh ways. Readers who prayerfully follow their guidelines will find themselves both befriended and cherished as the beloved of Christ. This is a resource to savor and return to again and again."

--Tom Schwanda, associate professor of Christian Formation and Ministry, emeritus, Wheaton College

"Convinced that we are made to see the face of God, Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh invite us to join them for a prayer retreat. What a privilege it is, as we take the place of Mary of Bethany, looking up in contemplation at our Lord. This immensely practical book centers on Jesus, encouraging us to use our memory and imagination, so that in him we may enter more deeply into the presence of God. The mature result of many years of spiritual guidance, At the Feet of Jesus is a sure guide for making your own personal or group retreat."

--Hans Boersma, professor at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin and author of Pierced by Love

"I've read lots of books on reading the Bible meditatively. Plain and simple, At the Feet of Jesus might be the best. Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh have gifted us with a wise, insightful, sensitive, and thorough little book that elicits our smiles, tears, deep joy, and willingness to change. They gently lead us into the mind and heart of Jesus. Buy it, read it slowly, follow the steps provided, and At the Feet of Jesus will lead you--without exaggeration--to the feet of Jesus. Very highly recommended."

--Chris Hall, former president of Renovaré and author of A Different Way

"In these beautifully crafted reflections on Mary's experiences of sitting at the feet of Jesus, Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh invite us to indwell both Mary's Bethany home and our own home. They bring to this invitation their own rich experiences of exploring this material with others in retreat settings as well as their own thoughtful biblical and theological attention to the narrative details of the relevant gospel texts. As we respond to their invitation to enter imaginatively into these gospel stories, we can anticipate the living Christ encountering us where we happen to live and work."

--Trevor Hudson, author of Seeking God and In Search of God's Will

"Much of Jesus' ministry happened as he ambled through the countryside encountering people. As people interacted with Jesus, they discovered what God was really like and how God felt about them, and these encounters changed their lives. Too often we settle for knowing about Jesus rather than encountering him personally. Bruce and Carolyn lead us into scriptural stories in ways that open us to experiencing the reality of God present in the stories and longing to encounter us in our real lives. If you are longing to experience God personally and particularly, I highly recommend this book."

--Teri O'Neel, cofounder of SoulCARE and spiritual director and partner at WellSpring

"Our diocese annually hosts a convocation aimed at ministering to clergy and lay leaders, strengthening them for lifelong faith and ministry. Over time, these convocations morphed from a focus on equipping leaders to encouraging leaders. In the list of lovers of God and his Word that have taught us, none have had a greater impact than Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh. At the Feet of Jesus, was, and continues to be, life changing for us. "Perceptive, powerful, piercing, invitational, personal" are words that aptly describe our own sitting at the feet of Jesus with the Hindmarsh's."

--Steven A Breedlove, Anglican Church in North America

"There is nothing better than sitting in God's presence. Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh know this, and they have written a beautiful, guided retreat extending to us an invitation to welcome Jesus into the inmost parts of our own being. Drawing on the Ignatian Exercises and the tradition of imaginative prayer, this book is a timely taste of a way of praying that can reshape our memory and deepen our understanding of the extravagant love of Jesus. This book is great for reading alone, but I'd recommend it even more for friends to experience it together."

--Jared Patrick Boyd, founding director of the Order of the Common Life and author of Finding Freedom in Constraint

"What a beautiful gift! At the Feet of Jesus is a feast for the longing heart, lovingly prepared and lovingly offered. In a season of alarming fragmentation, what could be more critical than to be gathered to the feet of Christ? So much more than providing a how-to book, Carolyn and Bruce Hindmarsh invite us to a place they have clearly sat themselves."

--Steve Bell, singer-songwriter

"With this gem of an offering, Bruce and Carolyn lead us into an intimate retreat experience at the feet of Jesus. Thoroughly grounded in biblical and theological understanding, and in both the formational wisdom of the early church and later Catholic as well as Protestant historical streams, they lead us into an abiding in the Scriptures as, with Mary of Bethany, we meet with our Lord Jesus. 'Study and prayer belong together, ' they invite, and as we move through their rich material, we find our study becoming prayer and our reading becoming a loving encounter with Jesus."

--Susan Currie, director of the Selah Certificate Program in Spiritual Direction at Leadership Transformations

"Without scholarly ostentation, and shaped by years of real ministry practice, this bright, accessible, little volume uses classic methods of Christian meditation to enter more fully into experiencing Jesus as he is depicted in the gospels. In doing so, it especially and winsomely attends to Jesus' engagement with his 'domestic disciples' and with Mary in particular. It is to be read slowly, in soul-transforming ways. At the Feet of Jesus has much to commend it. Its dedication to the great spiritual mentor James M. Houston only further signals its merit and promise."

--Glen G. Scorgie, professor emeritus of theology at Bethel University and editor of Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality

About the Author

Carolyn Hindmarsh, DMin (Fuller Seminary) teaches New Testament Greek and spiritual theology at Regent and is a trained spiritual director. Together the couple has led numerous retreats on praying at the feet of Jesus.

Bruce Hindmarsh, DPhil (Oxon), is the James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology and professor of the history of Christianity at Regent College in Vancouver. His previous books include The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism and Amazing Grace.