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 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 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

"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

"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

About the Author

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.

Carolyn Hindmarsh, DMin (Fuller Seminary) teaches New Testament Greek and spiritual theology at Regent College and is a trained spiritual director. She and her husband Bruce have led numerous retreats on praying at the feet of Jesus.