The Echo Within by Robert Benson

I really enjoyed this book--especially Chapter 8. It's titled Knowing. Benson writes: My father taught me that a writer has three jobs: The first job is to learn the craft. And The second job is to find your own voice. Further on he says The last of the writer's three jobs is to figure out what you have to say and begin to say it. But back up... here's the clincher. The part I like the best:
Benson writes, "Early on, my father's voice--the voice of the writer I wanted to be--got in the way. I found my voice only after he had lost his altogether."

For some reason, I felt incredibly sad reading this. It was as if I knew what he was saying, identified with it in some vague, can't-quite-grasp-it-way. I suppose that might be just the echo within... .

The Echo Within is a profoundly affecting, honest look at the myriad ways we are drawn into our life’s best work.
Written out of his own lifelong search for and response to the calling voice of God, Robert Benson recounts his discovery of the meaning of vocation, work, and purpose through the ups and downs inherent in family life, professional choice, and spiritual experience. With clarity and insight, and in the elegant prose for which he is known, he gently invites and encourages readers to find such deep truths for their lives as well. In particular, he illuminates the way for readers to explore:

· ways to sense the Holy in our pursuits, both in the pursuits themselves and within ourselves.
· how to fall into our vocation and chart a course toward it at the same time.
· how to love the work we do, and the process of doing it.

For anyone beginning a new career or sensing a needed change in their life or wrestling with a transition suddenly thrust upon them, Robert Benson delivers wisdom, humor, and heart in what he’s learned about listening for The Echo Within—and how it can help us discover our calling.


Author Bio:
Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about the discovery of the sacred in the midst of our ordinary lives, including Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Home By Another Way, and Digging In. His work has been critically acclaimed in a wide range of publications from The New York Times and USA Today to Spirituality & Health and The Benedictine Review. He is an alumnus of The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation and was recently named a Living Spiritual Teacher by SpiritualityandPractice.com. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

You can purchase The Echo Within here:

www.Amazon.com
- www.ChristianBook.com
- www.FamilyChristian.com