Portraits of Grace: Images and Words from the Monastery of the Holy Spirit

by James Behrens

Book Overview

James Stephen Behrens is a Trappist monk at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. Over one hundred original photographs from the monastery are featured in Portraits of Grace; each... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879463341
• ISBN13: 9780879463342
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: ACTA Publications
• Length: 121 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 10.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great Reflections!

This book has wonderful spiritual reflections that can be read in a minute or two. Each reflection is accompanied by a beautiful photo related to the text. I gave this book as a gift to many friends, and all remarked how much they enjoyed reading the reflections. They also commented on the photos. A perfect gift for any religious occasion, Christmas, birthday --- and for yourself.

OASIS

just opening this book is a delight to the sences.open it at random and it will give you rest from our fast pace lives and remind you of what is important.FR. Behrens speaks to our deep self whithout preaching.and the photos help convey the writen word.

Recommended enthusiastically

The author/photographer is a former diocesan priest who is now a monk at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. In his foreword, Patrick Hart, OCSO, writes that Fr. James "uses his camera as a contemplative instrument," combining strikingly beautiful photos with brief reflections to draw the viewer into "profound silence, wondering at the beauty of God's creation in the lowly and hidden aspects of life." Behrens chose ordinary subjects in and around the monastery in all seasons and all lights. Nature is represented generously, as are the elements of the monks' daily lives: a candle mounted on the wall, work boots, arched walkways, and church Psalters. One page shows two mops with the caption "We all have bad hair days." The spread on solitude features a full-page photo depicting the corner of a room with masonry walls. A simple red chair sits beneath a window whose frame casts a striped shadow. In the accompanying text Behrens remarks on our culture's relationship with cell phones, wondering if users miss the solitude replaced by constant connection to others. He disagrees with those who consider the absence of cell phones in the monastery "a big disconnect." Humans need solitude, he writes. "Everyone has a bit of the monk in them. We carry a little chip inside of us that is reserved for connecting with God." In A Place Apart, there's another single red chair, this time an adirondack, against a sunny outdoor wall that highlights its shadow. A work so movingly creative cannot be described adequately, only recommended enthusiastically. Portraits of Grace is an ideal gift for self and others.

A feast for the eyes and soul

Taking a retreat at a monastery has the potential to bring you closer to God by stripping away the stresses and concerns of everyday life. Father James Behrens, retreat master at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, has brought this potential to life with his amazingly lovely, grace-filled color photographs. A bee dances upon a flower; a pair of well-worn work boots sit at the ready; a lonely cross leans against a pine tree. What is missing from the book are the things that so often weary us: crowds, malls, technology. Instead, we see the hand of God tenderly touching and illuminating ordinary moments. The book invites readers on a powerful visual retreat and reveals the author's talent for seeing grace everywhere.

Simply Beautiful......

I have had the privilege of attending several retreats at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit and have heard Fr. James speak many times. I was eager for his latest book to be published because I know how talented Fr. James is as a writer and photographer. His latest book, Portraits of Grace, reflects these talents exceptionally well. Fr. James' wisdom is clearly represented in his words and pictures. The topics are varied and very "real" to every day life. I go back and re-read many when I find my "cup needs to be refilled". So many of my co-workers have asked for copies, that I am planning on buying multiple copies to give as gifts.