Robert Benson (1) (1952–)
Author of In constant prayer
For other authors named Robert Benson, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Robert Benson is a critically acclaimed writer who has published nine works on the contemplative life, including Moving Miss Peggy, Living Prayer and A Good Life. A retreat leader Benson writers and speaks often on the life of prayer and contemplation the practice of faith and Spiritual and the art show more and craft or writing. He is a graduated of and an adjunct faculty member for the Academy for spiritual Formation and a member of the Friends of Silence and of the Poor, an international ecumenical prayer community. Benson lives in Nashville, Tennessee. show less
Image credit: photo of the author on Nevis, by Sara Fortenberry
Works by Robert Benson
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Benson, R.
- Birthdate
- 1952
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Trevecca Nazarene College
Belmont University
University of Tennessee
Pasadena College - Occupations
- copywriter
editor - Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
The light shines in the darkness but the darkness will never overcome it. Sometimes 'the dark' is all too apt a description of how we see reality. Systemic injustice, poverty, sickness, death, wars and rumors of war. In Punching Holes in the Dark, Robert Benson relays a story of being asked by friends (in a round of death by sharing) how he was doing on his journey. He was feeling particularly discouraged, both by personal setbacks and big world problems:
Benson was in a dark place and feeling emotionally spent. His friends listened to him, and pointed him away from the dark towards the light of God's kingdom, already in our midst(location 159).
The title, "Punching Holes in the Dark" came from a close friend of Benson's father—a seminary friend—who always signed his letters, "Keep punching holes in the dark, my friend." Benson uses the phrase to show how we participate in welcoming the kingdom, sometimes in a receptive posture of prayer, and sometimes through action, punching holes in the dark so that the Light of God can break in.
Benson is a warm and accessible writer. He is a contemplative retreat leader, a graduate of the Academy of Spiritual Formation, well schooled in prayer and the spiritual life. He is a sacramental, and liturgy-minded Episcopalian with a long evangelical pedigree. But he does not put on airs, speak in a mystical bubbles, or use technical jargon. His prose is unadorned, and though his life is extraordinary—he's the son of a major CCM producer and he has bonfire spiritual guru status—he tells stories of everyday life: being an introvert, getting into petty arguments, caring for his mother in the throws of dementia, time spent with mentors, praying for others, starting a film club. And yet ordinary life is exactly the place where Christ's kingdom breaks in, and through quiet acts of prayer, worship, friendship, Benson demonstrates how we can punch holes in the dark (non-violently, of course).
This is the sort of book that one could read through (easily) in one sitting, or slowly and reflectively. The simplicity of Benson's prose means that some of his stories and phrases grab you later. With first Benson book I ever read (Living Prayer), long after I set it down, Benson's words continued to work on me, and help me to envision intercessory prayer in a new way. I expect the same sort of dynamic with this one, simple stories and metaphors that continue to work on my insides, and images that are worth cycling back to. I give this book four stars.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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The list was, and still is veryshow more
long—people organizing up to make sure some do not have access to health care, prospects of more war to try and clean up the mess from the last ill-advised one, patent ignoring of the fact we are ruining the planet for which the one Who Made Us appointed us as stewards, political maneuvers designed to make sure people not like us have no voice, poverty in the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the largest economy in the world, the widespread notion that more guns is the solution to the killing of one hundred of us each day by someone who can buy as many guns as he likes. The fact the charges into the dark are often led by those who call themselves followers of the Christ was almost more than I could bear. (location 133-139 of 969).
Benson was in a dark place and feeling emotionally spent. His friends listened to him, and pointed him away from the dark towards the light of God's kingdom, already in our midst(location 159).
The title, "Punching Holes in the Dark" came from a close friend of Benson's father—a seminary friend—who always signed his letters, "Keep punching holes in the dark, my friend." Benson uses the phrase to show how we participate in welcoming the kingdom, sometimes in a receptive posture of prayer, and sometimes through action, punching holes in the dark so that the Light of God can break in.
Benson is a warm and accessible writer. He is a contemplative retreat leader, a graduate of the Academy of Spiritual Formation, well schooled in prayer and the spiritual life. He is a sacramental, and liturgy-minded Episcopalian with a long evangelical pedigree. But he does not put on airs, speak in a mystical bubbles, or use technical jargon. His prose is unadorned, and though his life is extraordinary—he's the son of a major CCM producer and he has bonfire spiritual guru status—he tells stories of everyday life: being an introvert, getting into petty arguments, caring for his mother in the throws of dementia, time spent with mentors, praying for others, starting a film club. And yet ordinary life is exactly the place where Christ's kingdom breaks in, and through quiet acts of prayer, worship, friendship, Benson demonstrates how we can punch holes in the dark (non-violently, of course).
This is the sort of book that one could read through (easily) in one sitting, or slowly and reflectively. The simplicity of Benson's prose means that some of his stories and phrases grab you later. With first Benson book I ever read (Living Prayer), long after I set it down, Benson's words continued to work on me, and help me to envision intercessory prayer in a new way. I expect the same sort of dynamic with this one, simple stories and metaphors that continue to work on my insides, and images that are worth cycling back to. I give this book four stars.
Note: I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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This is a beautiful book. It's not too technical, too profound, or too spiritual: it's the perfect little volume for anyone considering liturgical prayer for the first time.
Like C. S. Lewis, Benson has a knack for finding the right anecdote to illustrate his point every time. Nothing is flippant or out of place. His prose isn't preachy, but it still manages to leave you motivated to pray. This book, like the form of prayer it espouses, is beautiful.
If you're looking for an introduction to show more the practice of praying the daily offices, this is an excellent primer. You'll need to buy a prayer book to go with it—I'd recommend Tickle's The Divine Hours to begin. show less
Like C. S. Lewis, Benson has a knack for finding the right anecdote to illustrate his point every time. Nothing is flippant or out of place. His prose isn't preachy, but it still manages to leave you motivated to pray. This book, like the form of prayer it espouses, is beautiful.
If you're looking for an introduction to show more the practice of praying the daily offices, this is an excellent primer. You'll need to buy a prayer book to go with it—I'd recommend Tickle's The Divine Hours to begin. show less
As someone who thinks that baseball is the purest form of sport (at least when it's played properly and PEDs aren't involved...but I digress) I very much enjoyed Mr. Benson's simple tribute to the game. Like Mr. Benson, I like going to a minor league park nearly as much as I enjoy going to a major league one. There is something that's just so small town America about going to a minor league game, whether it be the carnival-like games played between innings by children or the fact that it show more doesn't cost an arm-and-a-leg to go. Whenever I have had to explain why I love baseball so much, I have always said that I enjoy the rhythms of the game and that for six months out of the year it's played every single day, and this book seems to be a quiet meditation on these truths and others about why baseball is always called America's national past time.
I think if Mr. Benson had stuck to more of the spiritual aspects of the game (which in his introduction he states he is setting out to do) this might have been a better book. Unfortunately, he gets bogged down in details that I don't necessarily think are important nor do they relate too much to the game on a universal level. But, to paraphrase a dear friend of mine, Mr. Benson is quite clearly a baseball fan, and that makes him better than many other people. I would, however, have enjoyed it more if he had gone more in depth into baseball's peculiar eccentricities or more of the history of the game and how it has become ingrained in our national consciousness. I firmly believe any baseball fan will enjoy this though if they allow themselves to become a little swept up in the sentimentality of Mr. Benson. show less
I think if Mr. Benson had stuck to more of the spiritual aspects of the game (which in his introduction he states he is setting out to do) this might have been a better book. Unfortunately, he gets bogged down in details that I don't necessarily think are important nor do they relate too much to the game on a universal level. But, to paraphrase a dear friend of mine, Mr. Benson is quite clearly a baseball fan, and that makes him better than many other people. I would, however, have enjoyed it more if he had gone more in depth into baseball's peculiar eccentricities or more of the history of the game and how it has become ingrained in our national consciousness. I firmly believe any baseball fan will enjoy this though if they allow themselves to become a little swept up in the sentimentality of Mr. Benson. show less
It might look like a book about growing a garden, but it is all about growing up, family, learning from each other, community, creating, patience, and in the end: quietly watching the world unfold around you in the beginning of a new day. A joy to read.
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Statistics
- Works
- 18
- Members
- 1,039
- Popularity
- #24,779
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 19
- ISBNs
- 62
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- 3