BOOK REVIEW: The Attentive Life: Discerning God's Presence in All Things

By Leighton Ford

IVP Books, 2008, $18.00

Based on the "rule" established by St. Benedict, who was born in 480 C.E., the "Divine Hours" divided the day by establishing regular times at which people were to stop their labors and pay attention to God in prayer. Although not practiced in non-liturgical traditions, and usually regarded by the liturgical churches as the obligation of the clergy and those in religious orders, Benedict actually intended the practice for laypeople who wished to follow Christ in their daily lives. Leighton Ford has designed his own version of the hours, offering us a contemporary practice that deepens our awareness of the presence of God in all our activities, wherever we may be.

The word "hour" comes from the Greek word hora, which was originally thought of not as a unit of time but as a "soul measure," in which time is calculated by the "turning points" in our lives. Living fully requires that we pay attention to the opportunities to turn to God, to each other, and to our own inner lives, to make the most of our brief days. "Paying attention," says Ford, "is not a way by which we make something happen but a way to see what is already given to us."

Ford served with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for over 30 years and now heads Leighton Ford Ministries, which strives to train young people in Christ-centered leadership. He received the Two Hungers Award in 1990 for his work in addressing both spiritual and physical hunger worldwide and has achieved recognition as being "among the most influential preachers of an active gospel" (Time magazine).