Vincent Reviews

Lift Your Sails By Vincent Dwyer

The Continuum Publishing Co. 1999

Lift Your Sails, The Challenge of Being a Christian by Vincent

Dwyer, O.C.S.O. is a short book that is entertaining yet also

can used as a spiritual guide. It deals with our spiritual

journey to the Father. It is a personal suggested guide based

on love and forgiveness.

"Your unique response to God's revealing himself on your journey is what it's all about.Your journey...involves Your whole being, spiritually, emotionally, physically,And intellectually. It is a lifelong process... p. 12

The title of the book, Lift Your Sails, the Challenge of Being a

Christian, comes both from Father Dwyer's love of sailing and

the teaching of an early Church Father who said that "the task

we face is to lift our sails and set out on the journey to the

Father." Lift Your Sails is a reflection of Father Dwyer's own

journey. It shares a personal method of meeting God and

integrating that encounter into your life.

You can read Lift Your Sails quickly as an insightful

approach to prayer. It is entertaining, also. But it can be

used as "lectio divina", too: reading and reflecting your way

through the book. When something in the text seems meaningful,

you can let the Holy Spirit guide your reflection to deepen into

prayer. Lift Your Sails is a wonderful spiritual guide.

The book begins with Jesus' invitation to "Come, follow

me." "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." (John 14:6)

Father Dwyer explains that God invites each one of us on an

adventure. An adventure to a pilgrimage that will lead to God.

"The winds of God's grace are always blowing; we need only make

the effort to lift our sails." P. 36.

Two things are necessary for your journey towards God:

humility and love. By humility, Dwyer means believing that God

loves you as you are, and you are exactly what God intended you

to be. Never consider yourself worthless. You are the image of

God. Love is communicated and communication means staying in

tune. Not everyone says what he or she means. Pay attention to

what people do, not necessarily what they say. Father Dwyer

gives as an example his father who never said in words that he

loved him. Yet his father, who lost everything in the

depression, worked hard for his family to provide everything-

food, clothes, a place that was comfortable.

Of course, communication also includes staying in tune

with all God does for us too. Observe the world around you and

see how God takes care of us because He loves us.

Once we realize how much God loves us, some people feel

ashamed that they wasted so much of their life loving the wrong

things. Father Dwyer explains,

...However, the truth of the matter is that as we

proceed on our journey

We are accountable only for the light we have. There's no point in dwelling on the mistakes we've made; our only task is to nurture our potential for growth. Pp. 57-8

True, love and friendship involve a deep commitment. This is

difficult for a lot of people. Fear of rejection or being hurt,

may be a reason for a fear of commitment. But Dwyer argues that

love is necessary, and well worth taking chances. Keep trying.

God loves us and wants us to love.

Through the centuries, the Church has taught us to

follow Christ message. To everyone, in each generation,

however, that task is different. Whatever our circumstances,

whoever we are, we must always be open to the Holy Spirit. This

shapes our journey. No one sails through life always on calm

seas. We have to learn to trust the Holy Spirit. Dwyer calls

this "dialogue." A dialogue with the God who lives in each of

us and who will always answer when we call.

To enter dialogue one needs to be a friend and be open

to friendship. This involves forgiving and being forgiven. We

have been created to relate. We have been created to be loved

by the Father and to love and adore Him. As we develop our

prayer lives we discover that it's all about relationship-our

friendship with God.

Dwyer relates the stories of his parents' spirituality.

For his father, faith meant going to Mass and prayers. He went

to daily mass and said his rosary and novenas that were popular

in his day. His mother on the other hand, felt that just being

with God was prayer. She spent a lot of time walking the

beach. Both these approaches to prayer brought each one close

to God. At the end of their lives, they were prepared to meet

God.

Prayer has been described in various ways but it always

involves a relationship with God and the individual and God and

the community. Through the book, Lift Your Sails, Father

Dwyer explains that God is always there, waiting for us. "The

winds of God's grace are always blowing; we need only make the

effort to lift our sails." Dwyer ends his book by praying for

the reader and the reader's journey toward God.

Well, done, Father Dwyer, even a "land lubber" like

myself can relate. I enjoyed the Trappist spirituality and

Father Dwyer even makes it palpable. He even suggests that our

centering prayer be three minutes, twice a day. Three minutes!

Now, I can't use the excuse, "I don't have time." Father

Dwyer's own journey makes it easy to relate to him. His growing

up in Scituate, is familiar to anyone who has grown up going to

the beach in New England. His prayer instructions, suggested

readings, charts on relationships and prayer, make his

spirituality understandable, interesting and real. I recommend

this book to all Christians who yearn for a closer relationship

with God. Begin your journey with Lift Your Sails. You will

find the book helpful and enjoyable.

la parte que mas me gusto fue la del camaleon. because he is like a dinosaur

This book reels you in from page one. With all the twists and turns you cannot put it down. This book is a definite favorite for everyone on my gift list. Fantastic!!

This is Vincent J. Begley's "young adult" version of the life of Dorothy... yes, of "Wizard of Oz" fame. Begley's adult version is due out soon.
The story introduces us to a life of Dorothy that we never knew existed, and there are many surprises along the way.
Entertaining, surprising, at times both sad and glad...Dorothy's life as Mr. Begley shows us will leave us with a lot to think about.
I look forward to his adult version, too, which will show some of what happens in the later years of her life.

I found this book to be an excellent source of information to REALLY understand what is going on with the health care system. It has helped me better understand the smoke the politicians try to cloud the real issues with so I can be better informed as a voter and concerned citizen.

I think some of the information which is presented here will really surprise people as it debunks a lot of the "common knowledge" about the uninsured, HMO's, and more.

Definitely worth reading if you care about the health care system our kids will be having to live with.

This book is being used as a textbook in our technology classes where a less rigorous coverage of DC/AC fundamentals is desired and which includes the topics of three-phase voltage and an introduction to motors and generators. We use this book as the DC/AC text for our HVAC, Electrical and Mechanical Maintenance programs. The author covers P-Spice simulation in the last chapter which could be left out without taking anything away from the book, in other words, nice, but not necessary.

This is an excellent math book, as a supplement or as the main body of work. I use it to home school my 10 year old, and am very pleased with the math problems in the book and the way it is presented!

Perfect for a homeschool environment. Offered an elevated level of challenge for my bright child. Would definitely recommend it for extra practice for traditionally schooled children as well.

As a homeschooler, I have found this to be one of the best grade 3 math books on the market. The content is appropriate for the age level and the pace is one that the average student will have no problem keeping up with. The book gradually guides the student from simple addition all the way through division with ease and stability not found in more contemporary math books.