It’s the nature of most believers to seek a means of communing with their Creator. However, there are so many choices, where does one begin?

Just Begin: A Sourcebook of Spiritual Practices, Dann E. Wigner’s collection of 40 different spiritual practices from both Eastern and Western traditions, is a good place to start. In this collection from Church Publishing Incorporated, Wigner explains each of the practices, gives a brief background of how they came to be, and invites us to “just begin” to explore them with step by step practical instructions.

Now that the unexpected “downtime” we were gifted with during the pandemic to reflect has become a thing of the past as we re-enter the busyness of our world, it’s difficult, again, to find the time to cultivate spiritual practices. However, the few minutes a day you set aside for quiet time can be invaluable in building a closer relationship with God.

Wigner offers many different ways to enhance that relationship. If, trying some, you find they’re not really for you, try another and another until you find a few that resonate with you. The beauty of spiritual practices is that there’s something for everyone.

The author includes the more familiar practices such as Prayer, Meditation, and Journaling, going on to explore Walking the Labyrinth, Fasting, and Using Prayer Beads.

Some of the practices that were new to me were Stargazing, Mindful Eating, Body Scan, and Drumbeat. I found the section on “Embodying” especially interesting, which included Body Flow: Pilates with Mindfulness and Body Flow: Yoga with Centering Prayer.

I can see this handbook being useful in many ways in church life. It would be helpful in retreat planning (both in-person and virtual) and for themes for both Men’s and Women’s groups. It also would be an asset to youth leaders in seeking different ideas to help engage youth in a deeper prayer life.

The book also includes Frequently Asked Questions and Discussion Questions with each chapter, so it could be used as an ongoing program of learning the different spiritual practices.

On a personal level, I will be purchasing my own copy of Just Begin so I can try all of these practices in the future to see which ones enable a closer bond between me and my Creator.

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.