Sacred Simplicities: Seeing the Miracles in Our Lives

A.J. Pell is editor of the Canadian Evangelical Review and an instructor
of Liturgy, Anglican Studies Program, Regent College, Vancouver.

Perhaps the most common of religious books at the present are books of
meditations, and Sacred Simplicities is yet another. This volume groups
107 meditations in six sections: “Seasons and Nature,”
“Connectedness,” “Broader Views,” “Life Happens,” “Going
Deep,” and “Reflections on Special Times.” Each two-page
meditation begins with a (usually) scriptural quotation and ends with a
quotation from a well-known figure. The meditations themselves are
stories from the author’s life, with some sort of personal reflection
or learning.

But whether a person reads one, or several at a time, there is nothing
that really sticks to the heart or mind. Perhaps it’s a result of a
mundane writing style. Perhaps it’s because none of the reflections or
learnings actually give the reader any penetrating new insights. Most
likely, however, it’s because these are “I” and “me” stories,
and no book can be built exclusively on such a narrow focus.