Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year

""An excellent book for readers interested in finding a new meditation technique or nonsectarian spiritual practice or who simply want to slow down and give more depth to their lives."" --Library Journal

Your word is waiting, hovering just beneath the surface. All you need is the quiet courage to listen and receive it.

Beginning in around the third century CE, a group of monastics known as the desert mothers and fathers retreated to the deserts of northern Egypt, Syria, and Palestine to pursue lives of silence and prayer. A key phrase, repeated often among the sayings of the desert mothers and fathers, is ""Give me a word."" This tradition of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months--sometimes a whole lifetime.

Fast-forward many centuries to the present day, and we find the practice of seeking a word being reclaimed by the spiritually minded in new ways. For nearly two decades, Abbey of the Arts has posted an online invitation to its virtual community before Christmas, inviting people to listen for a word to guide them in the year ahead. Hundreds of participants look forward to the practice each year.

In Give Me a Word, spiritual director and poet Christine Valters Paintner offers thirty contemplative and creative practices inviting you to slow down and listen for a word to guide you through the year ahead. Instead of chasing after resolutions, Paintner encourages a more mindful approach--letting go of expectations and becoming open to wisdom from unexpected places.

Give Me a Word will gently lead you through the process of receiving your word, testing its resonance, and embracing its meaning. As you reflect on and live by this word, you'll find it offering insight, clarity, and purpose throughout the year. Give Me a Word invites you to enter a season of deep listening, inner growth, and spiritual discovery.

Author: Christine Valters Paintner
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Broadleaf Books
Published: 09/16/2025
Pages: 197
Weight: 0.49lbs
Size: 7.04h x 5.15w x 0.49d
ISBN: 9798889831266


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/01/2025 pg. 95

About the Author
Paintner, Christine Valters: -

Christine Valters Paintner is the online abbess at Abbey of the Arts, a virtual global monastery offering retreats, prayer services, books, and resources to nurture contemplative practice and creative expression. A writer, poet, spiritual director, and teacher, she earned her PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley and is a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator (REACE). Paintner is the author of over 20 books on spirituality including The Artist's Rule and Breath Prayer. She and her husband, John, live on the west coast of Ireland, where together they shepherd Abbey of the Arts and lead online programs.