Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith

by Eric A. Clayton

Overview

Tell your story, change your life.

Each of us has a story to tell. And each of our stories makes up a vital thread of the tapestry of human life: God’s great story of love and creativity. The catalyst for this personal reflection is often a “cannonball moment”—a time of (sometimes explosive) change in our lives brimming with both challenge and opportunity, heartache and joy. In recognizing these cannonball moments, we see more fully the breadth and depth of our personal story and the values that underpin it. This self-work empowers us to listen more attentively to our hearts and to the stories of others—and to inspire all to act for the common good.

By applying Ignatian principles of inner work and self-reflection to storytelling, Eric Clayton offers guidance on how to notice details in your daily life, to develop an attitude of healthy indifference in matters great and small, and respond to feelings of restlessness with clarity and focus. This book offers encouragement and direction, examples to show the way, and practical exercises to help you discover and reflect on your own cannonball moments.

The time to tell your story is now.

2023 Illumination Book Awards Gold Medalist, Christian Living
2023 Independent Press Award Winner, Religion Nonfiction
2023 Catholic Media Association Book Award, First Place, Pastoral Ministry - Young & Young Adult
2023 Catholic Media Association Book Award, Honorable Mention, Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith



 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780829454376
Publisher:	Loyola Press
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Eric A. Clayton is the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. He lives in Baltimore, MD, with his wife and children.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Spirituality of Storytelling ix

Part 1 Who Am I? 1

1 When Values and Actions Don't Match 5

2 The Storytelling Practice of Hope 15

3 God Is in the Details 25

4 Caves and Cannonballs 39

Part 1 Reprise 55

Part 2 Whose Am I? 59

5 Prophetic Listening 65

6 What We Act Against 81

7 Story Standards 91

Part 2 Reprise 105

Part 3 Who Am I Called to Be? 109

8 Ignatian Restlessness 113

9 Ignatian Indifference 127

10 A Legacy of Contemplation and Action 143

Part 3 Reprise 161

Conclusion: A Pilgrim Story 165

Acknowledgments 171

Endnotes 173

About the Author 175

Editorial Reviews

Spiritual growth requires that we be willing to look at ourselves and our histories with fresh eyes; yet our personal stories are often the most rigidly held, leaving little room for healing and reinterpreting through the Holy Spirit. Cannonball Moments is a book for any spiritual seeker with the courage to re-examine stale narratives, the will to make sense of their story, and the desire for a greater sense of purpose. – Shannon K. Evans, author of Rewilding Motherhood and Embracing Weakness

The power of story can lead us down spiritual corridors to meet God. Mr. Clayton’s tale not only leads ultimately to God but also to healing and reconciliation. It is a spiritual roadmap in the Ignatian tradition, and reading it becomes a journey with Christ, who is the narrator of all our stories. – Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., author of The Crucible of Racism: Ignatian Spirituality and the Power of Hope.

Cannonball Moments is an engaging book full of stories and practical wisdom steeped in Ignatian spirituality.  It invites the reader to reflect on and share our personal stories of God encountering us in unexpected ways!  I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of God’s presence in the lived stories of our lives. – Becky Eldredge, Spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and author

Eric Clayton writes with passion and energy.  He roots spirituality, prayer and the search for God in everyday experience.  A wonderful help for anyone looking for their way forward and who wants to deepen their life. – Fr. John Dardis, S.J., General Counsellor for Discernment and Apostolic Planning and Director of Communications in the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome

In this insightful book, Eric Clayton thoughtfully and vulnerably shares his own stories, but also invites us to tell our own, and, above all, to see within them the loving presence of the God who often surprises us. With opportunities for reflection and contemplation throughout, this book is a beautiful, guided retreat for anyone who seeks to know God more intimately through joy and sorrow, certainly and confusion, and everything in between.– Cameron Bellm, author of A Consoling Embrace: Prayers for a Time of Pandemic

From the Publisher