Henri Nouwen is warmly regarded as one of the most popular and prolific spiritual writers of the late twentieth century. In this volume of short reflective pieces, Charles Ringma identifies the root of his powerful appeal -- his ability and willingness to write about the whole gamut of life and faith from a perspective of vulnerable openness. It is appropriate therefore that Hear the Heart Beat, which draws on all Nouwen's published works, invites us to give fresh attentiveness to the importance of matters of the heart in determining who we are, what we become and what we do.