Seeking Grace with Every Step: The Spirituality of John Denver. - book reviews

National Catholic Reporter, Nov 21, 1997 by Mark G. Boyer

Mark G. Boyer, Springfield, Mo.

I wish to recommend Seeking Grace With Every Step: The Spirituality of John Denver, Leavenhouse Publications, Springfield, Mo., 1996. This book by a fan of John Denver's music--written well before his tragic death--analyzes and categorizes the themes that occur in the lyrics of the songs Denver has written alone or in collaboration with others since 1969. The title is part of a line from a song on his hit album from 1972, "Rocky Mountain High" While the song is about a 27-year-old man getting in touch with his spirit in the mountains, it is also a song about the force that inspires one's spirit-God, who is revealed through a lifetime of experiences. Indeed, this is what spirituality is-seeking grace, who is God, with every step at every time and in every place. Anyone who can sing about "talking to God and listening to the casual reply" or "Christ on the cross burning with desire" has some religious dimension to his life, fueled by a definite spiritual sense. The book guides the reader through an analysis of Denver's spirituality, as it is gleaned from the major and minor themes of his songs.