081 - In Constant Prayer

By now we've reviewed almost the whole Ancient Practices Series.  Here's one of the last remaining ones we haven't gone over yet.  In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson was an excellent read.  He challenges his readers to... get ready for this... pray.  It seems like something so simple, but it's such a beautiful concept.  Something that we all know we should be doing, but at the same time so often forget to do.  How can we make prayer an integrated part of our lives where it becomes engrained in us?  What can we do to "pray without ceasing"?  Benson tackles those questions and more.

I'm supposed to let you know I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a fair and honest review.

066 - A Pastor Prays for His People

I love a good prayer book.  This one couldn't have been a better fit for me.  I just moved across the country to take a new position as an associate at a new church, and when I saw Tyndale offering this book I thought it would be a great tool to kickstart my ministry.  I was amazed at how well the book is written.  With prayers that are practical and Biblical I couldn't put this book down.  I used it over and over each day for a couple weeks.  I was enthralled.  I would strongly recommend this book to any pastor out there.  If you're struggling with a difficult board or getting to know new people this book would be helpful.  Go check it out today.

Also, according to the law I’m supposed to let you know that I received this book for free to review.  However, in no way has that impacted my review, I wrote honestly and openly about what I thought of the book.

037 - Mystically Wired

Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson is an excellent book on prayer. More often than not books on prayer simply push the reader to just pray more. Block off more time, make sure you go to a certain type of place, or try to pray more often are normal “go-get-em” pep talks that most books give. However, Wilson’s book teaches about prayer. His book walks the reader through his journey in pray and how he grew dissatisfied with the traditional “do more” prayer books. Wilson challenges his readers to really connect with God through prayer rather than simply sticking through it. Wilson breaks down the human brain and what prayer and meditation does in the brain and the physical benefits for the believer.

The book was excellent. The only negative is that often some of the scientific brain study information was a little difficult to comprehend. The idea that pray has a physical impact on the brain is really intriguing, but I would have expected the information to be presented so that anyone reading could grasp the concept. I love the practical suggestions Wilson includes at the end of the book. The practical suggestions and the bibliography are worth the price of the book. Make sure to pick this book up.

Also, I’m supposed to let you know that I was given a free review copy of the book, but that has nothing to do with whether or not I liked it.

003 - The Open Gate

I recently worked my way through the short book, The Open Gate. It is a collection of prayers written by the author (David Adam) and various other famous figures from church history. The book offers everything from short prayers to long prayers. Prayers for confession, worship, intercession, and thanks. Adam does an excellent job compiling these prayers in practical sections that someone could turn to whenever needed.

The only issue I take with this book is that it never makes it known that pre-written prayers are a good starting point, but don't work well for the entirety of your prayer time. One could easily pick up this book and believe that if they read one of the prayers each day God will be happy with them. It creates a false idea that prayer needs to be formal and written by one of the professionals. But if one is willing to simply use the book as a catalyst for their prayer life they will find that enriches and deepens their time with the Creator.