The life stories of the Celtic saints are inspirational. They demonstrate great and unassuming faith, often in the face of insurmountable difficulties. In Celtic Saints David Cole draws us to relate our own life journey and developing relationship with God into the life story of the Celtic saint of the day. A corresponding biblical text and blessing encourages and motivates us to transform our lives for today's world in the light of such historic faith. Previously published as 40 Days with the Celtic Saints.

Todos oramos... algo.

Oramos por mantenernos sobrios, centrados o solventes. Cuando el tumor parece maligno. Cuando el dinero se acaba antes de que termine el mes. Cuando el matrimonio se desmorona. Oramos.

Pero acaso no nos gustaria orar mas? Mejor? Con mas intensidad? Con mas fuego, fe o fervor?

Sin embargo, tenemos hijos que alimentar, facturas que pagar, plazos de entrega por cumplir. El calendario se abalanza sobre nuestras buenas intenciones como un tigre sobre un conejo. Y que me dices de los altibajos en nuestra historia de oracion? Palabras inciertas. Expectativas sin alcanzar. Peticiones sin respuesta.

No somos los primeros en tener problemas con la oracion. Los primeros seguidores de Jesus tambien necesitaron orientacion sobre la oracion. De hecho, el unico manual de instruccion que pidieron fue sobre la oracion.

Y Jesus les dio una oracion. No un sermon sobre la oracion. No la doctrina de la oracion. El les dio una oracion citable, repetible, portatil. Acaso no podemos usar la misma?

En "Antes del amen" el reconocido autor Max Lucado se une a los lectores en un recorrido al corazon mismo de la oracion biblica, ofreciendo esperanza ante las dudas y confianza hasta para los mas debiles en la oracion. Destilando distintas oraciones de la Biblia en una oracion de bolsillo sencilla, Max recuerda a los lectores que la oracion no es un privilegio para el piadoso, ni tampoco el arte de unos pocos escogidos. La oracion es simplemente una conversacion sincera entre Dios y su hijo. Dejemos que comience la conversacion.

Prayer, the greatest fringe benefit of being a Christian, is God's enticement to get our attention. He likes our company. Access to God means access to ultimate power. We are all on level ground here. Whether you are middle class, aristocratic, royal, rich, poor, red, yellow, black, or white, you are valued by your heavenly Father as much as anybody who has ever lived. God will take on your case as if you were the most important person who ever lived. Prayer gives you that privilege--access to ultimate power. God can make anything happen. He can heal. Solve any problem. Change your financial situation. Vindicate. Open doors. Cause everything that has happened in your past (whether it was right or wrong or whether you were right or wrong) to work together for good (Rom. 8:28). Prayer is one of the most fundamental practices of the Christian faith, yet how many of us really commit adequate time to talking to God? As R. T. Kendall points out in Did You Think to Pray? we can only benefit from spending more time with Him.

Prayer is a word we take for granted. Ought we to do so? What do we mean by prayer? What does the word mean in the Christian context? Almost always when we talk about prayer we refer to something we do. From that standpoint, questions problems, confusion, discouragement and illusions multiply. For Burrows it is essential to correct this view. Our Christian knowledge assures us that prayer is essentially what God does, how God addresses us, looks at us. And what God is doing for us is giving us the Divine Self in love. What then is the core of the central message of the revelation of Jesus? It is the unconditional love of God for us, for each one of us. God the unutterable, incomprehensible Mystery, the Reality of all reality, the Life of all Life. And this means that divine Love desires to communicate its Holy Self to us. This is the richness of the vision of a contemplative nun who contradicts the heresy of so much modern writing about the spiritual like- namely that we reach God by running faster. The growing fascination for the public of the contemplative and monastic life is evidence of the profound appeal of this approach. For this there is a real hunger. At its simplest we do no look for success so as to be assured that we do believe. We give ourselves over completely to divine love. Ultimately, we live for God and not for ourselves.

Help for the restless or distracted at Mass: Here are the keys to prayerful participation at Mass. You'll learn how to quiet your soul and concentrate your mind so that you can grow more receptive to the graces Christ offers you in the Mass.

Multi-award winning spirituality writer Philip Yancey is loved throughout the world for his honest, insightful and inspirational writing. PRAYER: DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? carries all the hallmarks of classic Yancey, a journalist by training. His quest to unravel the mysteries of prayer reads as the journal of a fellow traveller: questioning, challenging, lamenting the unexplainable and rejoicing in the discovery of awesome insights. His journey is beautifully illustrated with moving true stories drawn from around the world. PRAYER: DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? tackles the following questions: What is prayer? What difference does it make? Why and how should we pray? What about unanswered prayer? How should we understand prayer for physical healing? Focusing on such a universal theme, this is potentially Yancey's biggest book yet. To date, his books have sold over 14 million copies, and have been translated into 25 languages. His first book with Hodder, SOUL SURVIVOR, sold over 90,000 copies in just five years.

A companion to Stormie Omartian's brand-new book, Prayer Warrior, this study guide helps readers to further explore God's Word and His promises. This more in-depth journey looks at many aspects of every believer's call to pray and how those prayers can be full of strength and purpose, and result in great victory. Readers will be offered prayer tools as they

• put on their protective armor each morning
• condition themselves to be all that they can be
• pray the prayers every prayer warrior must know

Created for individuals or small groups, Prayer Warrior Study Guide provides thoughtful questions, helpful discussion insights, and other creative ways to go deeper with this important content.

For anyone who longs to experience God in the thick of life's demands, Sara Hagerty's Adore offers a simple, soul-nourishing practice for engaging with God in the middle minutes of your day. None of us signed up for a conventional experience with the unconventional God, yet too often the spiritual life can become routine, dare we say, even boring. In Adore, Sara Hagerty gives us all permission to admit "I barely know You, God," and with this honest admission, to scoot a little nearer to this familiar stranger. Adoration is the simple practice Sara discovered for starting where you are, and letting the grit of your day greet the beauty of God's presence. Adoration is for the woman who feels frenzied and fearful in the middle minutes of her day. It is a simple practice for 7:37 a.m. when the children are waking and the dryer is already humming but also for the 12:17 p.m. lunch break and for 5:53 p.m. while stuck in traffic. Adoration is the place where we put how we feel in front of God's Word, and watch what happens to our insides. It's what you were made for. Join Sara in this soul-stirring journey through thirty attributes of God which you can walk through at your own pace. Learn how the simple habit of adoration--in the middle minutes of your day--can help you see God with fresh eyes, and talk to Him right there. Experience a new way of engaging with God in your everyday. Adore will show you how.

La innovadora serie "Guerrero en oracion" culmina con el mas personal discernimiento de lo que es la dinamica de la oracion y la guerra espiritual.

Con mas de un cuarto de millon de libros en circulacion, la siere Guerrero en oracion del Dr. Wagner ha bosquejado los comos y los porques de la oracion. En "Oremos con poder," aborda varias cuestiones fundamentales de hablar con Dios.

"Let's put aside any false humility or pride," author John Snyder says, "and come before God with boldness, asking for the moon." He reminds us that the Bible says we are to ask and then ask again. Over and over. Day in. Day out.

When the need is so great, so seemingly impossible that only God's direct intervention will ever bring it about, it takes a different kind of prayer. "Your 100 Day Prayer" is designed to take you straight to the heart and will of God by seeking him for a specific need. This book includes:

A dedicated page to express your need before God on the day you start your 100 day of prayer, 100 entries to help you focus your prayer through the truth of God's Word and character, Leading prayers to give you a jump start, Writing space to capture your conversations with the Father and the spiritual transformation you experience day by day, andA concluding page to memorialize how God answered your prayer and transformed you through the process."Your 100 Day Prayer" will help you access the power of sustained petitioning prayer. You will find advice and encouragement for pleading one specific need. And you will discover that God does respond.
A powerful witness to the place of prayer in the Christian life with a user friendly daily discipline to introduce you to it. Highly recommended.

--Thomas W. Gillespie, President Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey

The concept of "Your 100 Days of Prayer" is inspired, and can only accomplish great things for our nation and the Kingdom of God if we'll all cooperate and implement it. The Lord is waiting to see if we have the courage and the desire. He is able.

--Pat Boone, singer, actor, producer, author, and motivational speaker

Conversing with our Father in prayer is critical to spiritual growth. In "Your 100 Day Prayer," John Snyder provides very practical and diverse meditations that will most certainly enhance the reader's prayer life and set the tone for daily living that is focused on God.

--Rick Dempsey, Sr. Vice President, The Walt Disney Studios

In today's Internet age of instant gratification, it's all too easy for Christians to "want it now" and expect the Lord to instantly honor Matthew 7:7: "Ask and it will be given to you . . ." John Snyder's excellent book provides a beautiful pathway to journal our 100 days of focused prayer as we are transformed in the process.

--David Pack, Saddleback Church/ Orange County, Calif. Grammy winning Recording Artist & Music Producer

In this 100 day pilgrimage, Dr. Snyder has woven four great Christian traditions together--daily scripture reading, devotional insight, prayer, and journaling. You cannot practice these disciplines faithfully and emerge unchanged. I think that you will find when the journey has ended, that God has been your guide and your destination."

--Dr. Ed Ewart, MOO Church, Mission Viejo, CA

If you already enjoy a daily, satisfying prayer life, don't read this book. But if you're looking for something to stimulate you to become more faithful and systematic, John Snyder's "Your 100 Day Prayer" offers you an opportunity to focus on talking to God daily and making it an ongoing habit.

--Cecil Murphey, author or co-author of more than 100 books including "90 Minutes in Heaven" and "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story"

John Snyder has taken a chapter out of his own life and made it available to all of us..."Your 100 Day Prayer" is an incredibly practical and powerful tool for any individual or family who desires to develop and strengthen their prayer life.

--Matt Kees, Director, Christian Musician Summit conferences, and Music Producer

When you're faced with a mountain you can't climb alone, you need more than friendly advice In this amazing and transforming book, John Snyder takes you on a life-changing journey through 100 days of personal prayer as you follow Jesus' command to ask, seek, and knock. Whether you have a special need or you want a more consistent, meaningful prayer time with God, "Your 100 Day Prayer "gives you daily practical guidance, hope, and encouragement. This is definitely a must-read for ALL Christians

--Gregg Bissonette, Grammy winning musician, drummer