Nurture your inner monk and surrender to the natural grace and rhythm of your heart's deepest longings. "The whole world is, in fact, a text of sacred revelation. All experience has the potential to be revelatory, and God is singing one unending song seducing each of our hearts. So the call is to listen, to attune to the words God utters in the world." —from the Afterword Break open this ancient contemplative practice of listening deeply for God's voice in sacred texts. Drawing on her own experience as a monk in the world, Christine Valters Paintner introduces the foundations for a practice of lectio divina. She closely examines each of the four movements of lectio divina as well as the rhythm they create when practiced as a process. She then invites you to expand your practice beyond traditional sacred texts to a sacred reading of the world through image, sound, nature and life experience. Whether you want to start a contemplative prayer practice or deepen your experience of lectio divina in new ways, you are invited to savor the gifts lectio divina has to offer your heart and spirit.

In these modern times, we are easily distracted by the cares of the world. We quickly forget those who have died, even those souls who were once so very dear to us in life. We even fail to be mindful of our own salvation and our entire purpose to love, serve, and know God through His Catholic Church. Draw Us after Thee was lovingly compiled in the hopes of helping us to remember these urgent realities. This collection organizes together many of the beautiful practices which Catholic could reap so many spiritual rewards from, whether for the merit of their own souls or for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and in a way that is simple and manageable, even to those with very busy lives. It includes daily prayers and devotions that carry indulgences, taken word-for-word from The Raccolta, as well as a place to record personal traditions and important events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and feast days of the family...

As we evolve, so do our prayers; as our prayers evolve, so do we. This is the evolution of illumination, the collective voice of the soul of the world.

"How Do You Pray?" was born from a vision in which Celeste Yacoboni was told to ask the world, "How Do You Pray?" She reached out to leading spiritual, shamanic, scientific teachers, guides, and activists and asked for their response. Culled from those responses is an original and deeply personal collection of essays. Talking intimately and candidly about how they pray, these personalities encourage the reader to contemplate the intention of prayer in their own life.

This collection speaks to the reader's heart and asks "What is your soul's expression? How do you dance in ecstasy, bare your soul to the divine? Bow in gratitude? Merge with nature? Cry out for guidance? How do you pray?"

This groundbreaking and moving book gathers responses from leaders of diverse spiritual and religious traditions ranging from Buddhism to Islam to Christianity, as well as those who do not claim one or any particular walk of faith. Contributors include Brother David Steindl-Rast, Matthew Fox, James O'Dea, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Tessa Bielecki, Lama Surya Das, Hank Wesselman, Father Bede Griffiths, Byron Katie, Joan Halifax, Normandi Ellis, Andrew Harvey, Dan Millman, Kristena Prater, Nicki Scully, Mirabai Starr, and more.

This book is a beautiful gift package with matte laminate cover and red ribbon.

A celebration of the voices of women of color in prayer Women of color pray and have prayed out of necessity for survival, out of love for the Divine and because we believe in the power of prayer. Prayer has been the prevailing force behind the education of our children, protection and courage for our men, hope for our daughters and the balm that heals sorrows. —from the Introduction Prayers by women around the world—from China and Japan, to Syria and Ghana—to African American, Asian American, Native American and Hispanic women in the United States including: Teresa Palomo Acosta Yolanda Adams Rabi’a Al-Adawiyya Paula Gunn Allen Savitri Bess Mary McLeod Bethune Irene I. Blea Sandra Cisneros Marian Wright Edelman Rachelle Ferrell Monique Greenwood Joy Harjo Linda Hogan Patricia Locke Janice Mirikitani Toni Morrison Naomi Quinonez Della Reese Cathy Song Susan L. Taylor Sojourner Truth Harriet Tubman Iyanla Vanzant Phillis Wheatley CeCe Winans Empress Yamatohime ... and many others This beautiful collection of prayers will take you on a journey into the spiritual walk of women of color around the world—including Asia, the Middle East and Africa—as well as Native American, African American, Asian American and Hispanic women in the United States. Through these prayers, poetry, lyrics, meditations and affirmations, you will share in the strong and undeniable connection that women of color share with God. As you delve into the words of unwavering faith, perseverance, resistance, celebration and communion with God and family that fill each page, you will find your ideas about prayer challenged and your own prayer life inspired and renewed.

This source of strength and solace for millions of Christian clergy and laypeople throughout the world can be a companion for your own spiritual journey. For centuries, Christians of different traditions and seekers from various backgrounds have found strength for their spiritual journey in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). First composed in 1549 by Thomas Cranmer, Henry VIII's Archbishop of Canterbury, the BCP, alongside Shakespeare's works and the King James Bible, helped shape the English language. Today almost eighty million Anglican Christians throughout the world use the BCP in public worship, and countless people—Anglican and otherwise—use it in their private devotional life. In this unique presentation of selections—organized by themes such as "Blessings in Times of Joy and Pain," "Called to Serve" and “Praise and Petition�—with facing-page commentary, C. K. Robertson offers fascinating insights into the history and heritage of the BCP. He also makes available the riches of this spiritual treasure chest for all who are interested in deepening their life of prayer, building stronger relationships and making a difference in the world.

Logos Bookstore Association Award for Christian Living One of the most basic and vital dimensions of the Christian life is the practice of prayer. Frequently our prayers begin with a petition or request, so the content of our prayers is informed by our circumstances. But what if the opposite were true? What if we allowed our prayers to inform our lives? What would our lives be like if prayer altered our living and began to shape the contours and content of our daily experiences? Gordon Smith invites us to learn three movements of prayer-thanksgiving, confession, and discernment-in order to be formed and transformed by prayers that seek God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Whether you are a beginner in the life of prayer or further along, this small book is a resource for deepening your prayer practice.

Prayer is a central aspect of religion. Even amongst those who have abandoned organized religion levels of prayer remain high. Yet the most basic questions remain unaddressed: What exactly is prayer? How does it vary? Why do people pray and in what situations and settings? Does prayer imply a god, and if so, what sort? A Sociology of Prayer addresses these fundamental questions and opens up important new debates. Drawing from religion, sociology of religion, anthropology, and historical perspectives, the contributors focus on prayer as a social as well as a personal matter and situate prayer in the conditions of complex late modern societies worldwide. Presenting fresh empirical data in relation to original theorising, the volume also examines the material aspects of prayer, including the objects, bodies, symbols, and spaces with which it may be integrally connected.

Vincent BrA1/4mmer's classic book on prayer from 1984 provides a comprehensive philosophical analysis of central issues regarding the nature and practice of prayer. What do we do when we ask things of other people, when we thank them or praise them, when we express penitence for what we have done to them and ask their forgiveness? And how does doing these things in relation to God differ from when we do them in relation to other people? And what does this entail for the existence and nature of the God to whom we pray? This new edition has been substantially revised and updated. Three new chapters have been added which develop in detail a hint by G.K. Chesterton that faith 'is not a thing like a theory but a thing like a love affair.' Since prayer is the expression of this 'love affair' it is also the clue to understanding the nature of faith. These chapters contribute significantly to the current academic interest in spirituality by showing how BrA1/4mmer's analysis of prayer helps us to understand the nature of spirituality, of faith and religious belief, and of theology. Spirituality is not aimed at achieving religious 'experiences' or mystical 'knowledge' about God; it is primarily aimed at attaining the religious form of life and at coming to see the world in the light of faith. Religious belief is not merely a cognitive enterprise like science; it cannot be divorced from spirituality and the life of faith, and is therefore fundamentally existential and not merely intellectual. Serving as a valuable core text for students, this book also contributes to a number of current debates in theology and philosophy of religion: the debates on realism and religious belief, on the rationality of faith and the nature of theology, on the relation between religious belief and morality, on the relation between science and religion and the lively debate among evangelical Christians in America on the 'openness of God.'

"Praying" is the second in a series of books that offer Christians a new way of understanding what it means to live and worship among America's many faiths, and introduces them to the religions that make up the American neighborhood. "Praying" will explore public, family, and individual worship in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Zoroastrianism, American indigenous spiritualities, Chinese spiritualities (Confucianism, Taoism), Shinto, and Afro-Caribbean religions. Praying answers and discusses questions such as these: How does your religion understand/measure the passage of time: daily, weekly, annually, over the course of a lifetime? What is the vocabulary of ritual and practice in your religion? (e.g., worship, prayer, meditation, pilgrimage, feasting and fasting) Is there a distinction between public and private/individual worship/practice in your religion? What are this religion's most distinctive practices? What makes them so significant? "Praying "includes a quick guide to each religion, a glossary, and recommended reading.

Lorna Byrne has helped millions of people around the world by calling on them to realise that they each have a guardian angel and by showing them that can ask for help from God and the angels. Lorna is often asked for help on how to ask and how to pray, so in this new book she gives detailed advice and also includes prayers for different occasions. She says: 'Sometimes our prayers are so focussed on asking for things, we forget to listen out for what God, the angels and our love ones are trying to tell us. God always has this abundance of blessings prepared for us, small blessings and great blessings. He wants to give every individual great life-changing blessings, beginning when that individual is born. God will do everything to make it happen, but He will never infringe on an individual's free will, which a good reason for us to engage intelligent conversation with him - listening as well as asking - in prayer.'

""When we approach God humbly and bow down before Him, we put ourselves in a position to hear from Him."" "" "Are you longing to hear God's voice but feeling disconnected?" God wants to speak directly to each of His beloved children--not to just a few "spiritual elite." Priscilla Shirer looks at God's call to Samuel and uncovers six characteristics essential for hearing from God: A simple relationship--unfettered by sin or pride. A single-minded worship--focused on God and His glory. A set-apart holiness--determined to live a life that honors Him. A still attentiveness--willing to be silent before Him. A sold-out hunger--passionately pursuing God's presence. A servant spirit--submitted to God's call. Her warmth and honesty, combined with a wealth of practical help, will inspire you to cultivate these traits in your own life. By doing so, you will prepare yourself to draw closer to Him and to hear His voice more clearly.

Move closer to God one day at a time by reading the Psalms and practicing prayer in ways you may not have imagined before. This is a prayer book for every day of the year for people who don't usually think about using a prayer book. Drawing on a wide variety of resources—lives of saints and sages from every age, psalms, guides for personal reflection and suggestions for practice—Rev. Larry J. Peacock offers helpful guidance for anyone hungry for a richer prayer life. Each day's reading has four parts: Remember a notable person of faith or a significant event Read a psalm or another scripture passage Ponder that day's scripture or person of faith Practice a variety of ways to pray, including prayer through play, music and physical movement This new edition features the addition of ancient and modern sages from inside and outside the Christian tradition as well as updated resources for deepening your spiritual life throughout the year.

To pray is to know God. "If God really cared he would answer my prayer." "I hesitate to ask him anything." "I can't understand why he continues to ignore my deepest needs." Bingham Hunter recognizes that most believers have these thoughts from time to time. He encourages us to look at prayer from the standpoint of who God is. The true aim of prayer is intimacy with God. We pray effectively when we make him the desire of our hearts, Hunter answers our questoins about prayer by directing us to the nature and attributes of God and to our own lives. God responds not to our prayers but to who we are--what we think, feel, will and do. Prayer is communication from the whole person to the Wholeness that is the living God.