When sickness strikes, people around the world pray for healing. Many of the faithful claim that prayer has cured them of blindness, deafness, and metastasized cancers, and some believe they have been resurrected from the dead. Can, and should, science test such claims? A number of scientists say no, concerned that empirical studies of prayer will be misused to advance religious agendas. And some religious practitioners agree with this restraint, worrying that scientific testing could undermine faith. In Candy Gunther Brown's view, science cannot prove prayer's healing power, but what scientists can and should do is study prayer's measurable effects on health. If prayer produces benefits, even indirectly (and findings suggest that it does), then more careful attention to prayer practices could impact global health, particularly in places without access to conventional medicine. Drawing on data from Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians, Brown reverses a number of stereotypes about believers in faith-healing. Among them is the idea that poorer, less educated people are more likely to believe in the healing power of prayer and therefore less likely to see doctors. Brown finds instead that people across socioeconomic backgrounds use prayer alongside conventional medicine rather than as a substitute. Dissecting medical records from before and after prayer, surveys of prayer recipients, prospective clinical trials, and multiyear follow-up observations and interviews, she shows that the widespread perception of prayer's healing power has demonstrable social effects, and that in some cases those effects produce improvements in health that can be scientifically verified.

The Lord's Prayer is a simple prayer that goes back to Jesus. But even though it has been around for a long time, we no longer know how to pray it as it should be prayed. We grow up saying this prayer in a hurried way, we continue to recite it in a rush, and we risk dying without ever waking up to its richness. This book slows things down, in order to help us recognize something of the richness of this great prayer. There is a real need to reflect and meditate on each phrase of the Our Father, to 'chew' on the words as a cow would chew on the cud, to find the marrow of meaning, and so discover true nourishment. It is like digging for hidden treasure. Each chapter approaches a particular phrase of the Our Father from multiple perspectives, in order to facilitate a deepening level of engagement with its richness. By going through the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase, it is possible to taste something of the unique flavour of each line. Every chapter includes moving stories which throw a new spotlight on the marvellous riches concealed in this familiar prayer. Each chapter also includes short prayers based on the Lord's Prayer, prayers that get us in touch with the depth and breadth of this foundational prayer. Once we translate the spiritual wisdom of the Lord's Prayer into the personal language of our experience, we shall be led to a unique encounter with the God who yearns for us more than we could ever yearn for him.

Thomas Keating was a Cistercian monk who founded the worldwide 'Contemplative Outreach', teaching people the art of meditation. Invitation to Love provides a road map for the journey that begins when Centering Prayer is seriously undertaken. Pointing to some of the recognizable landmarks on this journey, as well as to its ultimate destination, Father Keating addresses common questions regarding contemplative practice: How will it affect my life? Where does it lead us spiritually? What obstacles will I encounter along the way? How does it work? Following on from Open Mind, Open Heart, this book establishes a dialogue between the insights of contemporary psychology and the classic Christian spiritual masters, providing a solid conceptual background for the practice of Centering Prayer. This is a practical book, articulating the stages of the process of spiritual growth, and outlining how we might develop a deeper relationship with God and move from contemplation to action.

Asi como nuestros padres y abuelos tienen sus libros de oraciones que pasaron de generacion en generacion, este libro pretende ser el libro de oraciones en espanol de la generacion mas joven de la iglesia. Oracion Comun para Ninos y Familias es una coleccion de oraciones y liturgias escritas para ninos y para los adultos o comunidades que oran con ellos. Imaginativamente ilustrado a plumilla, este libro contiene oraciones para la manana, el mediodia y la noche; oraciones para usar a traves del ano en la Iglesia y oraciones para todo tipo de ocasiones. En el centro de este libro esta la creencia de que la oracion forma nuestras vidas, por lo que debe ser accesible y significativa para los ninos y ninas. Las oraciones en este libro son llamadas "comunes" por diversas razones. Como el Libro de Oracion Comun, este busca proveer lenguaje, forma y teologia que reune a los episcopales en la oracion compartida. Ademas, las oraciones reflejan temas familiares para los ninos como el hogar, la escuela y el campamento. Pero mas que todo, estas oraciones son dichas en comunidad -siempre como parte de la comunidad santa de Dios que incluye a la familia y los amigos, los vivos y los fallecidos, los santos y los pecadores, los angeles, arcangeles y la compania de los cielos. Common Prayer for Children and Families is a collection of prayers and liturgies written for kids and the adults or communities who pray with them. Whimsically illustrated with pen and ink, this book contains prayers for morning, midday, and evening; prayers throughout the Church year; and prayers for all sorts of occasions. At the heart of this book is the belief that prayer shapes our lives and should be accessible and meaningful for children. The prayers in this book are called "common" for a variety of reasons; like the Book of Common Prayer, it seeks to provide a language, form, and theology that binds Episcopalians in shared prayer. In addition, prayers reflect themes with which children are commonly familiar, like home, school, and camps. Most of all, these prayers are held in common-always done within God's holy community that includes family and friends, the living and the dead, saints and sinners, angels, archangels, and the company of heaven.

A collection of children's stories by international bestselling author Lorna Byrne. Lorna Byrne says we all see angels when we are young children, but are gradually conditioned to screen them out. Here, for the first time, she has written stories, inspired by real life, of seven children whose lives were transformed and made better by their interaction with their guardian angels. Among these, there is a story of a little girl called Suzy, paralysed from birth and unable to play with other children. Angels play with her and bring her great happiness. In another story a little girl called Emma is mean to her classmates and gets her little brothers into trouble at home. Her guardian angel gradually prompts her towards a more harmonious and happy life. Tommy feels he is an outsider because he is no good at football. Then with his guardian angel's loving help and attention, Tommy scores a brilliant goal! Lorna began telling stories to her daughter Aideen at an age when, like all children, she was beginning to focus far more on the material world and less on spiritual influences. These stories are written to show children the ways in which they can ask for help from their guardian angels and perhaps even to catch a glimpse of them.

Contemplative prayer and the contemplative way of life are the central themes of this book. Against the backdrop of their rich experience of accompanying those coming on retreat to House Gries, Germany, the authors talk about what happens in silence: healing and wholeness, suffering and consolation, forgiveness and reconciliation, gratitude and joy... This originated from a desire to make more widely available the experiences that emerge through conversations between retreatants and guides. The individual chapters of the book, each based on a particular theme have a clear and consistent structure. A short introduction to the theme is followed by a conversation. Scripture, the writings of St. Ignatius, experiences from spiritual accompaniment as well as the authors' own personal experiences form the basis for these conversations. Through using the questions, "Where was my heart burning?" "Where were my eyes opened?" the authors pick out aspects in the conversation which triggered a particular resonance within them. Finally, each chapter concludes with short exercises for the reader, relevant to the theme.

Muslims are required to pray five times a day, but for too many of us these are little more than physical movements devoid of any spirit or divine connection? In contrast, the Prophet characterised prayer as “the spiritual ascent (mi'raj) of the believer.” In a modern world of constant distraction, how are we to achieve the communion with the Divine that prayer is supposed to be? How can we reach the state of the Prophet who would ask his Companion Bilal to give the call to prayer with the expression: “Give us repose through it, O Bilal.”

The present short but valuable work provides us with the answer. Dr Bassam Saeh, a scholar of the Arabic language, casts a refreshing new perspective on prayer in the modern context. With practical examples, and in contemporary idiom, he charts a path for the seeker of God’s pleasure to attain a deeper sense of consciousness and devotion in prayer. The short chapters of this work are designed to be read and reread as constant reminders for us to renew our commitment to the Divine in our prayer.

Speak in Tongues? About 95 percent of Spirit-baptized Christians don't understand the purposes and benefits of speaking in tongues. More than 600 million Christians have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, yet most do not utilize this precious gift to its full potential. And many who do speak in tongues on a regular basis do not fully understand all the benefits this gift brings. You can learn how to use your spirit language to see prayers answered, activate more faith, receive healing and victory, and increase God's love and power within your life and ministry. You can utilize the gifts of the Holy Spirit through speaking in tongues by learning: 70 Reasons for Speaking in Tongues15 Biblical Proof Reasons30 Personal Benefit and Blessing Reasons25 Powerful Spiritual Ministry Reasons"70 Reasons for Speaking in Tongues" was written for Spirit-filled believers and those who want to know more about this God-given, Holy Spirit-infused gift that has changed hearts and minds for generations.

Exploring why people pray, The Energy of Prayer examines theapplications and effectiveness of prayer in Buddhist and other spiritualtraditions. The book introduces several meditation methods thatre-envision prayer as an inclusive, accessible practice that is not tied toa particular religious or spiritual affiliation, but rather that helps anyonecreate healthy lives through the power of awareness and intention.Included are visualization and breathing exercises as well as a richsampling of prayers, chants, and invocations from the Buddhisttradition.

In this book you will learn a counseling approach in a ministry of prayer that uses seven specific prayers: Breaking generational sins and curses, Severing ungodly ties of the soul, Replacing negative expectations, Renouncing inner vows, Receiving divine pictures/visions, Casting out demons. Experiencing the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. You'll thoroughly process one issue at a time, utilizing all these prayers. The 'Contributing Strands Worksheet' will help you easily work through the prayers by yourself or with a counselor.

'This is a sacred treasury, a spiritual notebook which is very special to me, and which has touched and inspired me at different times over the years.' In To Live from the Heart: Mindful Paths to the Sacred, Sister Stan reveals how prayer can play an important part in all our lives, lifting our spirits and offering us hope and support in good times and bad. This comforting treasury of mindful meditations, prayers, proverbs and essays has helped to sustain Sister Stan through the years. In sharing them with us, she hopes they will nourish our souls, bring us peace on our journey through life, and inspire us to live from the heart.

This collection of ground-breaking essays considers the many dimensions of prayer: how prayer relates us to the divine; prayer's ability to reveal what is essential about our humanity; the power of prayer to transform human desire and action; and the relation of prayer to cognition. It takes up the meaning of prayer from within a uniquely phenomenological point of view, demonstrating that the phenomenology of prayer is as much about the character and boundaries of phenomenological analysis as it is about the heart of religious life.The contributors: Michael F. Andrews, Bruce Ellis Benson, Mark Cauchi, Benjamin Crowe, Mark Gedney, Philip Goodchild, Christina M. Gschwandtner, Lissa McCullough, Cleo McNelly Kearns, Edward F. Mooney, B. Keith Putt, Jill Robbins, Brian Treanor, Merold Westphal, Norman Wirzba, Terence Wright and Terence and James R. Mensch. Bruce Ellis Benson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College. He is the author of Graven Ideologies: Nietzsche, Derrida, and Marion on Modern Idolatry and The Improvisation of Musical Dialogue: A Phenomenology of Music. Norman Wirzba is Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Georgetown College, Kentucky. He is the author of The Paradise of God and editor of The Essential Agrarian Reader.