Download or read book Where Prayer Becomes Real written by Kyle Strobel and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If we're honest, most of us feel bored, distracted, or discouraged in prayer. We look for resources to give us the "right" words or teach us the "right" technique and are disappointed when they don't seem to help. What we fail to realize is that prayer isn't a place for us to be good or right, and it isn't a place for us to perform or prove our worth. It's a place for us to be honest, present, and known--a place for us to offer ourselves and receive God. Spiritual formation experts Kyle Strobel and John Coe want to show you what you've been missing when it comes to prayer. In this down-to-earth book, they show you how to fearlessly draw near to a holy God, pray without ceasing (and without posturing), and delight in the experience of being fully known and fully loved. Each chapter ends with prayer projects or practices to help you see a difference in your prayer life, starting now.

Download or read book Praying the Truth written by William A. Barry and published by Loyola Press. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We don't question our desire to be open with our close friends about our feelings, even if those feelings are difficult to express. We recognize that being honest with our loved ones will only deepen our bonds and help us feel peace in being able to express our innermost thoughts. Why then is it so challenging for us to come as we are, however we are, when approaching God in prayer? In Praying the Truth: Deepening Your Friendship with God through Honest Prayer, William A. Barry, SJ, helps us deepen our friendship with God by examining how to approach God, at any time and with any problem, in complete honesty. Fr. Barry reflects on how secrecy can hurt families, the Church, and ourselves and how what we are keeping secret can get in the way of our connection with God. He acknowledges that we may fear God’s reaction when revealing our most intimate truths; but just like with friendships, we risk not developing our relationship with God if we are dishonest about who we are and how we feel. Praying the Truth helps us realize that if we do not approach God in complete honesty, we may be holding back a part of ourselves that needs to be healed. By learning how to communicate honestly with God, our friendship with God and our faith in God’s promise to love us unconditionally will be strengthened. "Thanks to Praying the Truth, I am beginning to understand that prayer is simply hanging out with God! As I read this book, I felt as if the author seemed to be sitting beside me, just talking to me as I read." -- Anonymous reader

Download or read book Honest Prayer written by John Shelby Spong and published by Saint Johann Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Dear God written by Bunmi Laditan and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2021-01-26 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you looking to strengthen your relationship with God? Do you find yourself untangling the threads of what it is you really believe? Are you longing for a deeper connection to your spiritual side? Bunmi Laditan has been in your shoes. In the midst of her darkest days, Bunmi began writing down her deepest fears, hopes, dreams, and frustrations with God in the form of letters. The result of Bunmi's soul-searching journey is Dear God, a collection of funny, heartbreaking, and deeply insightful prayers that put words to the emotions we all feel as we grapple with this broken world and search for divine love. With the same gutsy and poetic honesty that has already charmed readers around the world, Bunmi now shares these moving, intimate conversations with God--prayers and poems that chart her story of reconnecting with the God she loved, lost, and found once again. Dear God catalogs what we're all thinking as we work out our personal relationships with God. These candid field notes will stir your heart and make you laugh out loud with Bunmi's self-awareness and profound insight into the spiritual journeys we're all doing our best to navigate. Join Bunmi as she travels through those all-too-familiar emotions--doubt, anger, joy, desperation, love, loneliness, and gratefulness--that humanity has always wrestled with. Wittily fresh and stunningly relatable, she exquisitely shares the painfully honest questions she's asked along the way, including: God, what is holiness? God, how can it be worth it to love life when it could slip away at any moment? God, what do I do when forgiveness feels impossible? God, I know you love me, but do you like me? This poignant collection of prayers is a timely reminder that even when we wander, God never leaves our side.

Download or read book God on Mute written by Pete Greig and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2011-04-07 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pete Greig, the acclaimed author of Red Moon Rising, has written his most intensely personal and honest account yet in God on Mute, a book born out of his wife Samie's fight for her life and diagnosis of a debilitating brain tumor. Greig asks the timeless questions of what it means to suffer and to pray and to suffer through the silence because your prayers seem unanswered. This silence, Greig relates, is the hardest thing. The world collapses. Then all goes quiet. Words can't explain, don't fit, won't work. People avoid you and don't know what to say. So you turn to Him and you pray. You need Him more than ever before. But somehow . . . even God Himself seems on mute. In this heart-searching, honest, and deeply profound book, Pete Greig looks at the hard side of prayer, how to respond when there seem to be no answers, and how to cope with those who seek to interpret our experience for us. Here is a story of faith, hope, and love beyond all understanding.

Download or read book Where the Light Fell written by Philip Yancey and published by Convergent Books. This book was released on 2023-03-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this searing meditation on the bonds of family and the allure of extremist faith, one of today’s most celebrated Christian writers recounts his unexpected journey from a strict fundamentalist upbringing to a life of compassion and grace—a revelatory memoir that “invites comparison to Hillbilly Elegy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “Searing, heartrending . . . This stunning tale reminds us that the only way to keep living is to ask God for the impossible: love, forgiveness, and hope.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death—a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause. Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths—one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a “toxic faith,” the other into a self-destructive spiral. Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear. “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”

Download or read book Honest Prayer written by John Shelby Spong and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals how Christian life, faith, and prayer can become an integrated whole.

Download or read book Honest to God Prayer written by Kent Ira Groff and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2012-10-25 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maybe you're praying and you don’t even know it. In this unique and encouraging guide to prayer, Kent Ira Groff, a longtime retreat leader and inspiring writer-poet, explores how to engage in spirituality that blesses your soul—and the world. Whether you’re advanced or just starting on your spiritual path, this practical prayer path breaker will lure you in with its novel combination of touching, real-life stories, pithy thoughts and inspiring prayer practices. For those turned off by shopworn religious language, it offers innovative ways to pray in four metaphorical movements that parallel both Native American traditions and Ignatian spirituality: East—Morning / Prayer as Awareness Waking up to reality—opening South—Noon / Prayer as Empowerment Embracing your dreams and possibilities—expanding West—Afternoon / Prayer as Relinquishment Letting go of attachments—emptying North—Night / Prayer as Paradox Uniting the opposites of life—integrating Prayer practices for each of the four "movements" provide for personal and group enrichment at home and work, in formal programs and informal friendships. They interweave the author’s own experience to say: “This is honest to God spirituality and I’m seeing myself.”

Download or read book Honest Prayers for Mama Bears written by Hillary Morgan Ferrer and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2024-04-02 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encouragement to Pray What You Really Feel In the everyday battle of raising kids who love Jesus while living in a world that doesn’t, God invites you to come to Him. No cleaning up, no pretenses, no fancy words—all you need is to tell Him what’s truly on your heart and then ask for the wisdom, encouragement, and protection that only He can provide. From the bestselling team behind Mama Bear Apologetics® comes a one-of-a-kind book of prayers gathered from mamas just like you, speaking to the spectrum of seasons, concerns, and needs faced throughout Christian motherhood. You will become more vulnerable and intentional in your conversations with God as you pray in specific and timely ways for your family, your community, and even for yourself. Honest Prayers for Mama Bears puts words to the cries of your heart as you seek clarity and truth in today’s confused culture. Through these praises, confessions, thanksgivings, and petitions, you’ll lay your burdens at your heavenly Father’s feet and experience His comfort and hope as you entrust Him with your unedited thoughts.

Download or read book The Prayer Coin written by Elisa Morgan and published by Our Daily Bread Publishing. This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take a coin. Toss it in the air. Now call it. Heads? Tails? What if you could choose both sides? Elisa Morgan birthed the "prayer coin" idea as she was struggling in her own prayer life. Should she be blatantly honest about her desires or just leave everything to God and let Him lead? An epiphany came when Elisa noticed how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus Christ begged for relief from the trial He faced, while utterly complying with what He knew the Father's will to be. Honesty and abandon--in the same breath. Elisa discovered that Jesus invites us to both. And the emotional back-and-forth, between full-out honesty and "giving it up" in abandon, actually drew her closer to God. If Jesus--our Savior, Mentor, and Friend--could pray both sides of the prayer coin, could we as well?

Download or read book A Rhythm of Prayer written by Sarah Bessey and published by Convergent Books. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the weary, the angry, the anxious, and the hopeful, this collection of moving, tender prayers offers rest, joyful resistance, and a call to act, written by Barbara Brown Taylor, Amena Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and other artists and thinkers, curated by the author Glennon Doyle calls “my favorite faith writer.” It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time—and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another. This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for all who feel the immense joys and challenges of the journey of faith, this collection of prayers says it all aloud, giving readers permission to recognize the weight of all they carry. These writings also offer a broadened imagination of hope—of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with new essays by Sarah Bessey throughout. Encompassing the full breadth of the emotional landscape, these deeply tender yet subversive prayers give readers an intimate look at the diverse language and shapes of prayer.

Download or read book Naked Prayers written by Mara Measor and published by Elevate Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Naked Prayers, singer-songwriter Mara Measor shares a series of authentic prayers through words, doodles and songs. Imagine the book of Psalms penned in New York City, that the writers liked to doodle, and that they had access to a professional Manhattan recording studio to lay down these songs of intimate meditation. When starting a prayer room on her college campus, Measor encountered many students who would confess with dismay, “I’m not good at praying.” In this book Measor fights the notion of “bad prayers” by suggesting that prayer is simply about getting naked before God: no frills, no pretend, just honest confessions to a loving creator. Her doodles tell the story of an earnest sojourner following God through a big city, and her evocative songs take you along the ride. There are a million and one books on prayer floating around Christian circles, but according to Measor, “This is not a how-to-pray book, this is a how-I-have-really-prayed book.” Naked Prayers contains 86 prayers taken from 13 months of Measor’s life, and is framed by four stages: Following God through making a home in NYC Fretting about the purpose and direction of her life Falling into a period of depression Finding her way back to freedom

Download or read book Honest Prayers for Mama Bears Note Taking Edition written by Hillary Morgan Ferrer and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2024-10-08 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling team behind Mama Bear Apologetics® comes a one-of-a-kind book of prayers gathered from mamas just like you. Now with space on each page for personal reflection, this beautiful hardcover note-taking edition encourages you to pray what you really feel—and grow deeper in intimacy with God each day. In the everyday battle of raising kids who love Jesus while living in a world that doesn’t, God invites you to come to Him. No cleaning up, no pretenses, no fancy words—all you need is to tell Him what’s truly on your heart and then ask for the wisdom, encouragement, and protection that only He can provide. Drawing on the real prayers and needs of moms just like you, Honest Prayers for Mama Bears Note-Taking Edition speaks to the spectrum of seasons, concerns, and issues faced throughout Christian motherhood. You will become more vulnerable and intentional in your conversations with God as you pray in specific and timely ways for your family, your community, and even for yourself. This book puts words to the cries of your heart as you seek clarity and truth in today’s confused culture. With ample journaling space on each page, this special keepsake edition will allow you to return to your praises, confessions, thanksgivings, and petitions throughout the years, helping you see how God has continually guided you and your family. Experience His comfort and hope as you entrust Him with your unedited thoughts.

Download or read book Prayers for a Widow s Heart written by Margaret Nyman and published by Our Daily Bread Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-15 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Margaret Nyman learned of her husband’s cancer only 42 days before he died. After four decades of marriage to Nate, she was thrown into widowhood, with all the emotions and questions that follow. She reached out to God with her aching heart, and now she’s helping other widows to do the same in her book Prayers for a Widow’s Heart. This Scripture-based book of 60 prayers brings hope and healing to widows by offering heartfelt prayers and biblical reminders of God’s promises.

Download or read book How to Pray written by Pete Greig and published by NavPress. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pete Greig is a worldwide authority and the face of a generation when it comes to prayer. One of the founders of the 24-7 prayer movement, he has seen, experienced, and chronicled amazing works of God in the world. While you might imagine him to be puffed up, Pete Greig is entirely the opposite. He is enchanting, down-to-earth, friendly, and most of all, very normal–and yet he tells preposterous tales about prayer (and they’re true). He is basically a regular dude who loves to talk with God. How to Pray is written to evoke a passion for prayer in everyone—the committed follower of Jesus as well as the skeptic and the scared. The enormous blessing of How to Pray is that it is accessible, full of surprising stories of answered prayer, and tremendously engaging. The basic idea is that prayer is a conversation between you and God. Pete Greig demystifies and reenchants prayer, helping you to find prayer achievable and enjoyable, and ultimately life-giving and life-changing. How to Pray is designed to be used together with The Prayer Course (a free video curriculum associated with the Alpha course), making it useful for personal and group or church-wide reading.

Download or read book To Light Their Way written by Kayla Craig and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prayers to guide your journey of raising kids in a complicated world. In an age of distraction and overwhelm, finding the words to meaningfully pray for our children--and for our journey as parents--can feel impossible. Written with warmth and welcome, To Light Their Way gives voice to your prayers when words won't come. Filled with more than 100 modern liturgies, this book guides you into an intentional conversation with God for your children and the world they live in. From everyday struggles like helping your child find friends or thrive in school to larger issues like praying for a brighter world rooted in peace and truth, these pleas and petitions act as a gentle guide, reminding us that while our words may fail, God never does. At the core of To Light Their Way is the deepest of prayers: that our children will experience the love of God so deeply that their lives will be an outpouring of love that lights up the world.

Download or read book When We Pray Like Jesus written by Elisa Morgan and published by Discovery House. This book was released on 2020-08-21 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You can be totally honest with God. He wants to know exactly how you feel. When We Pray Like Jesus will help you express your deepest emotions to God and have confidence in His will for your life. You’ll explore Jesus’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane and see His ultimate example of intimacy with the Father. Learn how to trust God the same way Jesus did when He said, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).