Simply Pray: A Modern Spiritual Practice to Deepen Your Life

by Erik Walker Wikstrom

“ Simply Pray is an excellent and much needed bridge for people who struggle with a way to pray that is authentic to them and their sense of the Holy. —Rev. Dr. Tilden Edwards, Founder and Senior Fellow, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation Simply Pray offers fresh answers to the age-old question, “Why pray?” The practice of prayer appeals to something deep within many of us, especially those of us who grew up reciting Catholic prayers on a rosary, or those of us fascinated by the mala beads carried by Buddhist practitioners. But what if our journey has taken a path different from the traditional religions and the often-moving rituals they provide? In Simply Pray , Erik Walker Wikstrom reveals the universal qualities of prayer and offers a way to incorporate this spiritual practice into your personal journey. Simply Pray is an excellent guide for anyone seeking a unique spiritual practice that is deeply rooted in all of the world’s great religions. The first two sections of the book unravel the meaning and practices of prayer within world religions and consider how these ideas are relevant to the individual. The third section, Making a Practice of Prayer, describes how to make your own set of prayer beads and begin to use them. The fourth section, Pray Like This, insightfully translates traditional prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer, into fresh new language, demonstrating how the practice of prayer may be shaped for your individual needs.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Prayer, Philosophy, Spirituality

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Erik WW for leading me to a prayer practice for the first time in my life. It may seem odd for an atheist to pray. I find myself calmer and more settled. I pray for the discipline to keep up the practice!

[Terry Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent primer for anyone seeking to deepen their spiritual life. There are excellent explainers on the prayer practices of various world religions and provides a practical roadmap for how one could apply to your own life.

[Darryl Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time that I have read Simply Pray, and I think that I enjoyed it even more this second time around. I did not grow up in a praying household or tradition, and I did not look for or find a spiritual home until later in life. It has been even later that I have begun to appreciate that there was more to prayer than I had thought. I am no longer uncomfortable praying, I no longer feel like an outsider or fraud when I pray. Rev. Wikstrom's book has given me a different view of prayer, helping me realize that prayer is a way to converse and relate with the divine, wherever and whatever that may be. As a UU and a religious naturalist, I am very comfortable now with prayer, I am able to adapt my prayer practice to this moment. Recognizing the different types of prayer, Naming, Knowing, Listening and Loving, means that I can be much more intentional in my practice and fit my prayer to what I need (or what I feel the world needs) in that moment.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wikstrom looks at prayers from a variety of traditions and says that they basically fall into four categories: Naming, Knowing, Listening, and Loving. He shows how to look at a prayer and find its structure and gives suggestions on how you could then use that structure to create your own prayer.

A good portion of Simply Pray is devoted to explaining prayer beads and Wikstrom's ideas on how to use them with the four kinds of prayer. Most books on prayer I've read assume that the reader believes in a personal God that he or she is directing the prayer to, but Wikstrom makes a point of also offering suggestions on how nontheistic readers might pray - one of the strengths of this book. At only 140 pages, this is a slender volume that gets to its point without much fuss, and I recommend it to anyone interested in exploring the practice of prayer.

[Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes postulates that all forms of prayer basically fit into 4 categories:
NAMING- naming the sacred and/or counting your blessings. "a chance to name the sacred, to give voice to what you consider Holy or where you have felt the Divine in your life."..."It is also the place to lift up all for which you are thankful at this moment."
KNOWING- "reflect on your life as it is today," "fearless moral inventory" encourages us to show up with our whole selves and move on.
LISTENING- "for revelation" "A time to be still." "You may meditate silently; gaze on an icon,statue, or mandala; or reflectively read scripture."
LOVING- "here we lift up those we know (and those we don't) whose lives have pain and need."

The book also details the benefits and whys of praying, even if you don't believe there's Someone or Something listening.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wikstrom has a great concept and executes it well. The idea of creating you own prayers based on historically significant prayers grates on me - if you want to pray the prayer, use the prayer. However, he redeems himself in my eyes with his rare (for a UU) inclusion of confession as a central aspect of the practice.

[Cammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing about this book at a Sunday service, I picked it up online. It was worth the read, and has definitely helped me to adapt my own prayer activities. Despite your faith tradition, Simply Pray shows you how to tap into the ritual of prayer in its many forms. It was a quick, but fulfilling read.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend. This is a very well written book! This is a very basic guide to prayer and why it can be an important part of any spiritual practice. I feel like this book addresses a lot of concerns of people new to prayer, or returning to prayer after past negative experiences with prayer. Will definitely recommend this to others.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This great little book presents a lot of ways for the less "religious" of us to engage with prayer. A good introduction if you don't know if there's anything out there to pray to, but have a desire to take a look at the practice.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good practical book with suggestions for creating a prayer practice that can work for anyone. A good section on prayer beads and making up your own prayers using the underlying framework of some well-known prayers from different faith traditions.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, actionable ways to introduce prayer into your life for wherever you happen to be, using whatever words/names for God you're comfortable with. A zero judgement book that takes you where you are and shows you how prayer can benefit you.

[Brandon Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written from a UU perspective, in that, it does not adhere to any creed. Whether you are a devout Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, or otherwise, this book will help you find your voice in prayer, however you define prayer.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book for how it doesn't prescribe what spiritual practice is but rather introduces and gives examples of many types of spiritual practice. This was written by a UU minister.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book from the UUA bookstore. The bit on stringing prayer beads for a nondenominational purpose spoke to both my crafty side and my year in a Catholic high school.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a clear, concise, and helpful book. Very short, but full of info and suggestions.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a non-Christian this was an amazing book. I have found myself needing a prayer outlet but not knowing how to start. How do you pray if you don't believe in a god? Erik Wikstrom tells you how.