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The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray: 31 Lessons
Prayer is not easy, yet learning to pray can be learned. The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray is a brief but probing guide into the life of prayer. James Howell examines the many barriers to prayer (such as our busyness, how uncomfortable with silence we are, our doubts and fears) and invites the reader to take a fresh approach to the devotional life.
Each lesson begins with a scripture passage and the author draws comfortably and appropriately from a rich array of other sources (Annie Dillard, St. Augustine, Henri Nowen, Kathy Mattea, Madeleine L’Engle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Francis, Oscar Romero, and the movie Good Will Hunting are a sampling.) The author’s own engaging writing style, including his ability to illumine his ideas with the shared wisdom of others, is a major strength of this book.
While each “lesson” is only two book pages long, the author draws from a deep well of wisdom about prayer. Howell leads the reader through the “subjects” of prayer (e.g. praise, confession, giving thanks), and digs deeply into theological issues such as whether prayer works, prayer and suffering, and forgiveness. According to the author, “In the end, prayer draws us into community with others-- out of our “curved in” lives and into the world in service.”
The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray will be helpful to the novice in spiritual life as well as long-time Christians who are striving for a more profound relationship with God. Includes Study Guide, List of Sources, and Scripture Index.
Each lesson begins with a scripture passage and the author draws comfortably and appropriately from a rich array of other sources (Annie Dillard, St. Augustine, Henri Nowen, Kathy Mattea, Madeleine L’Engle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Francis, Oscar Romero, and the movie Good Will Hunting are a sampling.) The author’s own engaging writing style, including his ability to illumine his ideas with the shared wisdom of others, is a major strength of this book.
While each “lesson” is only two book pages long, the author draws from a deep well of wisdom about prayer. Howell leads the reader through the “subjects” of prayer (e.g. praise, confession, giving thanks), and digs deeply into theological issues such as whether prayer works, prayer and suffering, and forgiveness. According to the author, “In the end, prayer draws us into community with others-- out of our “curved in” lives and into the world in service.”
The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray will be helpful to the novice in spiritual life as well as long-time Christians who are striving for a more profound relationship with God. Includes Study Guide, List of Sources, and Scripture Index.
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 9, 2026
A short and sweet read composed of 31 short lessons on prayer, each one ending with a centering prayer. Great reminders, and good nuggets of wisdom along the way. Here are some good ones:
"Jesus never said, 'Blessed are the efficient, for they will be productive.'"
"Prayer is not something we do because it 'works.' Think about human relationships. What if I measured my marriage by whether my wife does stuff I want or not?... When the great saints of the Church speak of prayer, they very rarely talk about whether it works or not. For them prayer is all about love, the creation of communion with the God from whom the soul cannot bear to be apart. Asking with proper technique is not prayer."
"What we bring to God is not great holiness and wisdom but brokenness and profound need, a virtually desperate desire to be loved, held, and swept up into the very heart of God. Our weakness is not something to be corrected, but becomes the very crucible in whih intimacy with God is established."
This season I am asking God, "Oh Lord, teach me how to pray," and this book provided a few great insights for that!
"Jesus never said, 'Blessed are the efficient, for they will be productive.'"
"Prayer is not something we do because it 'works.' Think about human relationships. What if I measured my marriage by whether my wife does stuff I want or not?... When the great saints of the Church speak of prayer, they very rarely talk about whether it works or not. For them prayer is all about love, the creation of communion with the God from whom the soul cannot bear to be apart. Asking with proper technique is not prayer."
"What we bring to God is not great holiness and wisdom but brokenness and profound need, a virtually desperate desire to be loved, held, and swept up into the very heart of God. Our weakness is not something to be corrected, but becomes the very crucible in whih intimacy with God is established."
This season I am asking God, "Oh Lord, teach me how to pray," and this book provided a few great insights for that!
August 6, 2008
This book was a gift from my sister, Lynne, a while back. After finishing The Shack, I turned to this book for some ideas about deepening my prayer life and I've found it helpful. It's very reader-friendly with short little snippets of things you can work at. I'm enjoying it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews