Bidden als een monnik, leven als een dwaas

by Tyler Staton

Gebed is de basis van de grootste wonderen van Jezus en speelt de hoofdrol in zijn beloften voor zijn volgelingen.
* Dit boek laat zien dat gebed geen saaie verplichting is, maar een manier om een blijvende en sterke verbinding met God te ontwikkelen, en zijn kracht te ervaren.
* Persoonlijke verhalen gecombineerd met actueel bijbels onderwijs.
* Achtergrondinformatie over de rol van gebed in de kerk van allerlei tijden en plaatsen.
* Advies bij ontmoediging, twijfel of teleurstelling in het gebedsleven.
* Suggesties en oefeningen voor verschillende gebedsvormen, waaronder stilte, biecht en dankzegging.

Tyler Staton is een jonge Amerikaanse voorganger met een grote passie voor gebed. Hij is directeur van 24-7 prayer USA. Zijn boeken en podcasts vinden weerklank bij een internationaal publiek van vooral jonge mensen.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Prayer, Theology, Christianity, Religion

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2024

About the author

Tyler Staton is the Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife Kirsten, and their sons Hank, Simon, and Amos. He is passionate about living prayerfully and relationally. Tyler is the author of three books: The Familiar Stranger, Praying Like Monks, Living like Fools, and Searching for Enough.

Find me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/tylercstaton.

Reviews

[Haley Baumeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful and practical — full of scripture, stories, and soul.

The anecdote about DL Moody praying persistently over years for a list of 100 people—96 of whom came to know Christ before he died, and 4 of whom were so moved by his funeral that they did the same—gave me chills.

"[Boring] fidelity is the soil that love grows in... pray with the heart of a lover & the discipline of a monk. That's how you choose fidelity."

A worthwhile companion to John Mark Comer's "The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry."

[Janae Byler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many books on prayer but this one is close to the top of my favorites. The passion and experience that Staton speaks with is inspiring and he gives helpful insights into communication with God through prayer. The last chapter on Christ interceding for us had me in tears because it was just so beautiful. I think this book is best read slowly, taking time to put it into practice and letting the heart behind prayer become your heart.

[Rainer Erani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. For months this book has filled my feed with “Want to Read,” “Currently Reading,” and “Read.” Ratings varied from 4/5 to 5/5 but nothing less. I get it now. 5/5.

This book challenges the heart of humanity. Is the desire for your life marked by a longing for Jesus?

Challenging every aspect of my life, Stanton moved me from anger, joy, sadness, worry, passion, and every other emotion I can imagine. I feel seen, known, and loved by God through these words. Cannot recommend this book more.

My recommendations are as follows:
For those who desire comfort - this book.
For those who desire intimacy- this book.
For those who desire power - this book.
For those who desire health - this book.
For those who desire Jesus - this book.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit I'm quite happy that so many other people found this book helpful. Despite my low rating I am really grateful to Tyler for writing this book because it seems to have been already quite helpful to many people and I appreciate that because I know what a difficult topic prayer can be.

That said I would not recommend this book.
First, while this is not very important, I'll say the book felt very disorganized. I felt like I was reading a first draft rather than a finished work.

It is worth noting that I, perhaps, was disappointed by this book because I was hoping for a look at use of prayer throughout the bible and a more analytical look at it while Tyler approached the topic based more on experience and intuition. In many ways his approach makes more sense, especially for a topic like prayer, which seems to be more intuitive and flowing and not at all scientific or measured. That said I didn't find his discussion compelling in many places and I have found using intuition to make lessons out of scripture to be problematic.

I was disappointed with the very limited use of scripture and the lack of context given when he did mention the bible. There are many statements made such as, “His (Jesus’) prayers were conversations, not just pleas, involving as much—probably more—listening than talking." But there is no explanation given of these statements. In many cases they aren't things I necessarily agree with, but making sweeping statements about the nature of prayer with no basis is troubling.

Perhaps the most troubling part was Chapter 5 on Intercession (On Earth as in Heaven).
Tyler gives two jaw-dropping stories of unbelievable, "miraculous" outcomes that he attributes to intercessory prayer.
However, he goes on to admit that these are rare occurrences and that most of us pray and are left wondering

"Is God carrying on the way he would always carry on, regardless of whether or not I pray? Do my requests exclusively reform my heart in some divine equation, or do they carry the power to change real people, conditions, and circumstances in the world I inhabit? Do my prayers actually matter?”

His conclusion is that we are paralyzed between "wonder and mystery" and that

"Don’t get me wrong, plenty of us keep on praying in that paralyzing space between wonder and mystery, but we don’t pray in the way of Jesus. Our prayers don’t reflect the wide-eyed, blazing sense of empowerment that the Son of Man’s words engender in anyone who really believes them. We pray the safest kind of prayers—the ones so passive and vague we’d never be able to tell if God responded to them or not. As a thought experiment, try to recall everything you’ve prayed for in the last week. If God answered every last one of your prayers, what would happen? With the exception of one or two particularly bold or naive people, the answer is usually very little. This place between wonder and mystery paralyzes us."

In short his explanation is simply that we don't pray bold enough prayers. I find this to be an uncompelling response as there are many people praying big, bold prayers that do not receive what they ask for. In reality he's almost backward, it is only the big, bold prayers that lead to a lack of response. Let me explain.

Though later in the book he states that Jesus "insists" on big bold prayers as well as "parking space prayers" (not sure where Jesus insists on those, but we'll let it slide). By parking space prayers he means literally praying for a parking space, which I assure you are not bold. Interestingly parking space prayers are almost always answered, likely because they don't require some sort of divine intervention, I mean a parking space is going to free up at some point. If, as Tyler implies, our prayers were all too small, we'd be quite happy with the results. The difficulty is that most of us do pray for impossible things and we are rarely given what we ask for.

That said explaining the complexity of intercessory prayer is far outside the scope of this book, nor is it indeed possible. I did appreciate that Tyler says early on that,

"To pray is to willingly put ourselves in the unguarded, exposed position…There is no mastery. There is only humility and hope. To pray is to risk being naive, to risk believing, to risk playing the fool. To pray is to risk trusting someone who might let you down."

I agree the topic of prayer really isn't one you can narrow down to a science or actually explain. It is, as with many things, contrary to logic and reason. I appreciate Tyler's attempt to make prayer more approachable but I found his explanations lacking.

[Zach Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Tyler Staton — I’ve found much of his teaching helpful and his commitment to seeing revival made manifest in the 24/7 prayer movement is a sweet endeavor. But this book was full of theological half-truths and is not particularly a reverent, beautifying book for the church. I would not recommend unless one’s personal theological convictions are pretty formed up.

[Savannah Knepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook in my early morning moments while I made my coffee, combed my hair, and brushed my teeth which made for a lovely and gentle start to the day. The book dripped compelling honesty and continually returned to the character of God amidst our doubts and wrestlings.

[Liberty {LittyLibby} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this audio book as an ALC from Libro.fm because I liked the title, and
I'm glad I took a chance on it though.
In the style of my favorite teacher, Brennan Manning, the author makes a case for the types of Biblical prayer that frankly, today we just don't have time or mental space to pursue.
I especially appreciated this book going into the holiday season, when it's time to slow down and reflect instead of gearing up in a hustle.

[Luke Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most impactful book I’ve ever read. Could not recommend it enough or give it a high enough rating.

[Carmen Imes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyler's experience with prayer is deeply moving. I'm inspired by his stories of intercession and of intimacy with Jesus. It fueled my own desire to pray more boldly and more openly.

At times, his engagement with Scripture is sloppy. He writes well, but his summaries of biblical stories are not always accurate or conversant with scholarship.

[Evan Cruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a minute to get into this one, but the last couple of chapters finish strong. There are not many books that lead me to reorient my days, but this is one of them.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was planning on including my favorite excerpts from this books to encourage you in reading it. But the list grew too long.
So I simply say, read this book. It will challenge you at the least. Most likely, it will change you.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very inspiring read. One that made me want to pray more, to enter into deeper communion with my Father. I also enjoyed the practical applications at the end of each chapter.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could push a read on anyone who has any experience in the christian church, any agnostic wondering about how one could experience Jesus Christ if He is truly who He says He is, and any and every person in between, it’d be this book.

Simple and historical, rooted and story driven, bold and kind; a beautiful call out &, in my opinion, maybe the ultimate saving grace for the modern church.

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about to give this book 3 stars. I didn’t connect with the style (predictably), and my favorite parts were quotes from other books I’ve already read, which reminded me how great those books were by comparison. I don’t have one negative word to say about the book’s content, it just didn’t hit me like some other books have.

Then I read Annie’s review, and Brooks’s review, and talked to Cara about this book. One of the only things as rich as having a season of renewed prayer life is hearing about such a season in the life of someone you care about. So I’ll average my subjective 3 star feelings with a more objective 5 star rating. 4 strz!

[Anna Grace Mixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s one thing to say a book changed your life. what this book did for me, though, is change my habits. i used to pray vague, easy prayers so i couldn’t be disappointed. now i pray bold, specific prayers and trust that i won’t be disappointed. there’s so much at stake when we pray because God takes our prayers way more seriously than we do. read this if your prayer life has gone dry. it doesn’t disappoint!

[Karisa Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life changing book. Checking myself into a monastery immediately if not sooner.

[Brother Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staton has written a truly beautiful book. I think the best part about this book were the stories. Far from cheesy, they were raw, inspiring and one of them particularly was unbelievably honest and transparent.

It is one thing to read an article or book by someone who doesn't pray and a completely other thing to read a book you know was written by a man devoted to prayer and the Scriptures. This book was in the category of the latter. I loved his exposition of Scripture and how every chapter ended with a 'Practice' section.

Not to mention, the Appendix is absolutely gold.

[Whitney Newby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book on prayer is rich, refreshing, and reinvigorating to my prayer life (praise God!). I underlined so much, and I’ll be revisiting these ideas for years to come. Highly recommend!

[Michael W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a very mixed bag for me. It’s clear that the author is passionate about prayer, but some of the arguments feel half baked and the book often comes across very assumptive. There’s also this “us” and “them” narrative, implying that most Christian’s aren’t willing to be radical enough to step out on the ledge and pray like the old church prayed. There’s this subtle message that if you’re “really” a Christian then you’ll pray in a way that the old church prayed and this will unlock Gods blessing. There is one chapter devoted to unanswered prayers which I felt spent very little time sitting with the mystery of this and instead put forth the notion that eventually one needs to just “chose trust” despite the devastation that may be present in their lives. As someone who works as a healthcare chaplain I have seen almost daily the unanswered prayers for healing prayed by some of the most devout and sincere people from many different faith traditions. It feels that those stories are pushed to the side here in favor of pushing the notion that if we pray in perseverance God will nearly always work in tangible ways that we can see in our lives. There is a section where Tyler talks about evangelist D.L Moody, who famously kept a list of 100 people he was praying for on him at all times. Tyler says that of those 100 people, 96 of them accepted Jesus as their savior before DL Moody died and the other 4 were so moved by his funeral service that they accepted Jesus right there at the service. Tyler then says that DL Moody had a 96% “success” rate and called him the greatest evangelist of our time. What is a successful prayer? How can one fail at praying? What did Jesus say to his disciples when they asked him who was the greatest among them? I don’t want to sound over critical but I believe it’s subtle messages like this that perpetuate the levels and categories of Christianity that the gospel flattens out.
Overall it feels like the book was written by a very young pastor from a very particular social location and demographic.

[Alyssa Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most inspiring and encouraging book on prayer I've ever read. There were a couple times I didn't think he actually proved some big claims about prayer, but I'm giving it five stars anyway, because it was so well-done. Gentle, passionate, completely non-shaming.

[Nikki Slonaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very spurring!! Tangible action steps throughout the book make this a very helpful and spurring tool for anyone wanting to grow in their prayer life (read: everyone). Couldn’t recommend more!!

[Lonita Shirk Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the most incredible part of this book is the author's stories about his own prayer life. It shows that he has practiced prayer and he is passionate about his prayer life. I read this book so slowly trying to incorporate his ideas about prayer into my own prayer life. I might reread this again in a few years to remind me.

[Kristen Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes and yes. One thing that really stood out to me was his emphasis on praying bold prayers. Good stuff.

[Daniel Gish · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5/5) This book was heavily anecdotal, with the majority of the book sounding like the kinds of neat stories and nuggets that come from sermons. Staton hopped from talking point to talking point, and although they were frequently some worthwhile and beneficial talking points, his purpose or main point was rarely clear. His writing was too conversational that it was not concise. Some of his chapters, especially some of the earlier ones, should've been sections, not their own chapter.

Somewhere along the line, he made a few assumptions that should not be assumed about the Christians' belief on hot topics like social justice - and though that is not his focus in this book, it immediately raised a question for me. Comer, and now Staton, have made similar assumptions like this (and there are others), and they both pastor in either Portland or New York City, or in the course of their life, both. Why is there a pattern of pastors in hugely urban, trendy, progressive cities coming to conclusions or making assumptions on hot issues that are very closely aligned with what is "mainstream" at the time? At this point, I don't want to argue for or against his conclusion. I only want to ask, are pastors of the leading populous cities of our culture genuinely bringing these issues to the Word, or are they hastily conforming to their milieu?

Now, for the positive. Once it hit Chapter 7, we got to the meat of Staton's writing. And, I quite enjoyed it. He had more practical tips, less but more potent anecdotes, and some very helpful perspectives with which we can approach prayer that he draws from the Lord's Prayer, history, culture, and other scriptures. Particularly his focus on the labor and love of prayer and the order of the day to go by as a means of regular conversation with God. I may just find a way to structure my days by morning, afternoon and evening prayers.

An excerpt from Chapter 10 to conclude:
"You escape the flow of the workday for just a minute or two. It could be a moment of contemplative silence at your desk, a walk around the block outside your office building, or just an escape to a holy stall in the restroom. You're escaping because you know a secret. You know the secret that this kingdom that everyone is so feverishly building, willing their bodies and brains into a few more hours of productive focus, isn't the one that will stand. You know that there is a Father that draws souls to himself, a good shepherd in pursuit of his lost sheep. You steel away because you have to. You have to, or else you'll forget that secret. You'll start believing the same subtle lie that this small, temporary kingdom is the ultimate one. That your producing, not your loving, is of ultimate worth. You need to redirect your affections, your thoughts, the very center of your being, because it is by faithful, laboring prayer that God draws the lost to himself and reforms the passions of the praying person."

[Tanner Baumgart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t get through all of it but I got through a majority of this book.

Staton’s heart is in a good place and I think his motivation and desired goals for this book are pure. I think he gets a lot of the cultural diagnostics as why the church doesn’t pray as it should correct, and many of his applications were good to ponder on and apply. For that there was some benefit from this book.

I am putting it down because of his constant misapplications of scripture and theological missteps. Being a pastor, he should be above some of these simple mistakes like stating some of the Psalms are “technically heretical” or largely misunderstanding and misapplying Psalm 46. He also misses on God’s impassability and immutability at multiple places, and largely misses on engaging with God’s sovereignty.

The book also largely misses the aspect of reverence in prayer. It is true we are speaking to a friend, but in prayer we also step into the Hallowed halls of God’s thrown room.

This book is full of pithy statements and strong emotion but it theologically inconsistent and in many places just wrong.

Again, there is some benefit to this book and at that I think it can be carefully read, but when it comes to whether or not I would recommend this book to a member at my church I would likely point them in a different direction.

If you want the sweet emotion read Bunyan’s time-tested and classic work “Prayer.” If you want something that explains the importance of prayer and why people don’t pray, read J.C. Ryle’s “Do You Pray?” And if you want a super practical book on prayer, read Don Whitney’s “Praying the Bible.” These books are time-tested, and all three of them combined are likely shorter than this book.

[Abby Burrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do I agree with everything? No. Does this book still have some great thoughts? Yes. Does it make you want to pray and help give you a roadmap for doing so? ABSOLUTELY. Glad I got this to own in my own library and will probably be rereading very soon.


Previous review:
Well, um, I've never read this book but I believe I already know that I want to own it.
Why?
Because I listened to an hour and twenty minute long conversation about it on youtube, which included three readings from it. And from that conversation, I was inspired to go and pray more, and heard some of my own thoughts echoed. I believe this book is / could be exceptional, and if I'm going to read it, I want my own copy of it.
Youtube conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78j31...

[Annie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

i would give it 6 stars if i could. thanks richie and pam (but like brandon’s richie and pam not my richie and pam)

to add to this, i think Tyler is one of, if not my current, greatest spiritual role model/aspiration. prayer has probably always been my biggest struggle in my christian life. it has always felt like talking to a brick wall with occasional peeks at what’s on the other side. this book has re-convinced me of the power of perseverance in prayer despite the dry and cold experiences i have with it. he is humble beyond belief and the Lord has shown up in gigantic ways because of loyal, daily, simple prayers. so idk if this books is 6 stars for everyone. i’m not thinking much of the literary value of this piece. it is 6 stars and beyond for me because it has brought me back to a place of wanting to communicate with a God to whom I have felt chronically deaf.

[Christin Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that it was deep AND practical. I feel like you don’t find that too often in Christian books & it felt like such a great balance of the two. Will probably re-read it again a million times, and then a few more times after that. :’)

[Isabel Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. You guys gotta read it!!!

[Tim He · Rating 4 out of 5]

tyler has done a great job of painting this beautiful picture of prayer as entering into intimacy with God and igniting real change for individuals, churches and cities. there were some anecdotes and illustrations here and there that seemed a bit non-denom type corny, but overall this felt so practical, fresh and light to read.