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Clinging: The Experience of Prayer
Simple, elegantly written, and warmly felt invitation to prayer.
72 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 16, 2024
Definitely read this book.
“So each one of us must make the discovery on her or his own that God has invented the universe to delight us. That his love is so much for each one alone that it seems as if the moon and stars had been made for our nursery windows and no other creature had occupied God’s mind since time began. This childlike sense of being at the center of his thought and the apple of his eye is recovered by adults in prayer. At last we know the fairytales are true and immortality is not fake. The land will not be Oz, where witches are sometimes wicked and sometimes good, but a land where God is to be with us. And that knowing will be bliss.
By clinging, then, we come to know that heaven is not only later on, but has somehow already begun, and that the kingdom is at work in us with a silent greening, shooting up like spring while there is snow still on the ground.”
“So each one of us must make the discovery on her or his own that God has invented the universe to delight us. That his love is so much for each one alone that it seems as if the moon and stars had been made for our nursery windows and no other creature had occupied God’s mind since time began. This childlike sense of being at the center of his thought and the apple of his eye is recovered by adults in prayer. At last we know the fairytales are true and immortality is not fake. The land will not be Oz, where witches are sometimes wicked and sometimes good, but a land where God is to be with us. And that knowing will be bliss.
By clinging, then, we come to know that heaven is not only later on, but has somehow already begun, and that the kingdom is at work in us with a silent greening, shooting up like spring while there is snow still on the ground.”
August 14, 2012
It took me two years to get past the first three pages of this book. It's not because it's badly written or uninteresting... but instead because it dares you to do more than read it, and that scared me to death. I'm glad I did.
January 24, 2016
It is very difficult to write a review for a book like Clinging, because it is a deeply personal experience to read it. In fact, it is one of those books after the tradition of the Bible, that searches you out more than you can search it. It is deep and still and exquisite.
I began reading Clinging because it is currently being read in the Renovaré Book Club. I figured that I would read a chapter a week to keep pace with our members. Once I started, I could not stop. I read it all on a flight to Phoenix, pausing at times only to wipe away tears. Does that sound terribly melodramatic? Perhaps; but, it is the truth.
It is that so rare combination of excruciatingly beautiful writing and challenging, fearless honesty that makes this a book I know I will return to again and again for the rest of my life. I am so mad at myself right now, because, while reading, I did not want to stop to dig out a pencil to mark particular passages. I underscored them with an indentation from my fingernail, hoping that would last until I could return with a pen. Alas, the Law of Remorphia (that everything will eventually return to its original shape unless held in place; this in a law I just made up right now, but doesn't it seem a true one?) has let the indentations return to smoothness, so I do not have any must-read quotes to pull out easily.
BUT, the whole book is a must-read. If you care about the mystery of prayer -- its fluid method, its hollow mudanity, its profound marvels, its unpredictable movement -- you will find much to value in this slender volume by Emilie Griffin. Just make sure you have a pencil handy and plenty of Kleenex, too.
I began reading Clinging because it is currently being read in the Renovaré Book Club. I figured that I would read a chapter a week to keep pace with our members. Once I started, I could not stop. I read it all on a flight to Phoenix, pausing at times only to wipe away tears. Does that sound terribly melodramatic? Perhaps; but, it is the truth.
It is that so rare combination of excruciatingly beautiful writing and challenging, fearless honesty that makes this a book I know I will return to again and again for the rest of my life. I am so mad at myself right now, because, while reading, I did not want to stop to dig out a pencil to mark particular passages. I underscored them with an indentation from my fingernail, hoping that would last until I could return with a pen. Alas, the Law of Remorphia (that everything will eventually return to its original shape unless held in place; this in a law I just made up right now, but doesn't it seem a true one?) has let the indentations return to smoothness, so I do not have any must-read quotes to pull out easily.
BUT, the whole book is a must-read. If you care about the mystery of prayer -- its fluid method, its hollow mudanity, its profound marvels, its unpredictable movement -- you will find much to value in this slender volume by Emilie Griffin. Just make sure you have a pencil handy and plenty of Kleenex, too.
July 27, 2012
New addition to my all-time favorite books on prayer. Learned a ton and was led into prayer as I read. A lot of people in my life will probably be getting this for Christmas.
August 14, 2009
Absolutely AMAZING book on the depths and struggles of prayer. Even if taken paragraph by paragraph, your soul will be nourished and challenged. Griffin is a brilliant writer!!
August 1, 2011
A beautifully written short book on the experience of prayer. Emilie Griffin does a wonderful job of communicating the experience of prayer from the inside out. Well worth reading over and again.
October 13, 2015
I read this very slowly- a few pages a week. However, it is the kind of book that requires that and now that I am done, I intend to start over. I got a lot out of it and want to mine for more.
June 6, 2016
A call to intimacy in prayer. The opening paragraph of the book is breathtaking. It is a step into the mystical we all need as followers of Christ.
February 1, 2024
Five stars for the first two chapters. Beginning and Yielding. After that, I would say just put the book down and pray.
Beginning
“We assure ourselves that we of course are very open to prayer while not actually praying. We congratulate ourselves that we are so well intentioned about prayer that we don’t actually have to pray.”
“The question of ‘answered prayer’ is raised mainly by people who don’t pray. ….The best thing to ask for in prayer is to be with the Lord…. the best reason to pray is that God is really there.”
Yielding
“God has already called us and is waiting for us to come to him. Yielding is putting aside our cares, schedules, undertakings, to simply be with God. It is the gift to him of time, the only coin we have to spend; the gift of ourselves, one we find all too difficult to give.”
Pay attention, come to me.
Listen and your soul will live. Is 55:3
“We do not speak. He speaks. We do not ask. He asks.”
Beginning
“We assure ourselves that we of course are very open to prayer while not actually praying. We congratulate ourselves that we are so well intentioned about prayer that we don’t actually have to pray.”
“The question of ‘answered prayer’ is raised mainly by people who don’t pray. ….The best thing to ask for in prayer is to be with the Lord…. the best reason to pray is that God is really there.”
Yielding
“God has already called us and is waiting for us to come to him. Yielding is putting aside our cares, schedules, undertakings, to simply be with God. It is the gift to him of time, the only coin we have to spend; the gift of ourselves, one we find all too difficult to give.”
Pay attention, come to me.
Listen and your soul will live. Is 55:3
“We do not speak. He speaks. We do not ask. He asks.”
June 17, 2021
Clinging is a book that you read slowly; a few pages a day. Cling to God in prayer like a child clings to her mother or father.
January 18, 2025
Beautiful invitation to depth and rest and refreshment with the Lord!
June 6, 2025
Undone. I’ve never paused to behold and wonder and pray more while reading a book (except for the literal bible). Emilie stirred my heart for prayer and deep friendship in a marking way.
May 15, 2025
Editing for the second reading, 5/2/2025.
Because of where I am, spiritually, at this time, this book hits so very differently than it did at the first reading, eight years ago. The biggest difference, though, is in the chapter called "Hoops of Steel." And the reason for that is that I now have a friendship that fits the description in that chapter perfectly. The thing I love most about this book is how poetic it is. And I want to include here what I think was the most poetic part of all, in chapter 6, called "Fear of Heights."
"But who is this Lover of mine? Is he the Father, whom I approach through his Son? Is he the Son whom I ask to bring me closer to his Father? Do I open myself to the breath of the Spirit blowing through me, carrying me before him as by a storm of grace? Who is this Person into whose arms I run?
"Before me there is a whirlwind, and in the center of the whirlwind is a still, small voice, saying, I am.
"I am, before the world was made.
"I am, that to which all the world is striving, the love to which all eros drives, the food for which all hunger reaches.
"I am, the shepherd on the hillside, bearing you up in my arms.
"Loving Ephraim when he was a child.
"Giving my angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Letting them bear you up, lest you dash your foot. Letting you tread on the lion, the adder, the young lion, and the dragon.
"Telling you to untie your sandals, for the place where you're standing is holy ground.
"Leading you beside the still waters.
"Tipping the pitcher and dousing your head with holy oil.
"Better one day in my courts, than a thousand in the tents of wickedness."
__________________________________________________________
This is an incredible little book. Weighing in at only 72 pages, it might not seem worth your while, but it most definitely is, especially if you are interested in developing a deeper, more intimate prayer life.
This is not a theology book, nor is it a technical kind of "how to pray" book. This is a book about doing exactly what the title says: Clinging. Clinging to what or who, you ask? Clinging to God/Jesus. Clinging to our Father like there is no one or nothing else that can help us.
I was immediately captivated in the first page of the forward when Ms. Griffin says, citing William Johnston, "the mystic must cling to God ('for God is his truest being'), but need not cling to views and ideas about God." Earlier in the forward, she says, "As for 'clinging,' I have consciously chosen an image of attachment to God, in hopes of conveying our dependency on him." And truthfully clinging to God will detach us from "false dependencies that bind us hand and foot."
There are seven chapters, each describing an aspect of prayer. The first, rightfully so, is called "Beginning." Again, I was captivated by the first few lines. "There is a moment between intending to pray and actually praying that is as dark as any moment in our lives. It is the split second between thinking about prayer and really praying. For some of us, this split second may last for decades."
That still gives me goosebumps, for it is truth. Beginning is the hardest part of prayer, isn't it? We think about it, we plan for it, we commit that we will do it, and then we do almost anything else to keep from actually starting it.
The book works through other aspects, such as yielding and transparency, then concludes with the final chapter, "Clinging." This paragraph sums it all up quite well.
"We must cling to the one reality that does not crumple. The one rock that will not be washed loose in the tide and onslaught of anything. We must cling to the one reality that will hold firm, though the earth be destroyed and the mountains flung into the sea and the sun put out. We must cling to the One who holds eternity in his hand, who will not perish in the end, and who has power to save us, too. The One who knew us before we existed, in whose thought and by whose hand we exist from moment to moment. He chose and shaped us from our mother's womb to be intimate with him. This intimacy is what we were made for. Apart from it, we feel at odds with existence and even with ourselves. Close to him, we are at peace. This is the one intimacy of which we need not be afraid, for it will not disappoint or betray us. On God we can loose all the intensity of what we are, all the passion and the longing we feel. This is the one surrender we can make in utter trust, knowing that we can rest our whole weight there and nothing will give way."
Clinging. This is my goal in prayer and devotion. I want to cling to my Father like there is nothing else.
I will be reading this book again. I can easily see it being one of those that becomes completely worn out over time.
Because of where I am, spiritually, at this time, this book hits so very differently than it did at the first reading, eight years ago. The biggest difference, though, is in the chapter called "Hoops of Steel." And the reason for that is that I now have a friendship that fits the description in that chapter perfectly. The thing I love most about this book is how poetic it is. And I want to include here what I think was the most poetic part of all, in chapter 6, called "Fear of Heights."
"But who is this Lover of mine? Is he the Father, whom I approach through his Son? Is he the Son whom I ask to bring me closer to his Father? Do I open myself to the breath of the Spirit blowing through me, carrying me before him as by a storm of grace? Who is this Person into whose arms I run?
"Before me there is a whirlwind, and in the center of the whirlwind is a still, small voice, saying, I am.
"I am, before the world was made.
"I am, that to which all the world is striving, the love to which all eros drives, the food for which all hunger reaches.
"I am, the shepherd on the hillside, bearing you up in my arms.
"Loving Ephraim when he was a child.
"Giving my angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Letting them bear you up, lest you dash your foot. Letting you tread on the lion, the adder, the young lion, and the dragon.
"Telling you to untie your sandals, for the place where you're standing is holy ground.
"Leading you beside the still waters.
"Tipping the pitcher and dousing your head with holy oil.
"Better one day in my courts, than a thousand in the tents of wickedness."
__________________________________________________________
This is an incredible little book. Weighing in at only 72 pages, it might not seem worth your while, but it most definitely is, especially if you are interested in developing a deeper, more intimate prayer life.
This is not a theology book, nor is it a technical kind of "how to pray" book. This is a book about doing exactly what the title says: Clinging. Clinging to what or who, you ask? Clinging to God/Jesus. Clinging to our Father like there is no one or nothing else that can help us.
I was immediately captivated in the first page of the forward when Ms. Griffin says, citing William Johnston, "the mystic must cling to God ('for God is his truest being'), but need not cling to views and ideas about God." Earlier in the forward, she says, "As for 'clinging,' I have consciously chosen an image of attachment to God, in hopes of conveying our dependency on him." And truthfully clinging to God will detach us from "false dependencies that bind us hand and foot."
There are seven chapters, each describing an aspect of prayer. The first, rightfully so, is called "Beginning." Again, I was captivated by the first few lines. "There is a moment between intending to pray and actually praying that is as dark as any moment in our lives. It is the split second between thinking about prayer and really praying. For some of us, this split second may last for decades."
That still gives me goosebumps, for it is truth. Beginning is the hardest part of prayer, isn't it? We think about it, we plan for it, we commit that we will do it, and then we do almost anything else to keep from actually starting it.
The book works through other aspects, such as yielding and transparency, then concludes with the final chapter, "Clinging." This paragraph sums it all up quite well.
"We must cling to the one reality that does not crumple. The one rock that will not be washed loose in the tide and onslaught of anything. We must cling to the one reality that will hold firm, though the earth be destroyed and the mountains flung into the sea and the sun put out. We must cling to the One who holds eternity in his hand, who will not perish in the end, and who has power to save us, too. The One who knew us before we existed, in whose thought and by whose hand we exist from moment to moment. He chose and shaped us from our mother's womb to be intimate with him. This intimacy is what we were made for. Apart from it, we feel at odds with existence and even with ourselves. Close to him, we are at peace. This is the one intimacy of which we need not be afraid, for it will not disappoint or betray us. On God we can loose all the intensity of what we are, all the passion and the longing we feel. This is the one surrender we can make in utter trust, knowing that we can rest our whole weight there and nothing will give way."
Clinging. This is my goal in prayer and devotion. I want to cling to my Father like there is nothing else.
I will be reading this book again. I can easily see it being one of those that becomes completely worn out over time.
September 23, 2020
This little 70pg book is a unique treasure. It is truly about 'the experience of prayer.' The 7 chapters are really seven pictures of what it is like to pursue a life of prayer. One who has genuinely sought to pray as a way of life will find deep resonances in these pictures, and (if you are like me) will be greatly encouraged and challenged by the depths of prayer portrayed in this book. The first chapter, 'Beginning,' should be required reading for every Christian, and is worth the price of the book.
2020 Read:
Dear God this book is beautiful.
2020 Read:
Dear God this book is beautiful.
January 22, 2024
One of my favorite books on prayer. I re-read it every few years. Emilie Griffin describes the struggles and joys of prayer and praying. I always feel cradled while I read this book. Perhaps because it is written with honesty and openness.
May 7, 2008
It is short and sweet... and worth reading!
April 27, 2012
Reads almost like a love story...which it is. Love this book.
August 26, 2012
Once again, may need to read all of these that I just plugged my way through just after my daughter was born.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews