The Practice of Prayer

by Margaret Guenther

In this down-to-earth book on the essentials of prayer, Margaret Guenther answers many of the common questions of the spiritual life.

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

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is the best one so far in the New Church's Teaching series. Guenther's wisdom really shines through; the reader easily understands that the author speaks from a position of lived experience. She isn't afraid to talk about the struggles she has experienced in her lifetime of prayer practice. I'll likely return to this one again, and it will be in my mind as I make tweaks to my own practice.

[Philip Zoutendam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smoothly written and thoughtful, but a little more basic than I was looking for. I got pretty bored about halfway through.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on prayer

Worth it! Not only a great and heartfelt overview of prayer, but full of additional resources to build one's prayer life.

[Deborah Gaspar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the read and the thinking.

[Riley Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on prayer from the Anglican perspective. This book helped nourish and rejoice my soul!

May the Dr. Rev. Margaret Guenther, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

[Jon Anderson]

Straightforward and, well, practical

[Tynan Brooks]

The first of these I found to be actually helpful, gave me a few things to think about regarding my prayer life.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fourth volume of the NCT series, Gunther focuses on prayer as a very deep, yet pervasive topic. She broadens the subject of prayer to art, poetry, reflection, any action that lends itself to communicating with God. Yet, she shows it is of utmost importance in the Christian life. Sprinkling the text with Scripture, as well as passages from the BCP, this is no syncretic attempt to discuss prayer in the pluralistic society. This book is distinctly Christian, distinctly Anglican, and very thorough. Gunther emphasizes important practices such as confession and the importance of a spiritual director.

[Dan Hewitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great little introduction to Christian prayer. Margaret Guenther's writing is clear and concise, and the way she explains the practice in a way that ties the Christian act of prayer to other universal forms, like eastern meditation. This secular understanding of the similarities between the two practices allowed me to understand the usefulness of prayer in a new, more useful light. It broke many stereotypes and taboos that have pervaded modern thoughts on prayer and allowed me to understand it from a more spiritual level. Highly recommended for anyone on a newly discovered spiritual path.

[Joshua Booher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing series as a whole: This was a good series. It helped shaped the way I think about the Episcopal Church. It has greatly improved my ability to mentor an EfM group. However, my take was that a lot of the books duplicated the same ground and did not necessarily cover the ground they were supposed to cove based on their title and descriptions. Overall, they were helpful, though.

[T Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy this, but it was required reading for a book group I'm in so I picked it up. It's a wonderfully informative without being abstract and academic. I came away inspired to try new things, interested in learning more and convinced that it would be wonderful to sit down to dinner with Margaret Guenther.

[Adam Gossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best one from this beautiful series that I have read so far. This is just lovely. She writes artfully and draws on awesome resources, she has a spiritual, motherly and humble perspective. This is a book I hope I have the joy to come back to again and again.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book over a couple of years so the early part isn't fresh, however it is accessible to people of all levels of spiritual practice (meaning don't worry that you won't "get" it) as well as people of different denominations. I particularly enjoyed her later chapter on trials/fears.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this book in my Christian Ed class, and what I like so much about the Church Teaching series is that it is both dense but readable.

[Jaci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview. Second half was better than the first half. Used in a group setting.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource for those seeking a richer prayer life. Well-written.

[D.l. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of a series for Anglicans to learn more about their faith. I chose this particular volume because of the topic.

The author looks at the different types of paryer, how the desert mystics influenced our view of spiritual practice, and that we can become closer to the Divine in our daily lives.

The idea of focusing on the present moment isn't a new one. The perspective that caring for an infant as a prayerful task was refreshing to see in print. We need to remember everything we do has an impact on others and taking the view that everyone is linked to the Creator might make the world a better place