Downtime: Helping Teenagers Pray

by Mark Yaconelli

"You know the reality: teens don’t have much downtime in their lives. Between school, extra-curricular activities, jobs, friends (and youth group!), students these days barely have enough time to do all the things they need to do in a day. It’s no wonder that quiet, reflective time in prayer with God is not high on their priority list. With years of experience helping teens encounter God in quiet, contemplative ways, Mark Yaconelli will give you the tools and insights needed to help teens understand why and how to pray, and to guide them towards a life of prayer. You’ll find several prayer exercises in this book, based on the praying tradition of the Christian church, along with instructions to help you introduce the prayers to students. Not only are there explorations of classical methods of prayer that involve silence, solitude, and scripture, but you’ll also discover more recent forms of prayer that use creative media, music, writing, movement, and acts of compassion. As you help teens bring prayer into their everyday lives, your students will find that they long for those times when they can step away from it all and find rest and comfort in God."

Genres: Nonfiction, Prayer

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Rebekah R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have loved reading this book. It's not just about teenagers. It's for anyone wanting reminders of what prayer is really about and how to take time to be still and communicate with God in a world that is fast paced and filled with distractions.

Also filled with great insights into youth ministry in general, not just in relation to prayer and packed FULL with practical ways to put it into action (3/4 the book is actually examples and ideas). I will use this book a lot in my ministry and personal life.

[Tim Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

it took me a while to get through this book. i enjoyed it and it had some good ideas - but for whatever reason - it was not something i wanted to read quickly. it didn't always hold my attention.

[Brenda Seefeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third time reading this book. Obviously it is a great resource. I'm preparing a 6 Hours of Silence time for my youth group. This book gave me some great and needed help. Again.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book.
You can read my full review here-
http://teaandtheology.com/book-review...