Deus Misereatur

Transformational Prayer: A Non-Linear Approach by Zachary F. Carden My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have a secret. Okay, I actually have two. First, the author of this book is a friend of mine. Second, he doesn't know that I picked up his teeny virtual-codex. But when I saw the subject I was intrigued and thought I'd give it a look-over, and I'm glad I did. Zachary F. Carden, Director of Family ministries and an associate pastor at Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, compiled this roughly 30 page Kindle-manuscript for himself, and out of his own experience for others. In "Transformational Prayer" Carden is talking about prayer, and using something of a modified version of an old prayer template, ACTS(i) - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (intercession). But the whole point of this easy-to-read volume is to come into ACTS(i) from wherever you are at the moment, instead of rigidly following the formula. As the author says repeatedly, start ...

It's not original with me. But years ago, for the purpose of keeping my head on straight and focused while reading my Bible every morning, and turning the reading time into prayer and worship, I started journaling. It's very simple: Date, passages read, and reflective thoughts that lean toward prayer. All pretty simple. The picture shows three recent days (with the names covered up to protect the innocent). The following is today's prayer entry. It pulled together from my Scripture readings, the pain in my heart for several people, and the trust I have in our great liberating and loving God. Lord, mighty and strong, a refuge in the storm and a shelter in the squall - you see clearly through the fog of human confusion, the stifling smoke of worry, the crushing blanket of darkness of depression - you set captives free, open prison doors and release the entrapped, lift up the oppressed and put the oppressors down. O Lord, mighty and strong, liberating and loving: hear m...

I have used this prayer book since 1988. At that time I was a bi-vocational minister in a little Florida congregation while a Sergeant on Active Duty in the U.S. Air Force. I have continued to use it regularly through the years, and even now as a Presbyterian minister. I own two copies, and have used them so much that the bindings of both are broken and tattered, and the pages are worn and marked up. The volume is helpful on many fronts. There is a set of suggested orders for morning, noon and evening prayers. Also, Doberstein has included material from Luther's morning and evening prayer, as well as Luther's " A Simple Guide to Prayer " given to his barber. The editor has further mapped out a regular order of prayer for each day of the week. The middle section of the prayer book includes two years of Scripture lessons along with Collects or prayers, all of which follow the liturgical calendar. The largest portion of the volume is given over to "Meditations ...

A Pocket Guide to Prayer, Deluxe Edition by Steve  Harper My rating: 4 of 5 stars It is titled a "Pocket Guide to Prayer", and that is exactly what it is. Its slim, small size could easily fit into the back pocket to be carried around. And its format is simply to guide the one handling it in prayer at set times of the day, when first awakening, morning, noon, evening and bedtime. There are also insightful instructions on how to help make times of prayer more devotional and profitable in the back sections; "A Rule of Life", "Lectio Divina", and "Growing in Prayer". The central two sections of the book lead the praying person through four weeks of prayer. Each day has a hymn, a suggested prayer with space to interject one's own concerns and petitions, and a short snippet from "the Saints", ranging from Francis of Assisi, to Julian of Norwich, even William Law, St. John of the Cross, and Evelyn Underhill, to name a few. It does not ...

“ O LORD , we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (1928 Book of Common Prayer ). Clergy, congregations and denominations often struggle with direction, sustainability and viability, especially in cloudy, complex seasons; or at least, one hopes that they do. The human predicament we find ourselves in makes fidelity difficult at times because we live in the twilight between the passing away of darkness and dawning of the light (1 John 2.8b).  True enough, God has entrusted us with his Holy Scriptures and guided the Church in her understanding of the Word of God throughout the millennia. Nevertheless, not every circumstance, or societal moral mess, is covered in a clearly marked way. That means each generation of the Church, in a greater or lesser degree, mu...

{This will only take 2.35 minutes to read} Dawn to Dark: A Book of Christian Prayer R. Douglas Jones The House Studio PO Box 419527 Kansas City, MO 64141 www.thehousestudio.com ISBN: 978-0-8341-2825-5; $14.99 Copyright 2012 Reviewed by: Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Useful Utility : 4 stars out of 5 The value of having some type of order in daily prayer has been noticed for centuries. From Sacramentaries to Breviaries, Christians have been churning out prayer books that are meant to help structure daily prayer. R. Douglas Jones has added a short work to the mix with his recent 286 page paperback, "Dawn to Dark: A Book of Christian Prayer." Jones covers two weeks of praying that pays attention to the "hours": "Prayer at Dawn", "Prayer at Daylight", and "Prayer at Dusk." The internal order of each session of prayer is fairly standard, including opening prayer, confession of sin, Psalm reading, praise (norma...