God Centred Praying

Merit Award, World Guild Christian Living Book Praying is an action that is of the essence of Christian existence. It involves our beliefs, emotions, values, hopes and fears, certainties and uncertainties, knowledge and ignorance. As J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom explain, "Our aim is not just to clarify Christian understanding but to foster Christian living. In real praying, head, heart, and hands go together." With wisdom, humility, and sincerity the authors lead us through different moods of praying, including brooding, praising, asking, complaining, and hanging on. In Praying the authors offer hope for those of us who daydream when we try to listen to God and stumble when we try to speak. Yet they don't just teach us about prayer; they challenge and inspire us to do it by pointing us to a clearer realization of the reality of God and his character. Let Packer and Nystrom guide your praying to our powerful God, and let him move your praying through mere duty to delight.

In the beginning man had to be in a very distinct relationship with God in order to have passage to his heart. However, this would dramatically change when Jesus came to earth. Early in his ministry, Jesus realized man’s inability to pray. And thus, Jesus taught his followers to pray the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6: 9–13. It is evident that Jesus was teaching his followers that his Father does not expect lengthy supplications. We simply had to enter in prayer giving God glory, soliciting the things we need, begging for forgiveness, petitioning a way around evil, and finally pouring out our adulations on God in all his majesty. David Christian Jantjies, in this epic work, digs a little deeper and uncovers the untapped treasures of the much-neglected individualized focused prayer. The time has now come to approach the throne of God with focused prayers—less detailed, accentuated prayer-worship of the Living God, themed petitions, and crisp thanksgiving for what God has done and is still doing. It further preaches for a more frequent interaction with God. The Christian’s Prayer Book – Focused Prayers 101 is a glorious work. Readers will be able to identify with most of these prayers. The spectrum is wide. The glorification of God is immense. The petitions are daily contentions. The praise-giving to God is huge. Each prayer is supported by potent quotations. However, do not miss the teachings on what prayer is, where to pray, when to pray, and how to pray.

Are you going to let God be the focal point of your life when you are at college? Will you follow Him, even when it's not the popular thing to do? Popular author and speaker Mark Matlock helps incoming freshmen figure out if they are ready to combine faith and college by encouraging them to think about their faith in new ways.

In this enriching book, Father Pennington reveals how the spiritual insights of "centering" have profoundly changed the lives of contemporary Christians everywhere. "I believe in its simplicity," he writes, "it readily adapts itself to wherever one is on [life's] journey. It can open the space for God to lead us all the way into the fullness of the life he offers us...It is truly a gift that belongs to all the People of God." Centered Living is an excellent guidebook for those who already practice centering prayer, as well as those just discovering it.