The second book that I committed to review for the Red Letters Campaign was The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes. I have to be honest and say that I really struggled with how to post about this one. The nasty truth is that I stink at prayer. Mark is a champion, dedicated pray-er, but I stink out. I have no routine, no daily plan. I have tried, but I fail.How's that for honesty? I believe in it though, and have seen its impact.
This book is about developing a routine for how/when to pray and helps develop a structured plan for how to establish a routine.
It is also about learning to LISTEN to God rather than just talking. This, I am better at. I can listen, but I stink at the talking. I am an out of the box kind of a person, and I fight routine. My prayers are more fluid and organic. They flow throughout the day as I think of things, people and situations. They are not formal, as they rarely start with "Dear God" and end in "Amen".
This book did really get me thinking about getting better at listening to God speak. I believe He speaks. Am I listening...enough? This book is about learning to believe that God is speaking, and then removing the obstacles that keep you from hearing.
Seth Barnes has a very inspirational blog with posts like, "Are we raising a nation of wimps?" and "Life in a garbage dump. What if it was you?"
6 comments:
I was intrigued by your post tonight. It is making me think A LOT!!!
We all need a little perspective!!
Thank you!!
Amy
i like your review...and your honesty! i don;t think you are a terrible pray-er by what you say here...it seems as though you converse with God all day long!
It doesn't seem like God would expect us all to pray in the same way, as we are all made and wired so differently. He hears you. I don't know many folks who have a heart as big as yours or such desire to reach out and make a difference in our world. It seems like you are listening more than you realize!
I have a similar prayer life, but also believe in it's power - I have seen it's results many times...
WOW! I feel the same as you. I do pray every night, but I find I do not include everything I wanted to include. I am much better at ongoing pray-er all day long. Great posts! I hear God often and I personally think he likes how we pray!!! Miss you, Courtney
Funny - I ran across your website as you were posting about my book. thanks for your honesty, Rebeccah. I think we all struggle at various times. Frankly, I need to read the book now myself and take some of the medicine I prescribe for others!
All I know is that God loves to be with us.
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