Ordinary believers are stepping into the streets to pray effectively for their neighbors. With eyes open to real needs and with ears open to the promptings of God's Spirit, intercession becomes an adventure. We have never been so aware of the need to contend for our cities against a rising tide of spiritual evil. As a result, multitudes of Christians worldwide have begun to prayerwalk their cities and nations. Prayerwalking gives you a practical menu of proven ideas to begin preparing whole cities for spiritual awakening. Biblical insights will build your faith to voice city-size prayers. And the stories and statements of more than one hundred prayerwalking Christians will fire your imagination for your first steps.

A compelling exploration of the biblical foundations, contemplative practices, and spiritual path of Jesus himself—from the bestselling author of The Case for Jesus “What happens when a biblical theologian explores classic spirituality? This book. Pitre’s students have asked, Why have we never heard this before? The reader wonders the same.”—Dr. David Fagerberg, author of Liturgical Mysticism The path of following Jesus is an ancient and storied spiritual tradition. Yet many believers are not familiar with the three major forms of prayer and the three stages of spiritual growth that exist to bring them closer to God. In his most personal book yet, Brant Pitre, PhD, draws on the riches of the Bible, the words of Jesus, and the writings of mystics across the centuries to shed light on the mystery—and wonder—of the spiritual life. Starting with the age-old belief that the path of prayer is not only informative but transformative, Dr. Pitre explores • the scriptural roots of the major forms of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation • the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of spiritual growth • the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving • the Jewish roots of the Lord’s Prayer • Lectio Divina: how to pray with the Bible • seven vices and their seven opposing virtues • the battle of prayer: how to deal with difficulty and distractions • the “dark night of the soul” in the Scriptures Full of sacred truths, contemplative insights, and practical steps, Introduction to the Spiritual Life is a biblical road map of the spiritual landscape that enables us to follow Jesus as our primary guide.

Prayer is an essential of the Christian life. Yet confusion abounds, and we have a tendency to make it more complicated than Jesus ever intended. Going back to the basics, bestselling author and pastor Jack Hayford shows that prayer is person-to-Person communication--a combination of worship, fellowship, and intercession. He shows that the Bible's call to prayer is neither mystical nor theoretical, and he gives seven simple steps, as outlined by Jesus, on how to pray. He also gives three keys to effective asking in prayer and attacking through prayer. Prayer is not intended to be mysterious, Hayford says, but down-to-earth and practical. To live in the spirit of prayer is learning to walk in the presence of Jesus. Always.

With step-by-step instructions for over forty ways to pray, this valuable guide contains a wealth of timeless spiritual prayer practices that Christians have used over the last 2000 years from cultures around the world. Among the prayer practices you'll encounter in this book are the daily office, the prayer shawl, praying with icons, centering prayer, fasting, prayer beads, walking a labyrinth, pilgrimage, anointing for healing, and praying the scriptures. Paths to Prayer offers a whole-person approach to prayer that takes into account each person's individuality and doesn't assume we all relate to God in the same way. A prayer styles self-assessment will help you reflect on your life, your preferences, and your unique way of interacting with the world. Try new dimensions of praying— innovative, searching, relational, and experiential— to deepen your encounter with the divine.

Linus Mundy's booklet on Prayer-Walking was the topic of national attention when it appeared a little over a year ago. Now he gives us The Complete Guide to Prayer-Walking, a comprehensive book based on the premise that a walk is not only good for your heart but presents a good time to listen to the secret murmurings of your heart as well as to tune into God's heart. Increase your creative productivity, get into shape, relieve stress, and nourish your soul -- all at the same time. Linus Mundy shows you how. He explains all the whats and wheres and whens. He also offers suggestions for meditations, prayers, and prayer-starters. As a bonus, he includes four other first-person accounts of prayer-walkers, their stories, methods, and beliefs. -- What is Prayer-Walking? -- When and Where? -- How to Find Your Right Way? -- How Do You Prayer-Walk? -- What or Whom to Take With You? -- How Can You Tell When You're Really Prayer-Walking?

Those familiar with the music of Dan Schutte are in for a great treat here. As in his music, he deals with themes of longing and desire for God, the hungers of the human heart, unfulfilled human hopes and dreams, and the profound happiness of finding ones home in God. The exercises here are loosely based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the goal is the same for both: to draw readers into a personal, living, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some think that liturgy is formal, public, and for ordinary people, while mysticism is uncontrollable, private, and for extraordinary saints. Is there a connection between the two? In this volume, David Fagerberg proposes that mysticism is the normal crowning of the Christian life, and the Christian life is liturgical. We intuitively sense that liturgy and theology and mysticism have an affinity. Liturgical theology should reveal liturgy’s mystical heart. Liturgical theology asks “What happens in liturgy?” and liturgical mysticism asks “What happens to us in liturgy?”, and perfects our interior liturgy. In Liturgical Mysticism, Fagerberg directs the reader to look fixedly at Christ, who is the Mystery present in liturgy, and who bestows his resurrection power upon his adopted children. “In a time where both too wild and too mild spiritualities abound, it is audacious to put forward a book on liturgical mysticism. [This book] continues to enrich liturgical theology by amplifying its horizon and solidifying the foundation on which it rests.” Joris Geldhof Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Statistics have shown that nine out of ten Americans pray and 95 percent believe their prayers are answered. And in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the word "prayer" has been on everyone's lips as millions seek to deal with the enormity of the tragedy. In The Path of Prayerbeloved spiritual writer Sophy Burnham reminds us that all over the world people pray. There is no one way to perform this innately human act, which in its most ordinary form is quite simply a yearning of the heart embodied in our hopes, thoughts, and dreams. The Path of Prayerexplores the meaning of prayer and its practice-and how it can help those of all faiths, or none, to resolve doubts and anxieties and move on through troubled times. Interweaving Burnham's personal experience with true stories of people who have prayed profoundly and found answers, and with scientific studies that prove the efficacy and health benefits of prayer, it offers guidance on everything from "Building Sacred Space" to "The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer." A prayer from one of the major religious traditions ends each chapter. This is a work of faith that reaches out to all who have suffered, all who are hurting, and all who long for a clearer vision of their path through life. "Sophy Burnham is a radiant writer. Her consciousness illumines the dark corridors of the soul. She brings peace, hope, humor, and inspiration to the subject of prayer. This book, one of her very best, must rank with The Road Less Traveledin its luminous humanity." (Julia Cameron, the author of The Artists Way)

Providing a historical and modern context for the unique spiritual discipline of walking a labyrinth, Travis Scholl weaves his own journey with a prayerful study of the Gospel of Mark, guiding readers to powerful encounters with God, even in the midst of quiet solitude, repetition and stillness. These 40 reflections are ideal for daily reading—during Lent or any time of the year.

So many of us experience guilt and frustration about our prayer lives. We want to experience God's presence, to grow towards interceding, meditating and worshipping as earnestly as the prayer warriors and saints that we read about. When we try, however, our thoughts are distracted and we can end up feeling bored and even irritated by the whole exercise.