For individual or group use “It is my hope that this book will provide at least fifty ways you may take steps in a lifelong walk with God. It is written for you, the seeker and sojourner, as well as you, the church leader, youth minister, retreat facilitator, or worship planner. It is for all of us who thought we only knew one way to pray.” --from the introduction The explosion of interest today in Christian mystics, ancient prayer practices, and guided meditations speaks to a need for more hands-on tools that will help us pray in traditional as well as new and exciting ways. This book is intended to address that need. Each of the exercises includes not only instructions on how to use it as a prayer practice, but also some background, an introduction, a statement of intention, and tips to help you become comfortable with the practice. For those of you wanting to lead these practices in a group, there are special instructions and information in the Leader’s Guide at the end of the book. “Rich with wisdom drawn from the wellsprings of Western spirituality, this remarkable book is a sustained experience of spiritual direction offered by a seasoned spiritual guide.” -John S. Mogabgab, editor of Weavings journal "This book does more than point to ways of prayer; it serves as encouragement, guide, and partner for those who want to connect in prayer in ways that move beyond words." -Doug Pagitt, author of BodyPrayer and pastor of Solomon's Porch “This is a basic, balanced, and accessible guide to the variety, promise, and practice of prayer. Read it to deepen your understanding of prayer; use it to deepen your life in God.” -Frederick W. Schmidt, author of What God Wants for Your Life Click here to read a sample Table of Contents Teresa A. Blythe is a writer, spiritual director, and frequent conference speaker on topics of popular culture and spirituality. She has co-authored Meeting God in Virtual Reality and Watching What We Watch , along with numerous essays and reviews for Beliefnet , Spirituality & Health , and Publishers Weekly . Teresa serves as Program Coordinator for the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, AZ. "... this remarkable book is a sustained experience of spiritual direction offered by a seasoned spiritual guide." -- John S. Mogabgab, editor of Weavings journal "This is a basic, balanced, and accessible guide to the variety, promise, and practice of prayer. -- Doug Pagitt, author of BodyPrayer and pastor of Solomon's Porch "It is my hope that this book will provide at least fifty ways you may take steps in a lifelong walk with God. It is written for you, the seeker and sojourner, as well as you, the church leader, youth minister, retreat facilitator, or worship planner. It is for all of us who thought we only knew one way to pray." -From the introduction The explosion of interest today in Christian mystics, ancient prayer practices, and guided meditations speaks to a need for more hands-on tools that will help us pray in traditional as well as new and exciting ways. This book is intended to address that need. Each of the exercises includes not only instructions on how to use it as a prayer practice, but also some background, an introduction, a statement of intention, and tips to help you become comfortable with the practice. For those of you wanting to lead these practices in a group, there are special instructions and information in the Leader s Guide at the end of the book. Teresa A. Blythe is a writer, spiritual director, and frequent conference speaker on topics of popular culture and spirituality. She has co-authored Meeting God in Virtual Reality: Using Spiritual Practices with Media (Abingdon, 2004) and Watching What We Watch: Prime-ti 50 Ways to Pray Practices from Many Traditions and Times By Teresa A. Blythe Abingdon Press Copyright © 2006 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-687-33104-8 Contents PREFACE, INTRODUCTION, CHAPTER 1. BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS, CHAPTER 2. BASIC CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES, CHAPTER 3. LECTIO DIVINAS, CHAPTER 4. LIFE REFLECTIONS, CHAPTER 5. DISCERNMENT PROCESSES, CHAPTER 6. BODY PRAYERS, CHAPTER 7. PRAYERS OF THE IMAGINATION, CHAPTER 8. REFLECTIONS ON MEDIA, CHAPTER 9. PRAYING FOR OTHERS, LEADER'S GUIDE, NOTES, CHAPTER 1 BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS THE BIBLE is a wonderful starting point for exploring Christian spirituality. Though you may be familiar with a scholarly approach to the Bible, these exercises will not be academic in nature. They are more about ruminating and mining Scripture for wisdom that applies to our inner being than they are about digging in the history, context, and authorship—all meaningful pursuits in Bible study. Many of the exercises here focus on a question posed by Jesus or by the story itself and how we might answer it after much consideration and prayer. The challenge in reflecting on the Bible is that the