Prayer is not easy, yet learning to pray can be learned. The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray is a brief but probing guide into the life of prayer. James Howell examines the many barriers to prayer (such as our busyness, how uncomfortable with silence we are, our doubts and fears) and invites the reader to take a fresh approach to the devotional life. Each lesson begins with a scripture passage and the author draws comfortably and appropriately from a rich array of other sources (Annie Dillard, St. Augustine, Henri Nowen, Kathy Mattea, Madeleine L’Engle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Francis, Oscar Romero, and the movie Good Will Hunting are a sampling.) The author’s own engaging writing style, including his ability to illumine his ideas with the shared wisdom of others, is a major strength of this book. While each “lesson” is only two book pages long, the author draws from a deep well of wisdom about prayer. Howell leads the reader through the “subjects” of prayer (e.g. praise, confession, giving thanks), and digs deeply into theological issues such as whether prayer works, prayer and suffering, and forgiveness. According to the author, “In the end, prayer draws us into community with others-- out of our “curved in” lives and into the world in service.” The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray will be helpful to the novice in spiritual life as well as long-time Christians who are striving for a more profound relationship with God. Includes Study Guide, List of Sources, and Scripture Index. James C. Howell is the senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC, and the author of more than 20 books, including Weak Enough to Lead , Conversations with St. Francis , The Life We Claim , and The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray . His podcast, “Maybe I’m Amazed,” blogs, and retreats are popular, as are his work on leadership and community activism. The Beautiful Work of Learning to Pray 31 Lessons By James C. Howell Abingdon Press Copyright © 2003 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-687-02766-8 Contents Introducing Prayer, THE LESSONS, 1. Beginning, 2. Closer Than We Think, 3. Barriers to Prayer, 4. Coldness, 5. Pray as You Can, 6. Time, 7. What Is in Us, 8. Bruised Knuckles, 9. The Way to God, 10. Silence, 11. Scripture, 12. Jesus Prayed the Psalms, 13. Worship, 14. Saints, 15. Fasting, 16. A Copernican Revolution, 17. Praise, 18. Gratitude, 19. Confession, 20. Not Your Fault, 21. Repentance, 22. Forgiveness (Part 1), 23. Forgiveness (Part 2), 24. Wounds, 25. Renunciation, 26. Feelings, 27. The List, 28. Healing (Part 1), 29. Healing (Part 2), 30. Fruitfulness, 31. Call, Afterword: The End and the Beginning, Works Cited, Scripture Index, Index of Quoted Writers, A Guide for Small Groups by Kenneth H. Carter, Jr., CHAPTER 1 Lesson One Beginning In the beginning was the Word. —John 1:1 We begin our conversations on prayer. To some devout people, prayer is as natural as breathing. But to many modern people, prayer seems alien and futile. If you are bothering to read this, you probably are at least hopeful that there is such a thing as prayer, that there is a God on the other end, and that a meaningful relationship can happen. Gazing across the centuries, we notice that prayer is pretty normal. About 50,000 years ago, when anthropologists say our ancestors' brain size began to expand and human beings came into their own, painted art began to appear on caves indicating religious belief. When human consciousness "woke up," there was born simultaneously—like a twin in the soul—an impulse to transcend earthly consciousness, and to connect with a power beyond. Humans have always yearned for something beyond ourselves, beyond this world. Primitive people prayed for rain, and fell on their knees when the crops ripened. As our brains have gotten bigger and smarter, we have begun to shed our sense of dependence upon God. We have come to think of ourselves as masters of the universe, as arbiters of our own fate. In a smarter world, prayer has become confused and pushed to the margins of life. But prayer is not contrary to intelligence. Perhaps prayer requires (or is!) a deeper intelligence. One thing we must recognize: prayer is not a way of getting a grip on our lives, of getting things under control. Prayer is the yielding of control. Prayer is discovering I am not the center of the universe, that God is working in hidden yet certain ways. Prayer is realizing we have a relationship with a good and loving God. Prayer is our openness to getting involved in God's adventure with us in the world. Prayer is hard in our world, but prayer is possible—and desperately needed. Our hollowness, our cynicism, our hopelessness, these are signs from God who is crying out to us, encouraging us to reach out to God, to talk, to listen. We are more than flesh and blood. There is a mystery in my heart, and in yours, a mystery bi