Return to Our Senses cover
A couple of years ago on this blog I asked my readers: What makes you feel close to God? Dozens of people responded with concrete illustrations about how they connect to God. They talked about playing with kids, turning the compost pile, washing the dishes and writing on their blogs. Two things surprised me. First no one mentioned church or Bible study. Second most people come closest to God in tangible everyday activities yet rarely identify these as spiritual practices or forms of prayer.
That observation started me on a journey in which I began to rediscover the richness of a life in which prayer permeates all my daily activities. My journey has opened windows into the loving nature of God far beyond my imaginings. It has exposed me to prayer traditions I never knew existed and it has brought me together with others who also hunger for a deeper, more life encompassing relationship with God. Much of what I have learned has been shared as blog posts over the years, but I have constantly been encouraged to bring these thoughts together in a more cohesive form. The result is a new book entitled Return to Our Senses: Re-imagining How We Pray.
The intent of this book is to deepen intimacy with our loving, caring God by exploring new approaches to prayer that connect our spiritual practices to our everyday lives. Some have existed for centuries and only require us to tap into the rich knowledge and practices of ancient followers of Christ to access them. Others will be newly created springing fresh from our imaginations and creativity, specially designed for intimacy with God in our present culture. Our God is a God of endless creativity and imagination which has been passed on to us. Each moment is, I believe, pregnant with new possibilities, new concrete expressions of prayer waiting to be born.
I am really excited by this book and have already had such good feedback that I know others are too. Brian McLaren told me “This book really touched my heart”. Jamie Arpin Ricci commented “This is a very timely book.” Michael Frost calls it “a handbook on the development of a habit of prayer and spiritual practices that directs us and others to God’s just and peaceable future.”
The book will be published through MSA publications and should be available mid November but I wanted to give you all the opportunity to pre-order a copy now at a discounted price of $15 including U.S. postage.
You’ll probably get sick of me talking about the book in the next few weeks as I continue to share stories and ideas from it. However if you wanted to be at the top of the line when we start mailing copies you can find out more information and order your copy now.