A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal

A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal

  • Downloads：4452
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-02-10 04:17:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Bessey
  • ISBN：9780593137215
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

An inspiring compendium of original prayers and essays written by progressive faith leaders。 Each entry is a meditative gift offering a gateway for one to sit with the challenges of living in the world today。 。 。 。 The words here allow spiritual devotions to be approached with a diverse lens while remaining God-centered。 。 。 。 A book that allows people to speak in their own words while reminding those in positions of privilege that their faith in action is a catalyst for change。 This is a welcome addition for those who enjoy contemplative prayer collections that intersect with important topics such as social justice。”—Library Journal

From the Publisher

Reviews

，

This year， COVID-19 blew my schedule out of the water。 I stopped doing everything I had become accustomed to， and started doing different things at different times， and somehow， when all the pieces landed， it took me a while to fit the prayer piece back in place。 I needed to discover， once again， A Rhythm of Prayer， a point of faithful connection with God in all the ebb and flow of this following life。 This time， for me， it began with simply showing up， committing myself to the discipline of focused attention toward God and away from myself。 From there， I began listening for other voices–my good husband’s， the faithful prayer warriors at the church I call home。 Then， I found A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal， Sarah Bessey’s collection of prayers and meditations， written by a choir of faith-singing women。 Featuring the voices of Amena Brown， Barbara Brown Taylor， Micha Boyett， Marlena Graves， Alia Joy， and other women of faith， the book was an invitation to a circle of prayer， both welcoming and solid。 I could hear the cadence of faithfulness and measured trust in a powerful God who listens and nods along: "God beyond the number line， the hourglass。 Beyond moons that wax and wane and waves that push and pull along our fragile ground。 …beyond days and weeks and months， uncontained by our twenty-four hours， free of our borders and yet still within them。” （Micha Boyett） I was reminded that prayer is listening as well as talking， and that， heard in the pages of Truth， “God’s voice is melody and bass lines and whisper and thunder and grace。” Lean into the Rhythm of Prayer Resting in the solid truth of your own belovedness， lean into the rhythm of prayer。 Listen for it。 It’s there。 Hear it calling you into intercession for our broken world， into tears for the wounded you know， and prayers of compassion for those you don’t know。 Lean into the rhythm of grace and repent， confess， lament， rejoice， examine your heart in the presence of God and know that you are heard， and you are loved。 Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review， which is， of course， offered freely and with honesty。

Claire Perko ，

This is an excellent grouping of prayers。 Words for my heart when I have none。 Elequently putting on the page what my soul wants to speak but cannot。 There are words that are comfort and some that challenge。 I'm so grateful for this work。 This is an excellent grouping of prayers。 Words for my heart when I have none。 Elequently putting on the page what my soul wants to speak but cannot。 There are words that are comfort and some that challenge。 I'm so grateful for this work。 。。。more

Candace S。 ，

A Rhythm of Prayer is a beautiful collection of prayers， poems， essays， and meditations， authored by a diverse group of writers， leaders， ministers， and activists， and edited my beloved Sarah Bessey。 In a season that has often seemed relentlessly dark and heavy， this book was such a balm of truth and light。 It is an invitation to acknowledge， connect with， and honor every part of your whole， messy， exhausted， wounded， and fully-loved self as you wonder and wander towards the Divine。I enjoyed sav A Rhythm of Prayer is a beautiful collection of prayers， poems， essays， and meditations， authored by a diverse group of writers， leaders， ministers， and activists， and edited my beloved Sarah Bessey。 In a season that has often seemed relentlessly dark and heavy， this book was such a balm of truth and light。 It is an invitation to acknowledge， connect with， and honor every part of your whole， messy， exhausted， wounded， and fully-loved self as you wonder and wander towards the Divine。I enjoyed savoring these meditations slowly over the last month， and think A Rhythm of Prayer would make an excellent meditation or devotional resource for Lent。 I read it on my Kindle， but could see it being a wonderful audiobook as well。 。。。more

Ioana ，

There are quotable prayers to steal when you're at a loss for words。 I'm jealous of the closeness to God and longing for prayer these women have - it's #goals for every person calling themselves Christians。For the open-minded， for the one identifying with the "evolving faith" and "progressive christian" mindset， for the christians preoccupied with social issues and racial issues， for the one adhering to the "table laid for all， no matter the political or sexual orientation" mentality - this is a There are quotable prayers to steal when you're at a loss for words。 I'm jealous of the closeness to God and longing for prayer these women have - it's #goals for every person calling themselves Christians。For the open-minded， for the one identifying with the "evolving faith" and "progressive christian" mindset， for the christians preoccupied with social issues and racial issues， for the one adhering to the "table laid for all， no matter the political or sexual orientation" mentality - this is a book they'd find confort in reading。 I received a free e-book copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley。 All thoughts expressed here are my own。 。。。more

Donna Pincince ，

I received a free， advanced copy of this book and was so excited to read it！ In my enthusiasm for a book on prayer， I didn't pay attention to the fact that it was a collection of poems from a variety of women edited by Sarah。 It took me a while to read through it， in part because the format lends itself to smaller bites to ponder instead of rushing on to the next prayer。 I appreciated seeing different prayers， often from different theological views， but I struggled to fully connect to the book。 I received a free， advanced copy of this book and was so excited to read it！ In my enthusiasm for a book on prayer， I didn't pay attention to the fact that it was a collection of poems from a variety of women edited by Sarah。 It took me a while to read through it， in part because the format lends itself to smaller bites to ponder instead of rushing on to the next prayer。 I appreciated seeing different prayers， often from different theological views， but I struggled to fully connect to the book。 Not surprisingly， my favorite parts were the sections written by Sarah。 I think I would have enjoyed this book more if she had written more translations between each section or shared more of how her own prayer journey was impacted by others prayers。 。。。more

Holly Berg ，

A Rhythm of Prayer is a collection of prayers written by Christian women as an invitation to prayer。 Editor Sarah Bessy suggests it is meant to offer “language for the prayer circle we all need right now” – the prayers are honest， vulnerable， and raw and act as a great starting point for conversations about prayer and what prayer can look like， with all the chaos and overwhelm in our world these days！ I loved the idea of a “diverse” group of Christian women （pastors， theologians， writers， activi A Rhythm of Prayer is a collection of prayers written by Christian women as an invitation to prayer。 Editor Sarah Bessy suggests it is meant to offer “language for the prayer circle we all need right now” – the prayers are honest， vulnerable， and raw and act as a great starting point for conversations about prayer and what prayer can look like， with all the chaos and overwhelm in our world these days！ I loved the idea of a “diverse” group of Christian women （pastors， theologians， writers， activists， etc。） but I felt like it wasn’t actually very diverse at all。 It was like all of the writers were from the same group of friends who all had the same thoughts and feelings and ideas。 Overall， a good book， and one I will read again！ 。。。more

Joy Lenton ，

This beautiful book features various female voices， mixed age groups， different cultures， numerous faith practices， personal styles and methods of praying。 Each thought on prayer， every poetic utterance or prayer itself stems from the heart and touches our own。 Here you will have your eyes open to the rich diversity of prayer。 It is larger and more inclusive than we might have imagined it to be。 You will also have your preconceptions questioned， if not shaken and cast aside， as each writer revea This beautiful book features various female voices， mixed age groups， different cultures， numerous faith practices， personal styles and methods of praying。 Each thought on prayer， every poetic utterance or prayer itself stems from the heart and touches our own。 Here you will have your eyes open to the rich diversity of prayer。 It is larger and more inclusive than we might have imagined it to be。 You will also have your preconceptions questioned， if not shaken and cast aside， as each writer reveals their unique slant， expression， and experience。 Sarah Bessey’s own contributions are sublime。 She has done a marvellous job of knitting together these diverse voices to reveal everything from dancing to despair， from laughter to lament， from memories to meditation， and from the deeply personal to the universal as prayerful communing with God。Prayer encompasses all this and so much more， as you will discover as you prayerfully sit with each person’s words and allow God to minister to you through them。 This is a highly recommended resource I will return to again and again。 Grateful thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Books for the ARC。 。。。more

（Mellifluous Grant） ，

Review to come。

Denise ，

AwhileIt took me awhile to get through this book。。。only because I spent so much time rereading， reading back and forth and reading again。 Every uttered prayer is powerfully perfect。 These prayers are honest， raw， poetic， challenging， comforting and vulnerable。I will be reading this over and over again。 Selah。

Rhema Kennedy ，

This collection of prayers is a breath of fresh air。 I've found that when prayer has become a chore or laborious it can help to pray the words of someone else and I find that it brings a sense of community and collective support which is especially hard to find during these times of isolation。 As much as I love traditional and ancient prayers， the prayers in this collection spoke directly to my weary Western soul。 They were raw and real and didn’t just sugar coat the crap， and so I felt like I c This collection of prayers is a breath of fresh air。 I've found that when prayer has become a chore or laborious it can help to pray the words of someone else and I find that it brings a sense of community and collective support which is especially hard to find during these times of isolation。 As much as I love traditional and ancient prayers， the prayers in this collection spoke directly to my weary Western soul。 They were raw and real and didn’t just sugar coat the crap， and so I felt like I could honestly read and pray them along with the authors。 Knowing that others were feeling this same way and being able to give all of the thoughts and feelings back to God was something I didn’t know that I was missing。 I especially loved reading the short biographies of the authors at the end of each prayer。 Being able to see diverse and strong women and minorities represented brought more weight to each of their prayers because I was able to see evidence of them walking the walk and talking the talk。 It was assurance that it wasn’t just empty or shallow words put together to sound nice。 。。。more

Dara （Dara Reads OK） ，

ARC/NetgalleyThe publication of A Rhythm of Prayer was pushed back due to the pandemic but the content may be even more relatable now。 Sarah Bessey has collected and edited prayers and thoughts from many diverse speakers and writers。 There are no simple pat answers and empty assurances。 There are laments and questions that wrestle with the dark， but don’t leave you to do it alone。

Amy Langmaack ，

A Rhythm of Prayer was an interesting read for me。 It’s a collection of prayers， scripture， and thoughts surrounding prayer。 While I”m intimately familiar with the concept of prayer， I appreciated the written prayers in this story as they pulled me towards new concepts to pray about。 The prayer from Osheta Moore reminded me that anything can become prayer - especially a pot of chicken noodle soup。 I also found it helpful to hear from a variety of faith backgrounds。 As each faith denomination app A Rhythm of Prayer was an interesting read for me。 It’s a collection of prayers， scripture， and thoughts surrounding prayer。 While I”m intimately familiar with the concept of prayer， I appreciated the written prayers in this story as they pulled me towards new concepts to pray about。 The prayer from Osheta Moore reminded me that anything can become prayer - especially a pot of chicken noodle soup。 I also found it helpful to hear from a variety of faith backgrounds。 As each faith denomination approaches prayer in a little bit different way， it helps to expand thinking around prayer。 I enjoyed reading this book in little snippets， taking in a prayer or two each morning as part of my morning time。 I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher。 This review is my own， honest opinion。 。。。more

Melissa Hinnen ，

Oh this book is a treasure！ In a time when you might feel disconnected or a sense of despair may be looming， Sarah Bessey brings together poetic prayerful powerful expressions of some of my favorite Christian writers。 I love how the words and images delve into new understandings of an active living loving God who is present with us。 The rhythms are comforting like a lullaby。 Consider reading a poem prayer each night before bed。

Kaytlin ，

I was delighted to receive the review Kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review as a Goodreads giveaway。 thoroughly enjoyed reading these prayers from a variety of women theologians， activists， and writers。 Sarah Bessey's introduction has an important message about finding your own path to prayer regardless of how you might have been taught is the "right" way to pray by someone earlier in your life。 I love reading books that show different perspectives of faith and exploring t I was delighted to receive the review Kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review as a Goodreads giveaway。 thoroughly enjoyed reading these prayers from a variety of women theologians， activists， and writers。 Sarah Bessey's introduction has an important message about finding your own path to prayer regardless of how you might have been taught is the "right" way to pray by someone earlier in your life。 I love reading books that show different perspectives of faith and exploring the universal messages from Christianity that can relate to other faith traditions such as Buddhism。 Bessey's "A Prayer to Breathe" showcases the ancient breath prayer， which I envision paring well with a daily meditation practice。 。。。more

Lisa Hoffman ，

I loved the idea behind this book - prayers written by women from different faith backgrounds and walks of life from all over the world。 There were some really amazing prayers， poems， and meditations， but like most collected works， there were plenty of misses as well。 As much as this book tries its darndest to be diverse， the content produced by these definitely diverse women is all very similar。 And that's ok， but don't expect something else from this book。 I appreciated Bessey's interspersed t I loved the idea behind this book - prayers written by women from different faith backgrounds and walks of life from all over the world。 There were some really amazing prayers， poems， and meditations， but like most collected works， there were plenty of misses as well。 As much as this book tries its darndest to be diverse， the content produced by these definitely diverse women is all very similar。 And that's ok， but don't expect something else from this book。 I appreciated Bessey's interspersed thoughts and meditations， and her wonderful benediction at the end。 She did a fantastic job editing and collecting these writing prayers。 It was both encouraging and challenging， as well as affirming， and I'm glad I read it。 I will be adding some of the writings into my regular prayer time， and this book has inspired me to go look for other prayer collections as well。I received a copy of this book from NetGalley， opinions are my own。 。。。more

Margaret ，

Pros: Although （as a follower/listener of Anne Bogel， Jamie Golden， and Annie B。 Jones） Sarah Bessey’s name is not new to me， this is the first of her work that I’ve read。 I now follow her on all the socials because I love what she has to say。 Also new to me is a book like this one—I have never read a book of prayers before。 Reading this book reminded me of the experience I had a week ago watching a prayer service the day after the inauguration。 Sarah Bessey curated a thoughtful， diverse collect Pros: Although （as a follower/listener of Anne Bogel， Jamie Golden， and Annie B。 Jones） Sarah Bessey’s name is not new to me， this is the first of her work that I’ve read。 I now follow her on all the socials because I love what she has to say。 Also new to me is a book like this one—I have never read a book of prayers before。 Reading this book reminded me of the experience I had a week ago watching a prayer service the day after the inauguration。 Sarah Bessey curated a thoughtful， diverse collection of prayers—all from women—in this book。 When in the introduction， she named as evils white supremacy， patriarchy， homophobia， nationalism， racism and others， I knew this was a book for me and immediately thought of friends who would respond to prayers that do not shy away from topics of social （in）justice。Cons: None。 I can see how this book would not be for every person/every reader， but for those it is for， it will be wonderful。 。 。 any maybe those who think this isn’t for them are the ones who need to read it the most。Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for the opportunity to read this book！ 。。。more

Heather ，

Comforting。 Inspiring。 Boundary-stretching。 Uplifting。 Will definitely read again。

Rcdyba ，

When is the last time you read a prayer asking God， “Grant me a Get out of Judgement Free card”？Or a prayer that gives a recipe for Chicken Reconciliation soup， in which onions are prayer tears， carrots are loving eyes， and celery is healing anger？Or a prayer that just names all the evils of the world because nothing else comes to mind？Or a prayer that painfully celebrates the bipolar span from the black hole of depression to the celestial flight of meteoric mania？ Or a prayer to “harden my hear When is the last time you read a prayer asking God， “Grant me a Get out of Judgement Free card”？Or a prayer that gives a recipe for Chicken Reconciliation soup， in which onions are prayer tears， carrots are loving eyes， and celery is healing anger？Or a prayer that just names all the evils of the world because nothing else comes to mind？Or a prayer that painfully celebrates the bipolar span from the black hole of depression to the celestial flight of meteoric mania？ Or a prayer to “harden my heart’ and “help me hate white people”？Or a prayer that travels from slave labored cotton and tobacco fields to counter tops with red Kitchenaid mixers back to the poisoned soil of murderous Miracle Gro？ Or a prayer for when you don’t even know what you want？These are the prayers of current faith leaders in “A Rhythm of Prayer” collected and ordered by Sarah Bessey。 They are modern day Psalms with the same furious love and candid angst articulated by the ancient psalmists in the cultural context of 2021。 They are apocalyptic anthems and they have the nerve to say what we are thinking without apology。 They are prayers for now， this hour， for those whom Jesus dares to worship in Spirit and in Truth。 They are for us。 。。。more

Sarah （sarahgreatbooktoread） ，

Confession: I haven’t read A Rhythm of Prayer in its entirety。 I don’t believe this is a book that you simply read from cover to cover。 It would be best suited on a nightstand， or on a side table beside a favourite reading chair， full of bookmarks and page tabs marking favourite entries。 It is called a “Collection of Meditations for Renewal” and features prayers， essays and even guided meditations from a variety of women who are writers， ministers， theologians， activists， and leaders all curated Confession: I haven’t read A Rhythm of Prayer in its entirety。 I don’t believe this is a book that you simply read from cover to cover。 It would be best suited on a nightstand， or on a side table beside a favourite reading chair， full of bookmarks and page tabs marking favourite entries。 It is called a “Collection of Meditations for Renewal” and features prayers， essays and even guided meditations from a variety of women who are writers， ministers， theologians， activists， and leaders all curated by a favourite author of mine， Sarah Bessey。 I have been slowly making my way through it。 Some of my favourites I have already discovered are “A Liturgy for Disability” by Stephanie Tait， “God of Compassion” by Rev。 Nadia Bolz-Weber， “Reconciliation Soup” by Osheta Moore and “Instructions for an Evening of Your Life” by Sarah Bessey。 Thank you to Netgalley and Convergent Books for a digital ARC of this book。 It is one that I would now like to own a physical copy of。 I think this book will be a beautiful resource for many。 。。。more

Sarah （sarahgreatbooktoread） ，

Confession: I haven’t read A Rhythm of Prayer in its entirety。 I don’t believe this is a book that you simply read from cover to cover。 It would be best suited on a nightstand， or on a side table beside a favourite reading chair， full of bookmarks and page tabs marking favourite entries。 It is called a “Collection of Meditations for Renewal” and features prayers， essays and even guided meditations from a variety of women who are writers， ministers， theologians， activists， and leaders all curated Confession: I haven’t read A Rhythm of Prayer in its entirety。 I don’t believe this is a book that you simply read from cover to cover。 It would be best suited on a nightstand， or on a side table beside a favourite reading chair， full of bookmarks and page tabs marking favourite entries。 It is called a “Collection of Meditations for Renewal” and features prayers， essays and even guided meditations from a variety of women who are writers， ministers， theologians， activists， and leaders all curated by a favourite author of mine， Sarah Bessey。 I have been slowly making my way through it。 Some of my favourites I have already discovered are “A Liturgy for Disability” by Stephanie Tait， “God of Compassion” by Rev。 Nadia Bolz-Weber， “Reconciliation Soup” by Osheta Moore and “Instructions for an Evening of Your Life” by Sarah Bessey。 Thank you to Netgalley and Convergent Books for a digital ARC of this book。 It is one that I would now like to own a physical copy of。 I think this book will be a beautiful resource for many。 。。。more

Marshall King ，

Sarah Bessey has invited a great group of writers， mystics and women of faith to contribute prayers for this era。 Her own prayers are highlights of this spirited collection， but there are so many that work well for those of us wrestling with faith during this time。Some are poems。 Some are essays。 Some are modern psalms that lean toward hope rather than only lament。 It's not a book of answers， but a lovely collection of people asking the right questions and offering them to us so that we can also Sarah Bessey has invited a great group of writers， mystics and women of faith to contribute prayers for this era。 Her own prayers are highlights of this spirited collection， but there are so many that work well for those of us wrestling with faith during this time。Some are poems。 Some are essays。 Some are modern psalms that lean toward hope rather than only lament。 It's not a book of answers， but a lovely collection of people asking the right questions and offering them to us so that we can also enter into them and use them as a roadmap for this time。These are honest and faithful as they ask those questions。 。。。more

Meg Lacy Vega ，

I have been a fan of Sarah Bessey's speaking and writing for years， and I was curious when this book was announced。 How will she help us reframe prayer for a new era in the Church and in the world？ Yet she does help us reframe prayer， with her characteristic honesty and grace: "We think we only have two options" she says， "double down or burn it down。 So when it comes to prayer we might mistakenly believe that if we can't pray the way we used to or the way we were taught， somehow that means we c I have been a fan of Sarah Bessey's speaking and writing for years， and I was curious when this book was announced。 How will she help us reframe prayer for a new era in the Church and in the world？ Yet she does help us reframe prayer， with her characteristic honesty and grace: "We think we only have two options" she says， "double down or burn it down。 So when it comes to prayer we might mistakenly believe that if we can't pray the way we used to or the way we were taught， somehow that means we can't or don't pray anymore， period。。。 But pray is still for you。" Bessey's introduction offers an intimate and compassionate invitation for us to （re）enter the mystery of prayer， with openness and creativity。 And the prayers held within these pages， written by poets and justice workers and ministers， create doorways into different paths of prayer， for us to try on， meander through， and find a home within。 For anyone seeking a different way of approaching prayer， this book is for you。 For anyone yearning for to find words that bring to life their laments and dreams for our world， this book is for you。 For clergy searching for find creative prayers to help their congregations reimagine life with God， this book is for you。 What a gem--thank you to all those who contributed to it。 Five stars！ Thank you to Convergent Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook。 I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy soon！ 。。。more

Sydney Warner Brooman ，

Fervently hopeful and unabashedly relevant， Rhythm Of Prayer takes our guilt and shame surrounding corporate prayer and casts it away in the name of the Father， the Son， and the Holy Spirit。 Bessey does not bring us the neat， tidy， marketable， or socially acceptable prayer -- she and her brilliant essayists， liturgists， theologians， and poets strip away our old preconceptions and prejudices， making room for a faith that deconstructs white supremacy， colonialism， homophobia， and asks us to see Go Fervently hopeful and unabashedly relevant， Rhythm Of Prayer takes our guilt and shame surrounding corporate prayer and casts it away in the name of the Father， the Son， and the Holy Spirit。 Bessey does not bring us the neat， tidy， marketable， or socially acceptable prayer -- she and her brilliant essayists， liturgists， theologians， and poets strip away our old preconceptions and prejudices， making room for a faith that deconstructs white supremacy， colonialism， homophobia， and asks us to see God in everything we do and everything we are。 。。。more

Kristina ，

Beautiful cover。A collection of meditations for renewal。Broken down into three parts: Orientation， Disorientation， and Reorientation。Each chapter includes a prayer and a description of the prayer's author。Between every few prayers there are quotes or Bible verses about prayer。Includes Journaling pages at the end where you are encouraged to "date to write your own prayers。"Canadian Author。 Beautiful cover。A collection of meditations for renewal。Broken down into three parts: Orientation， Disorientation， and Reorientation。Each chapter includes a prayer and a description of the prayer's author。Between every few prayers there are quotes or Bible verses about prayer。Includes Journaling pages at the end where you are encouraged to "date to write your own prayers。"Canadian Author。 。。。more

Kaity Stuckert ，

I write this with tear-stained cheeks。 For anyone who has struggled to pray， questioned what prayer is， who it serves， how to pray， but particularly for the person who was taught to pray in a way that feels uneasy or ill-fitting， this book is a liberation。So much of my faith journey has been shaped by Sarah Bessey's beautiful writing， but I can say unequivocally that this is her best and most important work yet。 Eshet chayil， woman of valour。 I will recommend this to every person I know。I volunt I write this with tear-stained cheeks。 For anyone who has struggled to pray， questioned what prayer is， who it serves， how to pray， but particularly for the person who was taught to pray in a way that feels uneasy or ill-fitting， this book is a liberation。So much of my faith journey has been shaped by Sarah Bessey's beautiful writing， but I can say unequivocally that this is her best and most important work yet。 Eshet chayil， woman of valour。 I will recommend this to every person I know。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Sarah ，

This is the kind of book you want to pick up over and over again。 What a powerful collection of prayers from a wonderfully diverse group of women。 It’s easy to feel too weary to pray given the world we inhabit。 Reading this felt like a hug from a friend; a reminder that not only can we bring our whole selves to prayer， we should。 I received an ARC from NetGalley but have already placed my pre-order for a physical copy。 I can’t wait to receive it so I can revisit these prayers and meditations。

Cara ，

There are many prayer books available to clergy， worship leaders and those who engage in spiritual direction。 Some provide prayers to be adapted to one's own use and some talk about the understanding and practice of prayer。 What makes each of them work is the specific way that they engage prayer without going too broad。 So I was surprised and delighted to discover that A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal aims so broadly and yet touches so deeply on the heart of prayer I c There are many prayer books available to clergy， worship leaders and those who engage in spiritual direction。 Some provide prayers to be adapted to one's own use and some talk about the understanding and practice of prayer。 What makes each of them work is the specific way that they engage prayer without going too broad。 So I was surprised and delighted to discover that A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal aims so broadly and yet touches so deeply on the heart of prayer I could imagine this book for almost anyone in my circle--pastors looking for sermon fodder， parishioners that want something to invigorate their personal devotional time， and friends that possess a spiritual longing yet don’t affiliate with a faith community。
 
What I appreciate the most is the diversity of the contributors as well as the diversity of texts。 Each section brings something new and unexpected。 A breath prayer adapted from scripture passages written by the editor， a prayer formed around the step of making chicken noodle soup from scratch that centers the work of justice by Osheta Moore， a prayer for those weary and tired written by Laura Jean Truman that reads as a traditional prayer or liturgy but feels like a Psalm， a liturgy for disability and prayer for chronic illness， a poem by speaker Kaitlin Curtice that reads like a breath of fresh air， an essay on the physicality of prayer by Kelley Kikondeha， each give breadth and life to the collection。 And sprinkled throughout are quotes and scriptures that speak to the meaning and practice of a practice that at its heart seeks to know God。 There is a steady candor to the work of prayer in this books that is both nurturing and challenging， a difficult balance to strike。
 
I would give this book to my Midwestern mother and to my coastal activist friends and know they would each get something pleasurable and thoughtful from the collection。
 。。。more

Jennifer Harris ，

This book was a breath of fresh air that I didn’t even know I needed。 This collection of short essays explores different aspects of prayer and every single one was relevant to me， where I am at this point in my life， and the current climate of the world around me。 I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone on a spiritual journey。

Amanda Osenga ，

Oh how we need this book in this time！ Sarah has gathered an incredible collaboration of folks together for this beautiful book。 It is full of prayers that address not only faith but issues there are not often spoken about enough in most churches。 If you're a fan of Sarah's， Evolving Faith， or find yourself in the midst of deconstruction- this book is for you。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing with me with a digital Advanced Reader Copy of this book。 The opinions expressed are my own。 I've alrea Oh how we need this book in this time！ Sarah has gathered an incredible collaboration of folks together for this beautiful book。 It is full of prayers that address not only faith but issues there are not often spoken about enough in most churches。 If you're a fan of Sarah's， Evolving Faith， or find yourself in the midst of deconstruction- this book is for you。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing with me with a digital Advanced Reader Copy of this book。 The opinions expressed are my own。 I've already ordered my own physical copy because I loved it so much！ 。。。more

Christy ，

I have long loved Sarah’s writing so when I saw that she was editing/writing a book of prayers I knew I needed it during this time in our lives。 I immediately pre-ordered it and was blessed to receive an early review copy from NetGalley。 I have slowly looked and chosen a prayer daily through out the last month。 My heart has been lifted by some and broken by others。 Lisa Harper’s prayer will stick with me for the rest of my life。 Sarah Bessey’s prayer to learn to love the world has been so timely I have long loved Sarah’s writing so when I saw that she was editing/writing a book of prayers I knew I needed it during this time in our lives。 I immediately pre-ordered it and was blessed to receive an early review copy from NetGalley。 I have slowly looked and chosen a prayer daily through out the last month。 My heart has been lifted by some and broken by others。 Lisa Harper’s prayer will stick with me for the rest of my life。 Sarah Bessey’s prayer to learn to love the world has been so timely the last week。 Prayers from Osheta Moore， Kaitlin Curtice， Enuma Okoro， and so many more will resonate with so many hearts and be prayers you carry with you and words you repeat to yourself to remind yourself you’re not alone。 I will be recommending this book to all of my family and friends。 。。。more

Brittany McDonald ，

This collection of prayers was beautiful， challenging， and holy。 Many brought me to tears， several made me uncomfortable， and all made me grateful that the authors would share them with the world。 This is not your average prayer book， instead it has deep laments， sacred wondering， and glimmers of hope in the wilderness。 I look forward to going back and reading these prayers slowly and I imagine this will be an essential resource for years to come。