The Complete Idiot's Guide to Prayer, 2nd Edition

by Galli, Mark; Bell Jr., James Stuart

• ISBN13: 9781592572458
• ISBN10: 1592572456
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-01
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

Keep the faith. This updated and expanded guide offers Christians everything they need to thoroughly understand the use of prayer in their worship regimen, and how to listen for and interpret an answer to a prayer for more effective ways of connecting with themselves, their family, and God.

Author Biography

Mark Galli is the managing editor of Christianity Today. He has worked as a Presbyterian pastor and is the author of a several books including Francis of Assisi and His World.

James S. Bell Jr. is the owner of Whitestone Communications and has served as executive editor of Moody Press and director of religious publishing at Doubleday. He is co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guides to the Bible, the Book of Revelation, and the Reformation and Protestantism. He also serves as editor of the Christian Family Guide series from Alpha Books.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Let Us Pray	1	(32)
What Prayer Isn't (and Is)	3	(8)
Clearing Up Some Confusion	3	(2)
Prayer as Work?	4	(1)
Hyperspiritualizing	4	(1)
Self-Help	4	(1)
Cosmic Shrink	4	(1)
Wishin' and Hopin'	5	(1)
Shhhh!	5	(1)
Getting Formal	5	(1)
Talking to God	5	(3)
Schizophrenia or Prayer?	6	(1)
Forgetest Thou Queen Elizabeth I	7	(1)
A Close Relationship	7	(1)
Problems Are No Problem	8	(3)
What Prayer Promises	11	(12)
The Best Gift of All	11	(5)
Gratitude	12	(1)
Transcendence	13	(1)
Forgiveness	14	(1)
Love	15	(1)
It Changes Us	16	(2)
You Understand Yourself Better	16	(1)
Wisdom	17	(1)
Courage and Hope	17	(1)
Building Character	18	(1)
It Changes Other Things	18	(1)
Does Prayer Change God's Mind?	19	(4)
What Prayer Requires	23	(10)
Faith	24	(2)
Honesty	26	(1)
Humility	27	(2)
Patience	29	(1)
With a Little Help from the Friend	29	(4)
Part 2: The Heart of Prayer	33	(42)
Getting Insider Information	35	(8)
Prayer Book Hall of Fame	35	(1)
The Prayer Book for Christians	36	(2)
The Center of the Bible	38	(1)
The Prayer to Start All Prayer	39	(4)
The Prayer to Begin All Prayer: Part 1	43	(12)
Our Father	44	(1)
You Never Pray Alone	44	(1)
Prayer Is Learned Together	44	(1)
God Is Bigger Than My Ideas About God	45	(1)
Our Father	45	(2)
We Can Have Intimacy with God	46	(1)
We Become God's Children	46	(1)
We Can Come to God with Confidence	47	(1)
Who Art in Heaven	47	(2)
Hallowed Be Thy Name	49	(1)
Thy Kingdom Come	49	(1)
Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven	50	(1)
What to Do if You Hate the Term ``Father''	51	(1)
God Is Not a Lonely Father	52	(3)
The Prayer to Begin All Prayer: Part 2	55	(12)
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread	56	(2)
And Forgive Us Our Trespasses	58	(1)
. . .As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us	59	(2)
And Lead Us Not into Temptation	61	(2)
But Deliver Us from Evil	63	(1)
For Thine Is the Kingdom	64	(3)
The Greatest School of Prayer	67	(8)
Why Go to Church to Pray?	68	(2)
We Learn from Others	68	(1)
We Get Stretched	68	(1)
We Hear God in Special Ways	69	(1)
We Learn to Pray in Community	70	(1)
Objections to Going to Church	70	(5)
``The Church Is Full of Hypocrites''	71	(1)
``I Don't Need the Church, I Can Pray by Myself''	71	(1)
``Church Is Boring''	72	(1)
``The Church Is Not My Kind of Place''	72	(1)
``Churches Make Things Too Complicated''	73	(1)
``Churches Are Always Fighting and Splitting''	73	(1)
``I Don't Believe All That Church Nonsense''	74	(1)
Part 3: Just Doing It	75	(92)
Prayer Options	77	(8)
Rational and Beyond	77	(1)
Listening Prayer	78	(2)
Praying Aloud	80	(1)
Hodge-Podge Prayer	80	(1)
Short and Sweet	81	(1)
On the Fly and on the Page	81	(2)
Journaling	83	(1)
Now What?	84	(1)
Finding Your Rhythm	85	(8)
Why Regular Times for Prayer?	85	(1)
Time to Pray	86	(2)
Morning	87	(1)
Evening	87	(1)
Noon Hour	88	(1)
Finding a Place	88	(1)
Posture Counts	89	(1)
Establishing a Pattern	90	(3)
ACTS Now	93	(12)
Adoration: Praise God	94	(3)
Confession: God Will Forgive	97	(2)
Thanksgiving: Count Your Blessings	99	(1)
Supplication: Asking God for Help	100	(5)
Petitions	100	(2)
Intercessions	102	(3)
Listen Up	105	(8)
Silence Is Golden	105	(4)
Meditation	106	(2)
Contemplation	108	(1)
Dreams	109	(1)
Paying Attention to Daily Events	110	(1)
Lectio Divina: A Method to Listen	111	(2)
Lectio: Reading	111	(1)
Meditatio: Meditation	111	(1)
Oratio: Prayer	112	(1)
Sensual Prayer	113	(8)
How It Works	114	(1)
Crucifix/Cross	114	(3)
Candles	117	(1)
Incense	117	(1)
Icons	118	(1)
Natural Objects	118	(1)
Odds and Ends	119	(2)
Fasting and Prayer	121	(10)
Why People Fast	122	(2)
Mainstream Protestants	122	(1)
Evangelicals	122	(1)
Liturgical Traditions	123	(1)
How Now?	123	(1)
The Ultimate Reason to Fast	124	(1)
It's About God	124	(1)
It's About Godly Character	124	(1)
It's About a Godly Attitude Toward Others	125	(1)
Not a Spiritual Bribe	125	(1)
It's About More Than Food	126	(1)
When Not to Fast	126	(1)
Not During Party Times	126	(1)
As a Way to Lose Weight	127	(1)
To Teach Yourself a Lesson	127	(1)
Some Insights from Major-League Fasters	127	(2)
When to Fast	128	(1)
What to Abstain From	128	(1)
Keeping It Real	128	(1)
Little by Little	129	(2)
Healing Prayer	131	(8)
Healing Happens	132	(1)
Physical Healing	133	(1)
Psychological Healing	134	(1)
Two Misconceptions	135	(4)
You Have to Have Enough Faith	136	(1)
You Have to Pray in the Right Way	136	(3)
Handling the Seven Distractions	139	(10)
``My Mind Wanders''	140	(2)
``I'm Bored''	142	(1)
``I Feel Restless''	143	(1)
``I Don't Know What to Pray For''	144	(1)
``I'm in a Bad Mood''	145	(1)
``I Disagree with What I'm Reading''	145	(1)
``I Just Can't Pray Certain Prayers or Use Certain Expressions''	146	(3)
When God Doesn't Seem to Answer	149	(10)
The Contradiction of Prayer	150	(1)
God Sometimes Says ``Yes''	151	(1)
God Sometimes Says ``No''	152	(2)
The Answer Would Cause More Problems Than It Would Solve	152	(1)
We're Getting in the Way	153	(1)
Prayer Is Only Part of the Answer	154	(1)
Sometimes God Is Saying ``Wait''	154	(1)
Sometimes God Is Saying ``Try Again''	155	(1)
Dealing With Discouragement When God Seems Silent	156	(3)
Dealing with Doubts: No God	159	(8)
``Dark Night of the Soul''	160	(2)
Too Tired to Feel Anything	160	(1)
Secret Sins	161	(1)
Affliction	161	(1)
So What's Going On?	162	(1)
The Way Back	163	(2)
Hanging On	165	(2)
Part 4: The Big Book on the Big Issues	167	(70)
Praying the Psalms	169	(10)
What Are These Things?	170	(1)
Getting Around	170	(2)
How to Read a Psalm	172	(1)
Devotional Themes	173	(1)
Week by Week	174	(1)
Praying the Psalms	175	(1)
The Difficult Psalms	176	(3)
Praying the Gospels	179	(8)
So, What's a ``Gospel''?	179	(2)
To Each His Own	181	(1)
Now for Something Completely Different	182	(1)
Big Themes	183	(2)
Reading the Gospels Prayerfully	185	(2)
Shaping the Future	187	(8)
Subtle Arrival	188	(1)
God's Chosen = Us!	189	(1)
At a Board Meeting with God	190	(2)
Thy Will Be Done---My Way	192	(3)
Handling Fear	195	(8)
Holy Ground	196	(1)
God's Family History	196	(1)
God Knows Our Suffering	197	(1)
Telling God Like It Is	198	(2)
Meeting God at Every Excuse	200	(1)
God's Failure	201	(2)
Mending Relationships	203	(8)
A Last Prayer for Friends	204	(3)
Those Given to Us	204	(1)
Letting Go	205	(2)
The Mother of All Requests	207	(2)
God by the Back Door	209	(2)
Suffering: Three Approaches	211	(8)
Prayer from the Belly of a (Big) Fish	211	(2)
Faith at the Bottom	213	(1)
Tragic Job	214	(1)
God's Critic	215	(1)
Looking for a Way Out	216	(1)
The Key to Prayer in Suffering	217	(2)
Cleansing Prayer	219	(10)
Lasting Confession	220	(2)
Key Assumptions	222	(1)
A Spade Is a Spade Is a	223	(2)
Cleanliness Is Next to Joyfulness	225	(1)
Getting the Word Out	226	(1)
Humility, not Piety	226	(3)
Seeking the Best for Others	229	(8)
Beyond Daily Bread	230	(4)
Thankfulness	231	(1)
Knowledge	232	(1)
Hope	232	(1)
Power	233	(1)
How Exactly to Use This Stuff	234	(1)
Other Gold Mines of Prayer	235	(2)
Part 5: The Greatest Resources of All Time	237	(52)
Let's Get Mystical	239	(8)
There's Mysticism---and Then There's Mysticism	240	(1)
A Brief History of Mysticism	241	(2)
The Five Stages of Mystical Prayer	243	(1)
Books to Get You Started	244	(1)
Getting ``Professional'' Help	245	(2)
The Imitation of Christ	247	(8)
A Book for Spiritual Novices	248	(1)
The Essence of Imitation	249	(1)
On Not Despising Thomas	250	(1)
Love of the Alone	251	(2)
Recommended Editions	253	(2)
The Jesus Prayer	255	(6)
The Way of a Pilgrim	256	(1)
The History of Jesus' Name	257	(1)
Exploring the Prayer	257	(1)
Doing It	258	(1)
Getting the Most out of It	259	(2)
An Uncommon Prayer Book	261	(10)
Prayer for the Ages	262	(1)
Long History	262	(1)
To Begin	263	(1)
Psalm Prep	264	(1)
Prayer Central	264	(2)
The Prayers	266	(1)
Grand Finale	267	(1)
A Rich Resource	268	(3)
Singing Prayer	271	(10)
What Song Does for Us	271	(2)
The Categories of Church Music	273	(2)
Poetry of Prayer	275	(3)
The Prayer of Music	278	(3)
Technology for the Spirit	281	(8)
Setting Time to Pray	282	(1)
A New Way to Record Your Thoughts	282	(1)
E-Mail and Prayer Chains	283	(1)
Prayer and the Internet	284	(1)
Cell Phone Spirituality	284	(1)
An Hourly Reminder to Pray	285	(1)
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Prayers	286	(1)
Television Visionaries	286	(1)
Christianity on the Radio	287	(1)
The Limits of Technology	287	(2)
Part 6: Praying with Others	289	(88)
Going One-on-One	291	(8)
Out of the Mouths of Babes	292	(1)
The Family That Prays Together	293	(1)
More Intimate Than Sex	294	(1)
Prayer Chains	295	(1)
Prayer Partners	296	(1)
Prayer Retreats	297	(2)
Small Prayer Groups	299	(10)
How Small Is Small?	300	(1)
Best of Two Worlds	300	(2)
Community with a Capital C	302	(2)
Conversational Prayer	304	(1)
One-Word Prayers	305	(1)
Silence Can Be Golden	305	(1)
Where to Find a Group	306	(3)
Prayer in the Free Church Tradition	309	(10)
Free from What?	310	(1)
What Happens When and Why	310	(3)
Communion	313	(1)
Table Manners	313	(1)
Dancing in Church?	314	(1)
Should You Attend a Seeker-Sensitive Church?	315	(1)
It Sounds Like Gibberish to Me	316	(3)
Prayer in the Liturgical Tradition	319	(58)
Prayer Book Religion	320	(1)
The Word of God	321	(3)
Holy Communion	324	(1)
Bells and Smells	324	(1)
The Church Year	325	(1)
Worship for Those Who Haven't Worshipped in a While	326	(3)
Appendixes
A Prayers for Various People and Occasions	329	(14)
B The Greatest Prayer Books of All Time (Besides This One!)	343	(2)
C Internet Sites	345	(4)
D Prayer Retreat Centers in the United States and Canada	349	(28)
Index	377