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Roger Weber
Developing a Life of Prayer
Contemporary and Classic Devotional Guides
Contemporary Writers
Bass, Dorothy C., Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the
Gift of Time. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Who do we love
and serve God in time? This books what a biblical spirituality of
time looks like. It particularly helpful for the life of prayer
because it is often our view and use of time that stops us from
praying as we would like. It is very insightful and very practical.
Benson, Bob, & Michael W. Benson. Disciplines for the Inner Life. Rev.
ed. Nashville, TN: Generoux/Nelson, 1989. Suggested daily scripture
readings and selections for meditation.
Broyles, Anne. Journaling: A Spirit Journey. Nashville, TN: The Upper
Room,1988. Covers different ways to journal, including “Journaling in
Response to Scripture.” Includes exercises.
Foster, Richard J. & James Bryan Smith. Devotional Classics: Selected
Readings for Individuals & Groups. A Renovare Resource for Spiritual
Renewal. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. Includes 52
excerpts from devotional classics through the ages, information about
the author, questions for reflection, exercises, and further
bibliographies.
Prayer: San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992 This is an
explorations of the may types of prayer that fill our lives. This is
an excellent introduction a deepening prayer life.
Houston, James Houston, The Transforming Friendship Oxford: Lion Press,
1989 A superb book on prayer. Houston explores the reasons for
prayerlessness in our lives, the joy’s and struggles of prayer as well
as the biblical and theological foundation of prayer. The Hearts
Desire Oxford: Lion, 1992. Following in Augustine’s footsteps,
Houston shows how conversion in our lives must be the conversion of
our heart and affections.
Magdalen, Margaret. Jesus, Man of Prayer. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1987. Simple but profound writings on prayer with
an appendix of practical suggestions.
Nouwen, Henri J.M. The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery.
New York: Image Books, 1981. Nouwen’s writings are meditative,
beautiful, honest, and sometimes painful—but they lead, as they
focus on Christ, to healing. His is another name to watch for—he’s
written a number of books. Reaching Out: The Three Movements of Self.
New York: Image Books, ?. This book is a searching examination of
the heart’s journey away from a self-centered preoccupation to a
preoccupation with God and others. In the Name of Jesus New York:
Crossroads, 1989. This is a refreshing take on what it means to be a
leader. He looks at the temptations Jesus faced and explores their
implications for our leadership today. A great little book. Anything
by Nouwen is worth the read – and the high price! The Way of the
Heart. New York, Ballantine1981. This is a winsome call to recover
the practices of solitude, silence, and prayer. It is very simple and
very rich. A good start in exploring these essential disciplines.
O’ Siadhail, Micheal Hail! Madam Jazz New Castle: Bloodaxe Books, 1992.
An Irish Catholic poet who’s work is earthy, rich and full or
surprises!!!
Peterson, Eugene H. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship
in an Instant Society. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, ?. A
study of the Psalms of Ascent. Peterson has a number of other
worthwhile books in which he also delves into scripture . Watch for
his name.
Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer: Learning to prayer
from pslams. This is a very rich exploration of the ways in which we
respond to God’s initiative in our lives.
The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction.
Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1989 Peterson knows well the temptation
of allowing the work to shape our inner lives rather than the other
way around. This is a very practical and insightful book on living as
a contemplative in the midst of demanding ministry.
Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity. Grand Rapids MI:
Eerdmans.1988 A clear outline of the classical job description of the
” “pastor” – prayer, study and proclamation of scripture and giving
spiritual direction.
Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness.
. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1992. What happens when you are called
to a group of people you don’t like and to do a job you don feel like
doing? In this imaginative reading of the book of Jonah Peterson
gives us help in living with integrity as ministers. A MUST READ!
SUFFICE TO SAY —ANYTHING OF PETERSON’S IS GREAT
Postema, Don. Space for God: The Study and Practice of Prayer and
Spirituality. Grand Rapids, MI: Bible Way (CRC Publications), 1983.
Reflections, reading selections, art (much by Van Gogh), and exercises
for developing a deeper spiritual life. This is from a Reformed
perspective.
Powers, Jessica. Powers, A Carmelite nun, has beautiful prayerful poetry
that has greatly aided me in my life of prayer. It is simple, honest
and most of all affectionate. Look for her work. Two books by Robert
Morneau have used her poetry as a scaffolding around which Morneau has
developed a series of prayer retreats. Poetry as Prayer: Jessica
Powers. Boston, MA: Pauline, 2000. And Jessica Powere: Loving a
Passionate God. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1995.
Rolheiser, Ronald. The Shattered Lantern: Rediscovering a Felt Presence of
God. New York, NY: Crossroads, 2001. I don’t hear from God. I don’t
sense his presence. I don’t see his activity in my life. These are
concerns that many of us have in our life of prayer. Rolheiser
explores the reasons for these dilemmas in the contemporary human
person. He looks at the philosophically, sociologically and
biblically reasons that contribute to our lack of awareness of God and
what creates in us personalities that are profoundly non-
contemplative. It is not just diagnostic-he also helps in point us to
a way out of this dilemma. He is a good writer and makes complex
arguments accessible.
Rolheiser, Ronald, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian
Spirituality. New York Double Day, 1999. Spirituality is a term that
gets bandied about a great deal these days. What does it mean? How
can we be sure what is meant by this term, and what are the basic
elements of a truly Christian Spirituality? Roheiser looks at the
essentials-Christian spirituality is Biblical, incarnational,
ecclesiologial, cruciform, justice oriented, peaceful, and it involves
the whole of who we are , including our sexuality. This is an
excellent book exploring these basics, which we never can get too much
of.
Runcorn, David. A Center of Quiet: Hearing God when Life Is Noisy.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990. Meditations on silence,
solitude, and prayer. Each chapter includes exercises for reflection.
Shaw, Luci. Listen to the Green. Wheaton IL: Harold Shaw Publishers,
1973. Poetry of adoration, worship, family, faith, death and doubt.
Simon, Caroline J. The Disciplined Heart: Love, Destiny & Imagination.
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997. We speak a lot about love-loving
God, our neighbor and ourselves, but often we are not exactly sure
what love looks like and how it form us in each of these spheres.
Simon’s book is an excellent exploration of the working of love in our
lives and why it is the center of who we are and how we are to live.
Williams, Rowan. The Wound of Knowledge: Christian Spirituality from the
New Testament to St. John of the Cross London: DTL Classics, 1990
This is by far the best survey of Christian Spirituality I have ever
read. Williams is a theologian, Scholar and the current Arch-Bishop
of the Welsh Anglican Church. It is heavy reading but a great
resource.
White, John. Daring to Draw Near: People in Prayer—Abraham, Jacob,
Moses, David, Daniel, Hannah, Job, Paul, Jesus. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1977. An excellent look at praying. White, like
Peterson, has a number of other quality books—watch for his name.
Van Kaam, Adrian. Spitituality and the Gentle Life Pittsburgh: Epiphany
Books, 1994. In an age that lauds and encourages aggressive living
Van Kaam points out that the life of faith is an open handed life, it
is a gentle life, it is a life of giving and receiving love. This
book radically changed how I view the Christian life.
Classics on Meditation, Prayer & Spiritual Reading
Augustine, Confessions, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991. The
Church’s first Christian biography of the soul. In it he demonstrates
that personal experience is raw material for redemption and holiness.
In exploring his life in light of Christ we gain insight into our own.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. New York: Harper and Row, 1954.
This book is the product of an experiment in spirituality— seminarians, led by Bonhoeffer, living in a community of prayer and
learning. It challenges readers to see that true Christian
spirituality is of necessity communal in nature.
Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s Progress. This is a classic Christian allegory
which describes well the vicissitudes of the Christian life.
Calvin, John. Institutes of Christian Religion. Philadelphia:
Westminister Press, 1960. Calvin has been much maligned for his
heartless rationality, but if you will try reading him, you will find
that this is just not so. Not only is this an expansive examination
of Christian doctrine, but it is a searching examination of the human
heart, done with heart! (esp. book 3 on “The Christian Life”)
Classics of Faith & Devotion—a series of Christian classics for
spiritual reading edited by Dr. James M. Houston and published by
Multnomah Press, Portland, OR 97266. If these were the only books
that you had on your shelf, they would fill your heart with more than
enough spiritual insight to last your lifetime. In particular I
recommend Toward a Perfect Love by Walter Hilton, a 14th-century man
of prayer who will point you to the rich journey of walking in the
love of Christ; The Mind on Fire by Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century
scientist, philosopher and passionate man of faith (this is a
collection of brief thoughts about all areas of Christian devotion— he speaks loudly to the philosophical, behavioral and emotional issues
of our day); Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards, an 18th-
century Puritan, President of Princeton, and missionary/pastor, in
which he explores the difference between true and false religious
behavior; The Love of God by Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century
Cistercian Abbot, who answers the questions of love—what it means
to be loved by God and what it means to love Him; and The Reformed
Pastor by Richard Baxter, a 17th-century English Puritan, who had a
great influence on the Puritan movement both in England and here in
America, writing about what it means to care for others and how to
lead them to God. The Life of Prayer by Theresa of Avila, 16th
-century nun who takes the reader on a tour of the soul, pointing our
how it grows in its love for God in prayer.
Cranmer, Thomas. The Collects of Thomas Cranmer ed. Zahl, Paul & Barbee,
C. Fredrick Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. Cranmer was the English
Reformer who put together the Anglican Prayer Book. His prayers are
beautiful which this book leads you through devotionally.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers ed. Benedicta Ward SGL. Kalamazoo:
Cistercian Publications, 1975 This is a great introduction to the
Desert Fathers – a protest movement in the 4th-5th centuries. Like
our time, the church in the c. 4th and 5th was going through great
change and secularization these men left the cities for the desert in
order to do battle with and in prayer. Wild, challenging reads!
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. London, Penguin Books,1958.
This has been called the best of Christian novels, and it is true. It
is an amazing work of art. As you read it, you will find it reading
you and your friends. A thick book, but one which every Christian
should read.
Eliot, T.S. The Complete Poems and Plays. New York: Harcourt, Brace &
World, 1952. Much of Eliot is still beyond me, but that which I grasp
is rich and searching of my heart. He is worth working to understand,
for he has much to say to us about our spirituality.
Fenalon, Francois Talking with God Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 1984.
This 18th century Arch-Bishop of Paris was the Spiritual Director of
his time, he was advisor and confessor to Kings, French royalty and
criminals alike. His insight into the psychology of sin and his hope
in the transforming power of Christ are great challenges. If you can
find his letters of Spiritual Direction they too are wonderful.
Gregory the Great, Pastoral Care http://ccel.wheaton.edu Gregory was Pope
in c. 585 and wrote this text to help his priest understand their jobs
and the spiritual pitfalls inherent in living out their vocation. It
is a very heart searching read.
Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses New York: Paulist Press, 1980.
Gregory (c.330 -c.395) is the most accessible of the Greek Mystical
Theologians. His reading of Exodus and Deuteronomy is imaginative and
wild. He sees Moses as the archetypal human being and explores the
life of faith for us all through his life.
Hopkins, Gerald Manley. Poems and Prose. London: Penguin Books, 1953. A
British Jesuit who struggled to integrate his priestly vocation and
his poetic gifts. His poetry exhibits an amazing use of words to
explain our amazing existence.
Herbert, George The Country Parson, The Temple Classics of Western
Spirituality Series, New York: Paulist Press, 1981. Herbert is a
great help in understanding the care of those God has give you and
developing a clearer pastoral theology. His language is rich and
poetic. The Temple is a collection of his poems and prayers. The
beautiful and wonderful aids to prayer.
Lewis, C.S. Letters to Malcolm London: Harvest Books, 1964. This is a
practical guide to prayer. With typical Lewis insight and
practicality the reader is given insight into the mystery of prayer.
Spurgeon, C.H. Morning by Morning: Daily Devotions (&, I believe, Evening
by Evening). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1975 reprint.
Written by the famous 19th-century British Baptist preacher, each day
is a meditation on just one Bible verse.
Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ (variously published) This is not
my favorite book because of the heavy emphasis he places on behavior
in the Christian life. It can come across as legalistic. With that
said, it has some very insightful views into both the human heart and
the heart of God. —Worth a critical read
Von Balthasar, Hans Urs. Prayer San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1955.
This is by far the best book of prayer I have ever read. It is deep,
practical and warm. It is a book that one must read slowly over a
life time. A must!
Web Sites:
http://elvis.rowan.edu—Biographies of Saints and Scholars of the Church
organized according to the Church year.
http://anglicansonline.org —A great site for the liturgically minded.
It has lots of resources and links – the best of which is the Daily
Office liturgies for Morning and Evening Prayer.
http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dcs0mpw/gkc/books/index.html A complete source for
G.K Chesterton – an early 20th century Catholic writer. Chesterton had
tremendous influence on Lewis – when you read him you will see the
similarities.
http://ccel.wheaton.edu – This online library has a great collection of
Christian Devotional and Theological classics – all public domain. I
download whole books. Great site and there are lots of others like
it.
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