Deepening Your Conversation with God: Learning to Love to Pray (Pastor's Soul) [Paperback]

Ben Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pastor's Soul | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Be ready to turn prayer from a monologue to a conversation with God, and a much-anticipated delight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book tackles important theological issues in a way that's interesting, challenging, and yes, fun. That's no small feat." -- CBA Marketplace, June 2001

About the Author

Ben Patterson is campus pastor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He has served churches in New Jersey and California and was dean of the chapel at Hope College in Michigan before going to Westmont College. He is the author of Deepening Your Conversation with God and is a back-page columnist for Leadership Journal and a contributor to Christianity Today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764223518
• ISBN-13: 978-0764223518
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #959,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Reverend Ben Patterson has been campus pastor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, since 2001. He is responsible for organizing the college's chapel program, mentoring students, counseling, and encouraging every person in the Westmont community to grow toward their full maturity in Christ. He is a contributing editor to Christianity Today and Leadership Journal. Previously he was a contributing editor and editorial writer with The Wittenburg Door. Ben has written several books, including Serving God: The Grand Essentials of Work & Worship, Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent, Deepening Your Conversation with God, The Prayer Devotional Bible, and He Has Made Me Glad. Ben's most current work, which was released in November 2008, is God's Prayer Book: The Power and Pleasure of Praying the Psalms. Ben served the New Providence Presbyterian Church of New Jersey from 1989 until his appointment as dean of the chapel at Hope College in 1993. From 1975 to 1998 he served as the founding pastor of the Irvine Presbyterian Church in California. Ben was also minister of youth and adult education at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church in California. Previous to that he was assistant minister to college students at the First Baptist Church of Pomona, California, working with the Claremont Colleges. Ben earned his bachelor's degree from La Verne University and his master of divinity from the American Baptist Seminary of the West. He and his wife, Lauretta, have four grown children, Dan, Joel, Andy, and Mary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent and passionate guide to Christian prayer, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deepening Your Conversation with God: The Life-Changing Power of Prayer (Pastor's Soul) (Hardcover)

Ben Patterson, the Dean of Chapel at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, has written one of the best books on Christian prayer in recent years. It is rich with biblical, theological and practical insights that encourage, educate and equip people at every stage of faith to enter into a deeper knowledge and experience of Christian prayer. What distinguishes Patterson's book from others is that it does not fall into the "pietistic" trap of making prayer a "utilitarian" guide without establishing an excellent biblical and theological foundation for prayer. It also transcends any denominational loyalties, which is rare in many books being written on Christian spirituality or the Christian spiritual disciplines. Any reader will be drawn closer to God as well as encouraged to spend more time engaged in the rich spiritual discipline and tradition of prayer. Patterson gives many excellent illustrations of how people at prayer have transformed history and how prayer actually has the power to transform the "pray-er". I would put this book in a league with PT Forsyth, John Baillie, Eugene Peterson, George Buttrick, Olive Wyon, Richard Foster and others who have written significant works about prayer. It is hoped that this excellent work will find the audience it well deserves.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An opportunity for us to learn from the author's experience., February 19, 2002

By 

No one of consequence (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Deepening Your Conversation with God: Learning to Love to Pray (Pastor's Soul) (Paperback)

If there's one thing every Christian should get wrapped around, it's a solid, meaningful, soul-filling prayer life. Yet this is lacking in most of our lives, and mine is really no different. Ben Patterson's book on learning to love prayer has been refreshing and insightful. It offers a look into some deeply personal episodes in the life of a man who has learned by hard experience how critical it is to connect with God in prayer. And we have an opportunity as his readers to learn from his experiences, or at least to prepare ourselves for our own experiences.

Seldom will you read a more honest, open, unabashedly human account of a person's journey toward spiritual maturity. Patterson is not afraid to lay his weaknesses and failings out on the table, or to discuss some things that might make some modern Christians squeamish. But he does it lovingly and at times humorously, with plenty of helpful illustrations along the way. I personally found the chapter on fasting to be of great benefit during one of my own spiritual struggles when I was just beginning to practice this as a spiritual discipline.

If you're searching to find true substance in your prayer life, or if you're looking to take an already solid prayer life to the next level, give this book a try. I think it has something to offer to every believer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Job, December 8, 2003

By 

Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deepening Your Conversation with God: Learning to Love to Pray (Pastor's Soul) (Paperback)

An effective prayer life affects every part of your life and consequently positively influences the lives of other people. In this wonderfully writte book, Ben Patterson couples personal experience with academic study to give an inspiring teaching on prayer.

His teaching is practical. He says prayer is like swimming, that you learn by doing. He talks about the joy and value of being in God's presence. In several places he goes back to the original languages in the Bible to make a point. Consider his explanation of a Christian calling. In Latin "vocare" means "to call", from which our English word vocation comes.

This book is inspiring as well as motivational. Reading it will create the effect the author seeks, to give you a greater desire to spend time with God.