Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God [Hardcover]

Patricia D. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2003

With step-by-step instructions for over forty ways to pray, this valuable guide contains a wealth of timeless spiritual prayer practices that Christians have used over the last 2000 years from cultures around the world. Among the prayer practices you'll encounter in this book are the daily office, the prayer shawl, praying with icons, centering prayer, fasting, prayer beads, walking a labyrinth, pilgrimage, anointing for healing, and praying the scriptures.

Paths to Prayer offers a whole-person approach to prayer that takes into account each person's individuality and doesn't assume we all relate to God in the same way. A prayer styles self-assessment will help you reflect on your life, your preferences, and your unique way of interacting with the world. Try new dimensions of praying— innovative, searching, relational, and experiential— to deepen your encounter with the divine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patricia D. Brown writes about prayer with sensitivity, depth and comprehensiveness. Most of all, she shares out of her considerable experience, which balances her study of various forms of relating to the Divine."
— Wayne Teasdale, member, Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World's Religions and author, A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life

"In her remarkable new book, Patricia D. Brown tutors us in the spiritual art of prayer. Gentle, practical, and wise— what a wonderful invitation to the spiritual journey. I can't recommend this book highly enough."
— Lauren Artress, author, Walking a Sacred Path, and canon for special ministries, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

"Paths to Prayer is a sensitive exploration of the role of prayer in everyday life. No matter which spiritual or religious path you have chosen, you will benefit from this wonderful book."
— Larry Dossey, author, Healing Beyond the Body, Prayer Is Good Medicine, and Healing Words

"We cannot be fulfilled human beings without attention to prayer. Patricia D. Brown's Paths to Prayer is one of the best guides to a richer spiritual life to appear in years."
— Barbara Montgomery Dossey, author, Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, and Rituals of Healing

"This is an excellent book for beginners and the proficient alike."
— Andres Dreitcer, associate professor of spirituality and director of spiritual formation, Claremont School of Theology and associate professor of religion, Claremont Graduate University

"Paths to Prayer aids us in our quest to discover prayer forms that create in us space for God."
— Joe Driskill, assistant professor of spirituality and assistant dean, Disciples Seminary

From the Publisher

"Patricia D. Brown writes about prayer with sensitivity, depth and comprehensiveness. Most of all, she shares out of her considerable experience, which balances her study of various forms of relating to the Divine."
-- Wayne Teasdale, member, Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World's Religions and author, A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life

"In her remarkable new book, Patricia D. Brown tutors us in the spiritual art of prayer. Gentle, practical, and wise-- what a wonderful invitation to the spiritual journey. I can't recommend this book highly enough."
-- Lauren Artress, author, Walking a Sacred Path, and canon for special ministries, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

"Paths to Prayer is a sensitive exploration of the role of prayer in everyday life. No matter which spiritual or religious path you have chosen, you will benefit from this wonderful book."
-- Larry Dossey, author, Healing Beyond the Body, Prayer Is Good Medicine, and Healing Words

"We cannot be fulfilled human beings without attention to prayer. Patricia D. Brown's Paths to Prayer is one of the best guides to a richer spiritual life to appear in years."
-- Barbara Montgomery Dossey, author, Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary, Healer, Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, and Rituals of Healing

"This is an excellent book for beginners and the proficient alike."
-- Andres Dreitcer, associate professor of spirituality and director of spiritual formation, Claremont School of Theology and associate professor of religion, Claremont Graduate University

"Paths to Prayer aids us in our quest to discover prayer forms that create in us space for God."
-- Joe Driskill, assistant professor of spirituality and assistant dean, Disciples Seminary

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787965650
• ISBN-13: 978-0787965655
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting closer to God --, December 7, 2003

By 

L. Mountford (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God (Hardcover)

Well-written and easy to follow, this is a wonderful collection of prayer styles and techniques used throughout the history of the Christian church. Brown provides an historical overview of each technique, clearly describes any "props" needed to experience the technique, and details step-by-step how to pray in accordance with the technique.

The goal of prayer is to come closer to God, to open oneself up to God's guidance, to enter into communion with God. Each practice described in the book is intended to accomplish just that. Brown includes a self-test at the beginning of the book to help the reader determine which prayer *style* is most likely to achieve the desired result.

There were a few surprises for me, based on my ignorance of Christian history (Praying with Beads, for example, and Praying with a Tallith), but I found a large number of these practices helpful and interesting. I'm planning to incorporate several of them into my normal prayer times. Brown has graciously included additional resources -- books as well as websites -- if you want to pursue further a particular technique.

An interesting and valuable resource for any Christian.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paths to Prayer, November 29, 2003

By 

ck "ck" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God (Hardcover)

I purchased the book in September and read it immediately. The foreword was helpful in understanding the purpose of the book. It offers a quiz to help you determine your prayer style (or styles). Trish Brown highlights 4 different prayer styles. Then she divides the various prayer methods that you can try based on your prayer style. I would encourage people to try some if not all of them!
The book is well put-together, easy to understand, and very helpful and informative. I have tried some of the prayer methods and continue to go back and read and try more! I recommend this book, it give you tools to use, plus the history and application of each prayer method. As a bonus, Trish give lots of resources and websites for further study. Paths to Prayer is a must have in your spiritual journey!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Recipe Book Not A Gourmet Meal, December 21, 2003

By 

"[e-mail]" (Freehold, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God (Hardcover)

Finally, I can begin to stop feeling guilty or deficient because I don't get up at 3am and pray on my knees for hours on a stone floor in the cold!Trisha Brown encourages us to explore and find the "how to pray" that works for us as individuals...maybe the stone floor one time, maybe the stream of consciousness conversation while driving down the road at another time.
I lead an adult education group at the church where I serve as DRE and we've been using this book as a resource and guide as we explore "ways and means" of prayer. We have been making our own sets of Anglican prayer beads, a new concept to many of the participants,and in the creation and construction of them we've discovered that that too is a way of prayer.
Thank you, Trisha, for helping to free us from "the one way" and opening doors to deeper, very personal ways to develop our relationship with a living God.