Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still [Paperback]

William Tenny-Brittian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

For many, contemplative prayer does not come easy. As soon as you start to pray your mind begins to wander, you are disrupted by background noise. Before you know it, quiet communication with the Lord is replaced with dozens of thoughts running through your head. You want to have a deeper and more meaningful prayer life, but you can’t stay focused. If you are one of the millions who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, "nervous energy," or you just can’t sit still, this book is for you.

William Tenny-Brittian, himself diagnosed with adult ADHD, shows us that there are more ways to pray than with our mouths and minds. Prayer has long had an action component to it. One of the most ancient prayer actions is anointing the head with oil. There are many ways we can pray that involve our senses and our bodies. Journaling, skipping rocks, drawing, singing, touching, dancing, even walking can be acts of prayer. William Tenny-Brittian goes back to ancient times and into the techno-generation to share ten types of kinesthetic prayer that will help even the most fidgety connect with God. He has filled Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still with ideas, easy-to-follow instructions, and ways to adapt kinesthetic prayer to most any situation and "personal limitation." Kinesthetic prayer can also have profound effects on the prayer life of children and youth. Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still is a valuable resource in children’s and youth ministry, helping these action-oriented age groups to find ways build relationships with God.

A relationship takes time together, says William Tenny-Brittian. How can we build a serious relationship with anyone, let alone God, if we only spend a few minutes a day with them? That time together doesn’t have to be sit-still time, though. If some of the best time we spend with our spouses, children, and friends is spent doing things together, why wouldn’t that be true of our time with God? Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still is written to help you spend more time and more meaningful time with God.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pastor Tenny-Brittian admits that he is ADHD, a diagnosis he didn't at first believe but later came to accept. As his awareness of ADHD grew, so did his understanding of how it affected his prayer life. This longtime leader in the "house church" movement never could sit still for long, a defect that he imagined would preclude a great prayer life. Then he discovered the joy of kinesthetic prayer: prayer that involves touch, action or some kind of movement. His prayer life was transformed. Tenny-Brittian shares 10 kinesthetic prayers, from journaling prayers to dance prayers, from walking a labyrinth to walking the neighborhood. He describes musical and artistic prayer, and his chapter on technology-assisted prayer is especially relevant. While some of his prayer styles may seem strange to Christians (sensational prayer includes massage, acupressure and body memories), others, such as prayer beads, will strike a chord with many readers. Tenny-Brittian has tried all these prayer styles, benefiting from each. His experience, his breezy yet informative style and his sincere desire to help others make this book perfect for pastors, worship leaders, children's teachers and anyone who prays. Whether they are ADHD or not, Tenny-Brittian effectively persuades readers that kinesthetic prayer is a new way to experience communion with God. (Feb.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chalice Press (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827230036
• ISBN-13: 978-0827230033
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. His father was a scientist, his mother stayed at home 'til the kids were teenagers and then went into real estate. He was raised in the church and doesn't remember a time when he didn't consider himself a Christian. At seventeen, Bill got married and joined the Air Force to see the world - and he began to experience life in the "Real World."

Though he never "left the faith," while he was in the military there wouldn't have been much evidence to convict him if Christianity became a crime. However, at twenty-five, God got him by the tail and he began a faith journey that was as arduous as it was adventurous.

In December of 1983, he loaded up his family into the car and they crossed the US, closely chased by a snowstorm all the way to north Alabama. They reached their destination, Graceville, Florida, in January and he began his theological training. During the next too-many years, Bill won awards for his creativity, his evangelism, and his scholarship (and has a number of degrees to prove it!). He was featured on the front page of many newspapers, was a syndicated columnist for seven years, and appeared on Good Morning America, the PTL Club, and local television programming.

Bill spends his time as a resource helping "Real People" experience a depth of spirituality they neither thought they had the aptitude nor the time to develop. Whether he's writing books and articles that encourage prayer and spiritual habits or speaking at a church or seminar on how to be a Real Christian in the Real World, Bill's passion to help people experience life to the fullest shines through. To accomplish his dream of converting the church to Christianity, he has become a well trained coach, mentor, author, and speaker.

Bill attended the Florida Baptist College in Graceville, Florida where he received his bachelor's degree in theology. He received his master's degree from the Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta. Additionally, he earned his doctorate at the Northwest Graduate School in Seattle. He teaches academic writing and research to master and doctoral students at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle.

He has published four books to date, "House Church Manual," "Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still," and "High Voltage Spirituality" all from Chalice Press, and he co-authored with Bill Easum "Under the Radar: Learning from Risk Taking Churches" from Abingdon Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Prayer techniques for any spirituality, August 4, 2009

By 

Pastor Chris "EvangelismCoach.org" (Richmond VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still (Paperback)

Let me start by saying I know Bill as a friend and ministry colleague, twitter follower and blog reader. I have read alot of his other material that is really awesome and clearly Christ centered.

He is committed to following Jesus and helping churches in their growth and impact. Even with the not so good theological comments below, I think this book is still good to learn from, and no way want to detract from his other books.

The Good:
Introduction to many different styles of prayer, using motions, symbols, and physical actions. Good stuff. Lots of practical and implementable tips that one could use.

I too suffer from being unable to be still for a long time and find that some of the practices mentioned in this text are quite useful to help me center.

His treatment of casting prayers, beads, and prayer walking are all immediately useful to a person like myself who fidgets and moves constantly.

The Not so Good:
Reading this text seemed to border on generic spirituality, no matter what form of religion you practice. Many times, God was called "the Divine." We were encouraged to use readings from "a sacred text."

A few scriptures from the Christian Bible were scattered throughout, and the occasional mention of Jesus, but I felt like I was reading a book about prayer that could be used in any faith, not explicitly Christian prayer.

He admits that some of the practices described in this book may not be orthodox, and some are even disputed by sectors of the Christian such as the labyrinth and body memory.

As I was looking for a book specifically on Christian prayer, this book didn't meet that expectation. It's spirituality was too generic for me.

All in all, this book can be useful if one is looking to learn how to pray if you can't sit still. But if you are looking for a book on Christian prayer, this one may feel like it falls short.

Chris Walker
[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prayer life, August 11, 2005

By 

Joni Dee (Spokane, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prayer for People Who Can't Sit Still (Paperback)

As someone who has been searching for ways to grow in my prayer life, this book has given me a multitude of new things to try and some new twists on prayer methods that I had already learned of! This will work well for pray-ers on any level of their spiritual paths, whether it's getting a novice started or pushing those who are too comfortable in their ways. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is open to new ideas on their faith journey.