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Prayer Steps to Serenity: The Twelve Step Journey

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This book is a truly wonderful resource for anybody in recovery! I purchased Prayer Steps to Serenity a few weeks ago, and intend to buy another copy soon so that I have a copy to loan to friends and acquaintances.

This book is so much more than a daily devotional! Each week ends with a series of questions to ponder, and the back of the book includes information on forming and leading a Serenity Group. Included is also a "Group Journey Guide" as well as a "Personal Journey Guide."

The author has truly gone above and beyond with this book. He seems truly committed to helping people in their recovery journeys as is evidenced by this book, and all of the free resources he has on his website. (www.prayersteps.org) He has also been working with alcoholics completing their 5th steps for almost 30 years, according to the back cover. I wholeheartedly encourage anybody in recovery to purchase this book. It will not disappoint! You may even consider creating your own Serenity Group, as the author has suggested. I certainly hope to do so at some point.

The first edition helped me find serenity and sobriety in a way only God could have directed. I was on the brink of destruction and this book helped me find my way back. The influence was overwhelming. I have also read the recent, expanded edition and use it to help maintain my serenity and sobriety.

"Prayer Steps" is so powerful, it helped me tie my belief in God and Christianity to the Twelve Steps in a way that changed my life. Using this Twelve Step Journey along with my Faith, I have managed to return to sanity and keep my family and friends.

This book is filled with helpful information and study guides for anyone with any addiction, problem, or weakness, and for those who are trying to help anyone in any recovery program. Short daily readings for each of the Twelve Steps for a 12 week study, and daily inspirational prayers that move you to keep on praying are at the heart of what is presented here. Weekly review questions can help you get the most out of each step, and there is lots of room to write your thoughts in the book. A guide for support groups or serenity groups is included, with group questions. A website supports the book with lots of free resources at PrayerSteps.org. My wife and I both read the book and found it help us, but for different reasons. We plan to use it as a couples study this summer. The author did a great job when he expanded and revised this book!

I have begun talking to some others about following this book's advice and using the free resources on the websites to start a Serenity Group. All the weekly meeting guides for each of the 12 Steps at SerenityGroups.org make it seem easy, but we are still in the talking stages. I am reading through the book again for guidance from God in doing this.

I went to the book's website and asked the author a question. He answered it, and decided to start a whole new 12 Step series of additional FREE 7th Day Readings to use with the 7th Day questions in his book. He told me that when we start our group we can print out the readings and read them for discussion or give them to those who attend! My question was on The Third Step, and he already has his answer on his website at PrayerSteps.org!

I am Bert Newton, pastor, Creekside Baptist Church, writing through my wife's account, as our purchases are made through it. L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. has made a powerfully challenging statement through this book. It causes one to focus on the practical life change that will occur with Christ at the helm of anyone's 12-step program. He helps a person to realize that to be truly effective, it takes the "new creation" power that comes from the Lord Himself living in us and helping one overcome their addictions and/or ungodly behavior. I read it as a book, but know that it would work for anyone to use for devotional study.

Prayer Steps to Serenity is truly beautiful inside and out. The cover and the reviews drew me into buying the book. Then, I was surprised to see the picture of the Tree that began each new step take on new growth and leaves as I read through the book.

From my experience, this book has captured and presented the basic keys to Serenity and changing your life. My Sponsor and I often talk about the spiritual aspects of our Fellowship and I bought her a copy after she saw mine.

"Prayer Steps to Serenity" helps people in a lot of different ways. It is for anyone, whether they are working a 12 Step Program or not. For example, it could be used in a Sunday school class, and help people with any problem or help people understand how to help a family member or friend who has a problem with an addiction or a compulsion or any disease. The PrayerSteps website even has free handouts that can be changed and used for a 12 week study by any group. It has lots of scripture readings and meditations and prayers. It really helped me pray the Serenity Prayer with greater personal power and application, because I could see how to use it with my own daily problems. I also learned how to use the Serenity Prayer when I have to work with problem people.

I also like the included workbooks that are almost hidden in the book, because it looks like a beautiful coffee table devotional book, not a typical workbook.

First, in subtle workbook applications, the reader first learns how to pray the Serenity Prayer better (not just as a memorized prayer), and then is led to it pray longer to get help with specific problems and weaknesses. Each page has room so the reader can write their own addition to the Serenity Prayer. All the daily prayers in the book are short so you can complete the prayer in your own words. The author suggests that you use the space in the book to write down your prayer requests and then your answers to prayer.

Second, as a workbook, the seventh day of each week includes study questions that the reader can answer to review and apply what they have learned about the step they studied that week.

Third, the group study questions in the back of the book can be used by any prayer group, recovery group, or Sunday school class that wants to study the Serenity Prayer, Prayer, or the Twelve Steps. The book does not require a leader to do very much advance preparation. Just answer the questions!

I highly recommend this book!

Be certain you buy the "New Serenity Prayer Edition" of this book, for it has 12 new daily readings on The Serenity Prayer keyed to each of the 12 Steps for a total of 84 readings (7 readings per week for 12 weeks on each of the 12 Steps). The new edition is also 68 pages longer than the older edition, but sells for the same price as the older edition. The book is easier to read and study with a Workbook on the 12 Steps, called The Twelve Steps Journey, as a part of the book. Unfortunately for some, there has been some confusion between the two editions, and the older edition should be showing out of print, but there are still some older copies being sold. I did change the title from "the Twelve Step Journey" to "the Twelve Steps Journey" and I did add the subtitle to the new edition: "New Serenity Prayer Edition." I hope this helps you buy the newest edition, and I am thankful that so many gave such wonderful reviews for the earlier edition. The latest edition is just better and larger.