Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down to Be With God : Including Questions for Reflection and Discussion [Paperback]

Bill Hybels (Author), Lavonne Neff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

Most of us have trouble finding time to pray. There's church and school and neighborhood and job and friends and recreation. And then the crises hit! Time for prayer seems an impossible luxury. As a pastor, Bill Hybels knows hundreds of people with schedules like this. Yet in his own life he has made the hard discovery that prayer doesn't happen on the run. He decided he was too busy not to pray. Hybels's accessible introduction to prayer has already helped over 400,000 readers develop a rich and regular prayer life in the midst of life's busyness. Now, in this revised and expanded 10th anniversary edition, he includes new insights from his years of ministry and his own spiritual journey. He shows how to slow down to pray, listen to God, respond to what we hear, practice the presence of God and overcome prayer barriers. His fun and practical book offers the resources we need for growing, ongoing experiences in prayer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A practical guide." (BTS Booklist, )

"The most helpful book on Prayer that I have read." (The Good BookStall ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Bill Hybels is pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago suburbs, where over 15,000 attend each weekend. Willow Creek's "seeker sensitive" approach to worship has influenced many churches across the U.S. and throughout the world. Hybels has written a number of books, including Honest to God, Becoming a Contagious Christian, Making Life Work and Too Busy Not to Pray.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press; Revised edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830819711
• ISBN-13: 978-0830819713
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. The bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Axiom, Holy Discontent, Just Walk Across the Room, The Volunteer Revolution, Courageous Leadership, and classics such as Too Busy Not to Pray and Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels is known worldwide as an expert in training Christian leaders to transform individuals and their communities through the local church. Hybels received a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. He and his wife, Lynne, have two adult children and one grandson, Henry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, easy to read, straight talk about prayer., July 19, 2000

By 

Scott Furrow "Scott Furrow" (www.ScottFurrow.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down to Be With God : Including Questions for Reflection and Discussion (Paperback)

One good thing that can be said about books by Bill Hybels: he hits the nail on the head with how Christians are today. In Too Busy Not To Pray, he accurately points out the flaws that many Christians have today in their attitude and approach to prayer. For example, Hybels asks why do we pray "Lord, be with us today", when we know from Scripture he's always with us? He suggests we pray "Lord, make us aware of your presence today." This small thing has helped me focus on what I'm actually saying in prayers, helping me to eliminate the jargon and have a more authentic and focused time with God. If you are a busy person like most of us, you may not be taking the time to actually know God, to pray, to know His will, to confess specific sins, to praise Him. This book gives good solutions and reasons for making prayer a priority above everything else. Good book, good scripture references, fast read. I recommend to anyone serious about knowing the Living God. - SCF.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionized My Prayer Life!, September 23, 2002

By 

David R. Bess (Charleston, WV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing Down to Be with God (Hardcover)

This straightforward volume revolutionized my prayer life when I first read it ten years ago. I have read a number of Hybel's works, and I must say this one is the best yet. His points are simple yet profound as he makes his case for the necessity of a strong and systematic prayer life. This tenth anniversary edition reinforces and elaborates upon the truths Hybels illustrated previously.

In the first portion of his book, Hybels focuses upon God and his willingness to answer prayer. He then moves to the role we play, describing various challenges and obstacles to effective, life-changing prayer. The best part of this work is the third portion, in which he emphasizes the importance of listening to God, responding to His leadings, and living in His presence.

There are many books available on prayer, a large number of which I have read. I cannot think of one other single volume however, that describes the vital nature of prayer, and offers practical tools for prayer, than this book.

Get it, read it, then see for yourself the difference God makes in your own prayer life!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, excellently presented!!!!, January 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Too Busy Not to Pray (Paperback)

13 chapters and a group of study questions to provoke thought and/or discussion leads the reader thru the author's own discoveries regarding prayer. Hybels, by his own admission, acknowledged what many of us don't: that "praying on the run" does not properly develop or nurture a relationship with God. In a fast-paced, super sophisticated world where we can barely escape work and a host of other stresses because of today's technology, we suffer from "ultra-business". Barely having out enough time to brush our teeth or eat properly, prayer for many of us, is a "back-burner activity". The discoveries Bill Hybels made can help all of us examine our own habits, and enrich our prayer life with God, such as "how to slow down to pray", "how to listen to God" and "how to overcome barriers". Readers must approach this book with honesty and a willingness to examine their own thoughts and habits. It would do all of us well to consider that even Jesus took time to slow down and be with God, alone. Jesus, tempted by all as we are, was Himself perfect, and yet found in Himself a need and desire to seek the Father's face. When His life became public, and His ministry active, many clamored for His attention. In the midst of that hectic activity, Jesus took time out to spend with the Father. In that we are imperfect, and do fall into temptation, how much more do we need to seek the Father? This eye-opening book offers insightful answers to those questions.