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When Prayers Aren't Answered
 
 

When Prayers Aren't Answered [Kindle Edition]

John E. Welshons , Richard Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Welshons, author (Awakening from Grief) and counselor, approaches a perennially difficult topic from an eclectic background; while his sources range widely, his sensibilities lean strongly toward Eastern ideas of karma, nonattachment and oneness with the Divine. Although Welshons describes this book as a beginner's manual for dealing with life's curve balls, it is more a meditation on how suffering can exist in the world if God is both all-powerful and all-good. Arguing that unanswered prayers may be an invitation to develop a closer relationship with God, Welshons's observations range from the sensible (such as maintaining connections and community) to the banal (hoary chestnuts such as the blind men trying to see the elephant). His emphasis on the spiritual value of suffering sometimes verges on narcissism, and occasionally he even seems to suggest that we cause bad things to happen through negative thoughts—which he then contradicts. His most disturbing reflections occur as he tries to make sense of the deaths of children. Overall, this well-intentioned but confusing book lacks concrete writing and compelling examples as well as genuinely helpful advice for those coping with pain and loss. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Have you ever asked yourself where to find comfort in a world that seems so fraught with danger, where loss, frustration, and disappointment strike so unpredictably? Do you wonder how you can relate to a God whose power sometimes seems limited or, at least, withheld?

When Prayers Aren't Answered faces these tough questions head-on. John E. Welshons does not ignore suffering; nor does he attempt to put a smiling face on tragic events. While looking directly at life's most challenging experiences, John helps us learn how to work through those trials with honesty, love, and equanimity. Using true-life stories as well as insights gathered from the world's great spiritual traditions, he demonstrates how to use the painful circumstances in life as fuel for our own spiritual journey. In When Prayers Aren't Answered, John gently guides us to a new understanding of prayer and how to best use it to feel spiritually connected, joyful, and peaceful in our modern world.

"The experience of unanswered prayer is a challenge to faith. In this insightful book, John Welshons provides ideas, guidance, and comfort for anyone dealing with this dilemma. I highly recommend it!"
-- Harville Hendrix, PhD, author of Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples

"This beautiful book of grounding wisdom and answers can take your relationship with the Divine to a new and wondrous place and can actually help you celebrate and appreciate times of difficulty and challenge. John Welshons invites you to turn the inevitability of pain into an opportunity for deeper love and fulfillment."
-- Tama J. Kieves, bestselling author of This Time I Dance!: Creating the Work You Love

"When Prayers Aren't Answered is an answer to a prayer -- the prayer we all pray for wisdom, peace, and patience. The book takes you by the hand and leads you into the valley of the shadow of death, but you fear no evil. You feel the presence of a friend -- in this case, John Welshons -- who knows human pain all too well but who is there to help you find a way to love life even in the midst of that pain. We rarely stop to feel and think as deeply as this kind book helps us to, and we rarely gain the foothold in bedrock truth that this book carves out. What a gift this book contains. To unwrap the gift and make it your own, all you have to do is read on."
-- Edward Hallowell, MD, psychiatrist and author of CrazyBusy and Connect

"John Welshons makes us realize that when God seems silent, he is speaking in a language we can understand only by accepting our pain and our life as it comes. This book is a warm, wise companion for the loneliest hours."
-- Lorraine Ash, author of Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing

"Wherever there is doubt, there is hope, and wherever there is hope, there is John Welshons. At last, someone gracefully answers a question that has gone unanswered in the lives of so many for much too long. By reminding us of how powerful, loving, and fearless we all are, John helps us to reach one of the magical destinations in life -- a place of peace within ourselves."
-- Scott Chesney, speaker, life coach, and host of Maximizing Life

"Whatever your connection to the divine -- whether it is in the form of a known-to-you Being or just a yearning for something you feel must be out there, you will find in this book insights and suggestions to help you along your way. With quotations drawn from Eastern and Western religions, and stories both from his own life and from people he has counseled, he writes how, in the face of unanswered prayers, we can know God, who is Love, in the wondrous Joy and intuitive Presence that can emerge through our disappointment when prayers aren't answered."
-- Martha Whitmore Hickman, author of Healing After Loss


Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 2161 KB
  • Print Length: 295 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1577315871
  • Publisher: New World Library; 1 edition (September 28, 2007)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B001O2SB3Q
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,836 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Spiritual Treasure Chest, September 27, 2007
Wayne Dyer's endorsement of this beautiful book says that while reading it, he felt he was in the company of a wise and loving friend. And Ram Dass calls it "spiritually complete, compassionate, and powerful!" I couldn't agree more. This book carries endorsements from a number of the wisest, most highly respected spiritual teachers of our time. After reading it I can fully understand why. It is a wonderful, insightful compassionate look at some of the most difficult problems in our worldly lives and our spiritual lives. While the author admits that he can't offer logical, rational answers to all of the questions the book raises, he skillfully guides the reader on a journey of deepening spiritual experience through the cultivation of meditation, contemplative prayer, and the unfolding of love, compassion, and connection. I think the book is both brilliant and heart-opening. A treasure!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AN INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL BOOK!, September 15, 2007
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I have just finished reading WHEN PRAYERS AREN'T ANSWERED, and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. This book is an incredibly beautiful journey through human confusion . . . back into the Light of our own inherent wisdom and compassion. As he did in his previous book, AWAKENING FROM GRIEF, John Welshons takes the reader on a soulful excursion that never shrinks back from looking directly at life's most difficult experiences - but always looks at the events of our lives and our world through the lens of love and compassion. He has an extraordinary ability to make things that previously seemed incomprehensible and unacceptable somehow less frightening and less heartbreaking by giving the reader the sense that a treasured and trusted friend is standing beside them, holding their hand and caressing their heart. The writing is beautiful, and the insights are unique, and powerfully inspiring. This book has helped me to heal fears and spiritual doubts that have troubled me for years. I thank Wayne Dyer, Ram Dass, and Stephen Levine for their enthusiastic support of this book, and I thank John for having the courage, wisdom, and insight to write it! I highly recommend it!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem of Wisdom, October 5, 2007
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Once a wise, mystical teacher said, "Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned." John Welshons has shown a deep, inner wisdom in crafting a book that does NOT skim the surface of dealing with the often puzzling situations of life. Instead, he gently leads the reader to seek and find answers within (the only place from which they can truly speak to us.) By generously sharing experiences from his own life, he reveals much of his own highly advanced consciousness. Thus is the reader blessed by touching the light that John Welshons has discovered within himself. When the light shines within any of us it helps guide the way for those of us who stumble in the shadows. We can only thank John Welshons for being a torch-bearer to help light our way. A wonderful book! Highly recommended as a feast for the soul.
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More About the Author

John E. Welshons ("Ramananda") is a highly respected contemporary spiritual teacher who lectures, and leads meditation workshops throughout North America. He has practiced meditation and various forms of yoga for more than forty years. He is the author of three highly acclaimed books: ONE SOUL, ONE LOVE, ONE HEART; WHEN PRAYERS AREN'T ANSWERED; and AWAKENING FROM GRIEF, as well as numerous audio programs on meditation and spirituality. He is a gifted counselor and teacher who has worked closely with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine and trained with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. In the 1970's and 1980's he traveled extensively in India. He holds a B.A. in Comparative Religion from the University of South Florida and an M.A. in History of Religions from Florida State University. He lives in northern New Jersey.

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Neither helps us understand that there might be some immensely significant message, or lesson to be learned, from being denied whatever it is we have been asking God for. So let us return to our original quest to understand who and what God is, how we can connect with God in our daily lives, and &quote;
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Instead of looking at the difficult experiences of life as cruel punishment from a wrathful God, we might instead look at them as experiences our own soul needs to have. It really isn't important to understand what the precipitating causes might have been. The question always is, How can I use this experience to get closer to God, to unveil my true nature? How can I use it to find greater peace in the world as it is, not as I think it should be? &quote;
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Letting go of what we wanted and opening our hearts to what is, is a major turning point on the path to joy. It is not easily accomplished, but it is the unerring route to happiness and peace of mind. &quote;
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