When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings [Paperback]

Thomas H. Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1979

A source of wisdom and guidance for people serious about prayer. Now a revised edition makes Thomas Green's classic work available to a new generation seeking guidance in prayer. He offers a clear explanation of what the difficulties and consolations of mature prayer are all about.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press, Inc.; Revised edition (July 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877936412
• ISBN-13: 978-0877936411
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Self Help

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the 3 best books on prayer, June 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings (Paperback)

Tom Green really knows God. "When the Well Runs Dry" is a book on advanced prayer, based on a lucid and accessible exposition of the works of Ss. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, the great 15th century Carmelite mystics. Green reassures us that when we go through the "dark night", and God seems distant and cold, He is really there with us, closer than ever; He's teaching us by withdrawing His hand, just the way we teach children to ride a bike by running along beside, ready to catch them. If you're a Christian believer (Catholic or Protestant) and want to get beyond the beginnings of prayer in your walk with God, Green's book is a great place to start.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Friend in the Dark Night, March 18, 2002

By 

Duncan A. Macfarlan "LOV-ALWZ" (Charlottesville, Va, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings (Paperback)

This is an incredibly practical, encouraging, powerful ,yet friendly companion to the faithful Christian seeking a more intimate union with Christ in the midst of the dark shadows and hardships of life. Rev. Green is a master at saying hard words from God in a loving way. He knows the work and experience of the great saints St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and his Jesuit mentor, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and puts their work into easy to understand (but hard to embrace!) terms. Above all, We are pointed to union with Christ, through Green's personal spiritual directorship based on the wisdom of the Saints.
For me, this is much more than a book on prayer; it is about how God uses refning fire to help us (some times almost force us ) to let go and float in the sea of his will. The sequel to this book,Drinking from the Dry Well, is almost as good and also rates 5 stars.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When a praying person cannot pray anymore, July 26, 2006

By 

geridoc (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings (Paperback)

This is a book on prayer. This is NOT a book on prayer for those who have never learned to pray! Rather there is a stage in the spiritual journey when the person that has enjoyed prayer for a long period of time, gradually loses the comfort and satisfaction that came with prayer. This comes despite that fact there is no new sin in the person's life! Despite having the desire to stay close to God... Many of us experience this from time to time but in some this is a persistent state that can last for years or for the rest of their lives. This is a stage of the journey that some have called the 'dark night'. The dark night is simply a stage of the spiritual journey where there are no consolations/comfortable feelings from/toward God and one just goes on with FAITH alone. What Fr Green does is give an explanation of what is happening and how to deal with it, based on the works of 2 well know saints: Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The answers are surprising but comforting and will lead you into new ways of relating to the Lord.

This book is very well written considering the subject matter and especially in comparision to the style in which Teresa and John have written. If you are experiencing the dark night as noted above this is the best book you will find. If the description of the dark night is something you have never experienced, this book may well lead you to confusion and it is probably best to wait till you experience such a state before trying to read this book.