Writing to God: 40 Days of Praying with My Pen (Active Prayer Series) [Paperback]

Rachel G. Hackenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2011 | Series: Active Prayer Series

Writing to God is a Lenten devotional tool, providing forty-seven insightful prayers for personal reflection and an equal number of scripturally-based writing prompts to guide readers/writers in their own praying. Each prayer draws its readers into a moment of meditation, even as it sets an example for the accompanying prompt. Paired together, these prayers and writing prompts offer daily devotions for the Lenten season, including Sundays and Holy Week.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Hackenberg's words have a heartbeat---sometimes they are beautiful and otherworldly; other time they are simple and earthy. When I read her prayers, I'm sure I have just prayed. But she wants me to take up my pen and pray. With a prayer, a Scripture passage, and a task, she gives me a personal invitation and permission to enter the incarnational practice of writing my words to God." - Sybil MacBeth, author of Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God

"For some, speaking to God comes naturally---for others, speaking to God feels awkward, especially when we can't find the words or begin to stumble in mid-sentence. Hackenberg offers an alternative way. Writing to God is an expression of deep humility---it seems to say, "If I can write to God, so can you." - Donald capps, Professor of Pastoral Theology (Emeritus), Princeton Theological Seminary

"Inspiration can come at any time or place, awakening the artist, writer, and creator in all of us just by picking up a pen and letting the words flow. Living with this book will make each day a holy adventure." - Bruce Epperly, author of Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living

Designed for use during any 40-day period, Writing to God relieves you of the self-conciousness of trying to pray "the right way." Ideal for Lent, this innovative new addition to the "Active Prayer Series" includesa a special section of prayers and prompts for Holy Week and Easter, for anyone using the book during Lent to deepen a life with God.

About the Author

Rev. Rachel G. Hackenberg serves as the pastor of Grace United Church of Christ in Lancaster, PA. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, she authors the blog Faith and Water, and has published prayers in Before the Amen: Creative Resources for Worship.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Paraclete Press (March 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557258791
• ISBN-13: 978-1557258793
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Holidays > Lent

More About the Author

Meet the author, read her blog "Faith and Water," sign up for Rachel's weekly prayer emails, and learn about workshops, all at www.rachelhackenberg.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for individual or group February 14, 2011

By Mary Beth Butler

Format:Paperback

Rachel Hackenburg's Writing To God: 40 Days of Praying With My Pen (Paraclete Press, 2011) is a gift that lasts for 40 days and beyond. It is designed to be used for any 40-day period, with a special section of "Prayers and Prompts for Holy Week."

Rachel is Pastor of Grace United Church of Christ in Lancaster, PA. I resounded with her blog posts at Faith and Water, and was delighted to be asked to write a review of this book.

Paraclete Press sent me a review copy and I immediately began using the book in my morning prayer practice. I loved it. In the past, I have done Morning Pages (from The Artist's Way), 750Words.com, and Praying in Color. All take me outside of myself in an important way, in that they are either not prayer (the first), or a foreign-to-me way of prayer. This book specifically pairs writing prayer with daily writing activity.

As "a words person," writing my prayers is something I have done all my life, in an attenuated form. That is: If I am praying for you, your name is bound to be written somewhere on my desk, my shopping list, even on my hand. Probably, many places. I explained the practice to a college friend by saying, "by writing you down, I keep you safe." I understand prayer differently, now; there is no guarantee of safety...but writing something, making it The Word, makes it real and embodied for me in a way that other prayer methods have not revealed.

For each of forty days, Rachel pairs a poetical reflection on a daily matter with a scripture, and prompts the reader to write to God to correspond to the passage. I found it a fresh way of seeing scriptures, many of which are so familiar as to be flat....

There is also an index of Scriptural Praying Prompts, matching the days of the 40-day cycle with the scriptures from which they are drawn in the order they appear in the Bible.

Rachel says, "Praying through your pen is not about finding the right or perfect words for prayer; it's about connecting your whole self in an act of physically produced prayers. It's about practicing prayer daily in the safety of a book's pages. It's about exploring the fullness of words as you journey with Jesus through the trials and passions and joys of life. It's about enjoying your conversation with the Holy, creatively, freely, sincerely, in mind, body, and spirit" (p. x).

This would be a wonderful tool to use with a church group or a group of spiritual friends. It could be used in any season, though the 40-day structure and the Holy Week feature make it ideal for Lent. I recommend it! Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book February 23, 2011

By kristinaloganmeiling

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rachel Hackenberg has really hit the mark with this book. If you're tired of reciting the same prayers over and over again without feeling personalization then this book is for you. Rachel does an excellent job giving a sample prayer and then putting a scripture reading to go with it. There is even space for you to write your own prayer on each page. This book has helped me to feel a deeper connection with God as I am able to praise Him with my own words instead of ones that someone else has written. It was very refreshing to find a devotional that I put some work into to get something personal out of. Rachel has defintely changed the way I pray!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a means to open your prayer life March 18, 2011

By Greg Carey

Format:Paperback

I love this little book -- I admit the author's my pastor -- because it clears room for creativity to emerge in my own prayer life. This Lenten season I've been surprised pretty much every day by what emerges.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Start April 6, 2011

By Anita Scholtens

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I needed a good jumping off point to start getting back into devotions. Lent was a good time but this book can be used for any 40 days (or 50 days as mine will be!). I would recommend it but make sure you get a journal.

5.0 out of 5 stars Draw Closer To God through Written Prayers April 7, 2013

By Modern Day Disciple

Format:Paperback

If you have ever felt unfocused in your prayer life or like you needed a spiritual retreat at home then a 40 day journey with Writing to God -40 Days of Praying With My Pen might be just the right help to get you inspired anew.

Each day offers a scripture to read, a point of entry via a specific short but effective prayer prompt as well as a sample writing by the author with a one line focus for consideration, such as "God plays a hand in every part of our stories.", "God will refresh your spirit.", and "God will be your quiet strength."

After spending 40 Days (plus) myself on this writing journey I highly recommend this book for your spiritual encouragement, edification and praying life.

I also suggest this as a group endeavor. I had a few others commit to joining me for the duration and believe this would be wonderful for those who would like to have a small group setting. There is a resource available at the publishers website for facilitating these gatherings. Since I did this with a group of bloggers from different states we touched base weekly through the Internet and shared our thoughts in a weekly Blog post setting. I would go through this book again and would love to facilitate a close to home gathering some day!

Rachel writes beautifully with conviction and poetic beauty. Her heartfelt prayers and prose absolutely enhance, not hinder the writing journey for the individual.

As someone who already enjoys writing and journaling prayers, I was not sure I would feel comfortable being led by someone else's perceptions and prompts, daily. I wondered if this would feel forced or contrived. In a word inauthentic. But I found the opposite to be true. It focused my daily prayer time in a new refreshing way.... Part of that came from the book itself as I did not allow myself to write beyond the page provided. However this became as a perfect boundary for my words.

If you desire to draw closer to the Lord in your prayer life or seek deeper intimacy with Him, I think you would find this book extremely helpful and beneficial in doing so.

Rachel G . Hackenberg's website
Paraclete Press
Discussion Guide

A special thank you to Rachel for her encouragement, active presence and availability to interact with a few blogging chicks as we were writing to God! Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars What I was looking for... March 4, 2013

By Rachel

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was trying to find a nice devotional to use and this was the perfect starter since only 40 days instead of the normal 365. It's meant to be used for the season of Lent, which is what I used it for, but it definitely can be used for any 40 days of your life. I love it because I enjoy writing and it's one way I hadn't thought to use to connect to God.

4.0 out of 5 stars Writing with a real purpose September 25, 2012

By His2Bluve

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Writing to God gives direction for those of us who aren't are looking for ways to imcrease the power and consistency of our prayers. The writer also points out several reasons to make our prayers permanent. There is a special section with suggestions for a prayer-writing during Lent.