I haven't read many books on Prayer. It's one of the spiritual disciplines that I believe I'm weakest in. Most of the books on Prayer I've read are expositions of the "Lord's Prayer".
I remember a comment Bob Bly made on the difference between a "what to do" book and a "how to do" book. For instance, a book that tells you that you should pray, and lists the benefits of prayer, and maybe even tells you stories about other people's prayers, would fall under a "what to do book".
I think Mystically Wired is a "how to do" book. It's different from other books I've read on the subject of prayer.
The point to the book is our brains are wired for prayer. Even if we don't think we're good at it, we can learn the discipline of prayer by forming new habits. We can rewire the synapses in our brains by forming new habits around the discipline of prayer.
I'll admit, I was very skeptical in the first chapter. Looking at my notes in the early chapters of the book, you can tell that I was gearing up for a disagreement with the author. He convinced me of his point of view though by the 3rd chapter.
The author discusses current studies about the brain to make his case that we're Mystically Wired to pray. Much of the information he cites agrees with what I read in This Is Your Brain on Joy by Dr. Earl Henslin. The author shares his own experiences in prayer over the course of his life, as well as several methods he's used in his prayers. He then includes many practical tips for forming new habits in your prayer life. I will probably incorporate most into mine.
If you're looking for a practical book on prayer, get this one.
Eric, Oh it's good to get a good review from an engineer. Engineers repair the world! Thanks, Ken Wilson
Posted by: [email protected] | June 13, 2010 at 18:58
Thank you for reading my review, Ken.
Posted by: Eric S. Mueller | June 15, 2010 at 06:58