Praying Our Experiences: An Invitation to Open Our Lives to God (Updated, Expanded)

by Joseph F. Schmidt

Book Overview

God wants to share our lives and our hearts with him. In this updated and expanded edition of a spiritual classic, Christian Brother Joseph Schmidt gently leads us to recognize that honest reflection... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593251165
• ISBN13: 9781593251161
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Word Among Us Press
• Length: 122 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Ignatian Approach to Prayer

I find this book to be an excellent way of finding God in everyday experiences. The book is an excellent companion to those who subscribe to the examen of consciousness of Ignatian spirituality (finding God in all things).

Simple but profound

Praying Our Experiences goes to the heart of prayer: connecting who I am here and now with God who creates us, loves us, and calls us to the fullness of life. At first sight so simple, Br. Joseph tells the awful truth so invitingly: each of us falls so short of our potential yet we are still loved and invited. And we need not fear to let go of our pretenses and our plans. God is within and beyond, loving us beyond our capacity, as we honestly and trustingly look into our experiences and discern next steps. Br. Joseph offers keen insight, practical suggestions and the reassurance of mystics to open ourselves to the richness of our life experiences embraced in the loving mystery of God.

Prayer can be a real part of our lives (Kevin Dargan MM Maryknoll, New York)

Having read two other books by Brother Joe I was looking for something else and came cross this small volume. Brother Joe takes the reader along a path of enlightenment for these days. If one finds oneself at the short end for prayer time or finds that the work has really intruded into his or hers private time Brother Joe offers a choice. He shows how one can take what is perceived as the ordinary and the mundane and find a souce of prayer. I found the suggestions good and have used some in my daily prayer.Thanks again Brother Joe you have had three successes in my life.

This Book KICKS BUTT! It talks about what you already do!

I had been struggling in my prayer life, when I first read this book. I just did not feel like I was connecting with God when I got on my knees and "Prayed." Prayer supplements your relationship with Christ; prayer is the conversation you have with God. This book points out where else in your daily life you pray. For me this was my primary form of prayer and I did not even know it. This book is a MUST read. It is only 80 pages or something like that and is written in very simple terms. Give this book to yourself and someone you love.

TRANSFORMING THE CONVERSATION

All to often prayer is viewed as a perfunctory task that we go through in order to communicate with God. Our prayers may consist of flowery words that are not relevant to our lives and sound artificial to our ears. Is it a surprise then that people have such great difficulty with prayer? Joseph Schmidt challenges us in breaking the above view by suggesting another alternative in communicating with God. Why not honestly reflect on the daily events of our lives and become aware of God's word and work in them? In other words, pray our experiences which give meaning to life instead of babbling to God about things that don't touch us. If God is the source of our existence then we can know God through our experiences. Prayer takes on a new meaning and enables us to enter in life more fully and intereact intimately with the God who Loves us for who and what we are. Such a notion is radical and gives us a new perspective in honestly sharing ourselves with God. Praying Our Experiences shows us the process of how we can get to know ourselves as God knows us. Step by step Schmidt introduces us to a way in which we can begin the experience. This is not a formula driven book on prayer where you learn techniques for praying. Our author presents to us a guide to enable you to develop a more fully developed prayer life devoid of the barriers which we place in the way of knowing ourselves and God. Such a book is an excellent guide in helping you to achieve a deeper intimacy of God in your prayer life.