A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

As a blogger for Navpress publishers I had the recent opportunity to review Paul E. Miller's book, A Praying Life.  The best way to desribe this book would be to say it is a cross between a prayer intruction manual/ textbook, psychology book,  inspirational guide and self help book rolled into one volume.  For anyone who wants a jump start to get motivated to pray and to learn about the power of prayer, this is the perfect book.  This book will succeed in getting even the most skeptic of readers, thinking more about the importance of prayer in his/ her own life. 

One shortcoming of this book, is that the author makes use of personal anecdotes based on his own life and  experiences as a father and spiritual leader/ pastor.  Many readers may find it difficult to relate to the intense spiritual life of the author, Paul E. Miller, and one may argue that this author is predisposed to having an intense prayer life.  How many readers can relate to teenagers who genuinely pray and are honest enough to voice their concerns about prayers that go unanswered?  How many of us are pastors, or come from a pastor's family or are married to a pasto? While Miller's personal stories are an attempt at making a personal connection with the reader, I believe they will serve to alienate many  reader.  For most of us, we do not have the spiritual backing or support from our families or church  that the author enjoys inorder to pursue spiritual endeavors.

Nevertheless, the use of personal anecdotes, does not detract from the overall purpose of the book.  I believe this is a valuable resource as an inspriational book to motivate the reader to prayer as well as an instructional guide to ease the transition into a deeper relationship with God through prayer. The idea of prayer cards, introduced in the book,  is a pretty unique concept, and is a concrete and real way by which anyone can get started into prayer.  As a blogger for Navpress publishers, I recieved a copy of this book for the purpose of writing a review.  The opinions expressed are my own.