The Praying Life:
Seeking God in All Things
Nothing is more remarkable than an ordinary life, quietly transformed by prayer. This is the life that Deborah Smith Douglas chronicles—and invites readers into—in this lovely collection of essays and poems. Drawing from events as simple as breakfast with a five-year-old and waiting in line at the post office, Douglas shows how a loving relationship with God can be nurtured in small ways every day.
“Without my ever really intending it,” she writes, “my own life—as a wife and mother, daughter and friend—has taught me to see God hidden in the ordinary, to watch God under the surface of things as a fisherman watches for fish.”
The book is divided into four sections: essays on ways of praying, on healing, on spiritual companionship, and on fruitfulness.
Woven into each of these pieces, along with reflections on the author’s experiences, are suggestions for readers who want to watch for God in their own ordinary—and unique—lives.
“Deborah Douglas’ collection of essays and poems offers good theology, good wit, good pastoral common sense…. This is a book to savor, to learn from, to delight in, to treasure”
~The Living Church
“In this insightful, beautifully written book Deborah Smith Douglas shares what she perceives as the essence of the praying life—an awareness and recognition of God’s presence that leads to self-giving. The book is a lovely and inspiring collection of essays and poetry.”
~Santa Fe Theologians
“This vision of God in the mundane forms the basis for Douglas’ volume of beautiful essays and poems….This, and many other ordinary incidents Douglas recounts, is what can come from openness to God’s love, itself a form of prayer.”
~The Plain Dealer
“Luminosity characterizes this thoughtful, inspiring volume. Essay after essay reminds me of the clarity of a trumpet’s lofty note.”
~St. Anthony Messenger
“When I finished reading The Praying Life, I put it down reluctantly and have found myself picking it up frequently to revisit passages that especially illuminated my life. The author’s description of her own daily life with its fragmentation, it busyness, and her aging body speak to the depths of my soul. For all who know that these things will not change, but who seek to be transformed by God in the midst of them, this book will be a welcome companion.”
~Weavings
From recent five-star Amazon.com reviews:
A true gift: “I kind of stumbled upon this book when my own life was in a relentless crisis, and prayer and God had been suggested, but growing up without any religion or spirituality I was flummoxed. There is literal poetry in this book, but each chapter is so rich with analogy and simile that it feels like sitting with a good friend who is so clever and gentle that you are proud of yourself for being able to attract such a person into your life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.”
Wonderful collection of essays: “A study book selected by our Rector for a Lenten series. While the book is a compilation of previously written essays, you might never know because they flow together so well. The study series actually led me to write a poem about the book contents that includes participant comments and my reaction to the book as experienced through the “eyes” of the people there. The Praying Life helped me to understand better the presence of prayer in our lives more than just what we say on our knees.”