Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson

Subtitle: Exploring New Realms in Prayer. Thomas Nelson Publisher.

Ken Wilson, a pastor, shares his exploration of prayer practices with a little brain science thrown in. According to Wilson, our brains are wired to be refreshed and calmed by prayer, not bored or stressed. As a pastor, he points out that, although he is more or less paid to pray every day, his prayer efforts had become routine, boring, and even stressful. He set out to explore the practices of prayer from Bible times to the present day. He found that prayer is good for us whether we "get what we ask for" or not.

The title was what intrigued me about this book. Still, I expected it to explore the prayer practices of the ancients. I was pleasantly surprised. He describes his upbringing in the Episcopal tradition, his departure to atheism, and return to Christianity as an evangelical pastor. One point that struck a chord with me was his suggestion that it is better to pray for a short time several times a day than to spend one long period of time in prayer. His methods and suggestions are not New Age, as I had feared. They are biblically-based and relevant for today's active lifestyle.

My favorite feature of the book is the Appendix, "Ten Practices to Explore New Realms in Prayer." He has discussed each practice in detail earlier in the book, but the list serves as a "cheat sheet" to help the reader try each method.

Buy it on Amazon: Mystically Wired: Exploring New Realms In Prayer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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