| So I'm intrigued by prayer. This strange communication, influence perhaps, we have upon the sovereign, almighty King of the Universe. Intrigued, I decide to try and learn as much about it as I can. I'm reading lots of things -- this book , but also Andrew Murray, Henri Nouwen, as well as more moderns, like Dutch Sheets and whoever wrote "too busy not to pray". Hunter's point in writing this book is a little different than what I was looking for. I'm trying to understand this profound mystery of prayer; he's setting out to show how prayer is a piece of a harmonized spiritual life. The book reads mostly like a handbook on Christian living - with chapters devoted to the holiness of God, the sovereignty of God, forgiving each other, obeying God, even church discipline. He has a good point -- that no part of the christian life is disconnected, and all of these will affect one's prayer life, ability to hear God, and God's answers to prayer. I believe that he is a seminary professor or pastor of a large and largely successful church, and he writes like one. Everything's very pragmatic and classroomish; there's no mystery or wonder involved. And he writes like a speaker (note to speakers: writing out your speeches is not the same as writing a book.) funny or interesting story, weak and obvious tie to relevant material, then fully jump into the teaching points and forget the corny story altogether. So basically, I got pretty bored with it. It's not bad, he has good points, he's not wrong, some people would probably benefit from reading it, maybe I did even. But it did not capture me, or change me. Ultimately, a forgettable book. Like so many others. |