Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: prayer

  • ‘More Than a Prayer List’ by Anne Le Tissier: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    Anne shares vulnerably about getting overwhelmed by her prayer lists – while having nothing against this way of praying. She is a woman of prayer who has much to offer. She encourages us to keep in tune with God and look to him for how we pray. I welcome you to read on. . .

    It was Mum I missed most when we moved away from our small island home of Guernsey to London’s vast metropolis. Prior to the advent of email, texts and Facetime, she and I kept in touch through snail-mail and a fortnightly 59 minute, 59 second landline call. This was our special weekend perk; free calls for up to an hour before the charges kicked in. A vital and deeply special point of contact.

    To make best use of that time we kept lists of the things we wanted to ask or tell one another, taking turns to work through our points. ‘Anything else on your list?’ we’d say as the minutes drained away, invariably running out before we could enjoy free-flow conversation.

    But when Mum came to visit, we relished simply being together. Listening, talking or enjoying silent companionship with our favourite brew, engaging at a deeper level… This precious principle still nurtures my relationship with God.

    In contrast, when I started following Jesus, I was advised to keep a prayer list. But my personal needs alongside family, friends, church, charities and mission organisations, not least educational bodies, health agencies, governments and worldwide issues, fast outgrew a list. In fact, they could have filled a shelf of notebooks! And whether I prayed for ten minutes or an hour a day, it was impossible to pray about everything, even over the course of a week.

    I have nothing against prayer lists. They’re a helpful prompt and focus my attention on needs aside of my own. I still keep a shorter list and receive a couple of prayer diaries for certain people and situations God has specifically laid on my heart. But God never expected us to be pray for everyone and everything we hear about. Nor did He intend for prayer to be a ‘to-do’ list; a task that leaves us feeling guilty, ashamed or an underrate Christian if we fail to pray through the endless needs bombarding us. Prayer is so much more than just asking. Like my relationship with Mum, prayer is God’s gift to help us enjoy His presence and engage at a deeper level.

    Just being with God in prayer is key, whether through enjoying a pot of tea or stomping up hills and along river banks or strolling through bustling streets. Loving and being loved by God in meaningful, transformative relationship is about being in prayer rather than doing it. Of sitting or walking with God to seek and to hear His heart. Taking time to nurture the infinite pleasure of dwelling—remaining, settling—in the awareness of His presence.

    Amy’s book, 7 Ways to Pray, is a perfect companion to develop and enrich this encounter with God; helping us to prayerfully meet Him through His Word, through lament, through the practice of examen or the mindful awareness of His presence through the day.

    Asking in Jesus’ name, wrestling in prayer and interceding for others are vital, but how tiresome a task these prayers might be if not birthed from a heartfelt relationship. One of sharing and listening. Of pondering what has been said. Of thanks and adoration. Of laughing and crying. Of honesty. Transparency. And relishing times available for silent companionship; assured, at peace and infused with the pleasure of each other’s company.

    So, please don’t ditch your prayer lists, but ask God what He has entrusted you to pray for, and try balancing that time with space to just be with Him in prayer.

    Anne Le Tissier loves to disciple others in their ongoing walk with God as an author, preacher and conference speaker. She has written six books, contributed to a seventh, but also writes daily Bible reading notes, blogs and magazine articles. Anne also enjoys growing her own veg, chatting to her chickens and sharing quality time over meals with friends. You can find out more about her work or connect with her on social media through her website www.anneletissier.com

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • ‘Meeting with God through the Bible’ by Lynne Cole: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    What a moving post by Lynne! I love how she shares her experiment with one of the prayer exercises in 7 Ways to Pray, and the difference that it’s been making as she meets with God. Maybe you could give this practice a go?

    I’m a busy mum to 5 children – the youngest of which are twins who are nearly 3 years old. As well as being a wife and mother, I am also launching my own business. Finding time to breathe let alone finding time to be with God is almost impossible. So when I saw that Amy Boucher Pye had a launch team for a book she had written about different ways to pray, it stirred something inside me. Even though I didn’t really have the time I knew I needed to read the book … and I wasn’t disappointed.

    I read through the first chapter soaking up her words. Amy not only opened my mind, but she opened my eyes and my heart too. I received some wonderful ideas on how I could read through the Bible and pray at the same time. Amy writes about how we can meet God in a tangible way as we pray with the Bible.

    “God always makes himself known to us, and a primary way he reveals himself is through his Word. When we pray with the Bible, God infuses the experience with his Spirit.” 

    7 Ways to Pray, page 11

    How I met with God

    In using Amy’s suggestion of re-writing scripture, I decided to set myself a challenge. For the month of October I developed Bible based affirmations about how God saw me and what His heart was for me. My hope was to use these Bible affirmations to change a mindset I had which was doing me no good. I needed to see myself as God sees me.

    One of the affirmations I wrote was on being brave. I used the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10:

    “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

    Using Amy’s technique, I personalised it and re-wrote it in my own words what I believed God was saying to me:

    Lynne, do not be afraid for I am by your side. I am your God and you do not need to be scared. I will provide you with the strength you need and I will be here to help you. Lynne, you will no longer feel invalidated because I am here to encourage you and lift you up. You are not alone. You are brave.

    As a result of Amy’s suggestion on making the Bible verses personal to ourselves, it has really helped me to view God in a different way. Most importantly it is helping me to change my mindset on how I view myself.

    Why not have a go at personalising a Bible verse and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you.

    Lynne Cole is a wife and a stay-at-home mother to 5 children. She is currently setting up a business in arts and craft called Lumina Creations. She also blogs in the (very little) free time that she has. She believes that a broken past does not mean a broken future and that we are all beautiful despite what we have been through. Through her creations and her writing, her desire is to bring hope and encouragement to others and shed some light into the darkness that is experienced.

    Come visit her at her blog for Beautifully Broke or Lumnia Creations and on Facebook for Beautifully Broke or Lumnia Creations.

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • ‘Let us pray’ by Matt McChlery: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    Sometimes we get hung up on the mechanics of prayer – are we doing it right and what if we can’t find the right words to say. Matt assures us that God loves to hear from us, whatever words we use. I think you’ll be encouraged by his post, so please read on…

    Just before lockdown here in the UK, a young lady I know bravely shared about some mental health challenges she had been facing. She didn’t go to church (I knew her through a secular job I used to do). So, I thought this was an opportunity to not only offer some support, but also a chance to share something of Jesus with her.

    I simply asked if I could pray for her.

    Her response completely took me by surprise. It was clear that she had no idea what I was talking about, what prayer was or why I would be offering to do some weird thing on behalf of someone else. She just didn’t understand.

    It was a little awkward, so I didn’t push it. I still prayed for her on my own as I intended to anyway; it just didn’t provide the opening I was hoping for.

    Another story I would like to share is one when my wife and I were newly married, just over ten years ago now.

    A lady from my work had come to our wedding and had since met Jesus and joined our church. We had just started a small Bible study in our home, and she was attending regularly. One thing we liked to do was to invite others in the group to pray if they wanted to so that it wasn’t just my wife and me talking the whole time.

    In the first few sessions some of the others prayed, but my friend from work remained silent. Some time later, we discovered that she felt unable to pray because she said she could not think of the big or ‘posh’ words that some of the others were using. She also felt nervous that she might say the wrong thing.

    We explained that prayer is like having a conversation with God – a chat. You don’t have to use big or grand words. It doesn’t have to be something written down in a big heavy book somewhere for it to ‘qualify’ as an actual prayer. We also encouraged her that God knew her heart and even if she thought she may have said something wrong, she should not worry about it. God is bigger than our mistakes. He loves us and wants to talk to us. He desires relationship more than perfection.

    Over time with a bit of encouragement and support, this lady began to pray in our Bible study group. Her prayers were simple, yet heartfelt. She stumbled over her words and said ‘Umm’ a lot. But she was praying – communicating with God.

    Those humble, awkward prayers taught me something.

    Firstly, some of the people we encounter may have no idea about the overwhelming possibility we have to communicate with God. They may have no concept of God, let alone any idea about prayer. We need to be prepared to show the love of God to them and to pray for them anyway.

    If they do have some idea about prayer, they may have some misunderstandings that get in the way of them engaging.

    Secondly, with a bit of understanding of what prayer is and is not, we can learn how to do it. I don’t mean we will all one day be able to pray grandiose prayers filled with thousands of words, most of which need a dictionary near by to make any sense of.

    No.

    Jesus tells us:

    And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8, NIV)

    We can learn how to pray.

    We can learn how to listen and how to respond.

    We can learn how to talk with God and be ourselves whilst doing it.

    The best way of learning is by doing. Don’t worry if you think you can’t find the ‘right’ words. Don’t worry if you stumble and say ‘Umm’ a lot.

    Right where you are now as you read these words, turn your attention towards God. What would you like to talk to Him about?

    Come, let us pray…

    Matt McChlery is an author, songwriter and an Overseer (elder) at his local church based in Wisbech, northeast Cambridgeshire, UK. He has written numerous songs for the church that can be found on digital streaming platforms and has penned three books, including the much-anticipated memoir about his journey through non-Hodgkin Lymphoma called Standing in the Storm: Living with faith and cancer (Instant Apostle), which will be released in May 2022. Find out more at www.mattmcchlery.com

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • “Now or Never: Desperately Depending on God in Prayer” by Ruth Clemence: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    How can we turn to God when we face challenges of many kinds? Ruth writes powerfully out of the depth of painful experiences through which she clung onto God, perhaps sometimes by her fingertips. I’m so grateful for how she’s shared and trust you’ll benefit from her grace-filled words.

    Prayer is serious business with God. The cancer I had 10 years ago made a comeback at the end of 2020. It had already been an immensely challenging year, with Covid-19, the birth of my second child, and the death of a close family member.  Prayer became deadly serious to me – as in, ‘Lord, I don’t want to die’. Those life or death, now or never moments cause us to cry out to God from the depths of our heart. Prayer in this season of life has been…

    …desperate. In rushed and hushed breaths, alone and frightened, I groaned to God out loud and silently. In moments of intense pain, I went from not wanting to die to understanding how so much pain could make you not want to live.

    …dangerous. A prayer I prayed before the diagnosis was ‘I want to know the Father’s heart’. That was a dangerous prayer. Suffering was not the chrysalis of change I would have chosen to cocoon myself in. I wanted to become the butterfly without the struggle. That is one of the many reasons of suffering; it often brings forth beauty and growth in our walk with God that we would never bring about on our own. To know God’s heart is to know suffering.

    …deep. I don’t mean lengthy and profound, although prayers may look like that at times. By deep, I mean searching the depths of the heart. Do we really believe and trust God in all circumstances? Suffering chisels away the parts in our life that we think we have control over. Although suffering leaves its painful marks, we can know God is shaping us into his likeness with his own nail-scarred hands.

    …dependent. I prayed many times for God to meet me in a tangible way – ‘now or never Lord’. At times, I have looked in amazement and, regretfully, envy, as others share of how God has met them in a powerful encounter. From my hospital bed, with high dose chemotherapy pumping around my body, I longingly craved God’s palpable touch saying, ‘if not now, then when?’ Although I experienced mercy upon mercy daily, I still wanted what felt like the bigger miracle. God did not answer me the way I wanted him to in that moment.

    Two months later, I was in another hospital bed sharing a room with a kind older lady who was experiencing her own cancer relapse. I felt a strong desire to share the love of God with her. She was on the phone to her friend for over an hour. I knew I had to say something to her. It was now or never. Did she know Jesus in her time of need and the comfort he gives? I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to speak to this lady, you are going to have to provide the bridge.’ I was asking God for a window of opportunity to share the gospel.

    After her phone call she said, ‘That was my friend. I forgot that she goes to church on Sundays.’ There was the bridge and an immediate answer to prayer. We spoke about God together, although it felt as if I stumbled through the gospel. God showed up powerfully to me through a dependent cry to him for this dear lady. In every moment, big or small, we need to depend on Jesus. Maybe the greatest miracle in prayer, besides the astounding reality that we can come before God with everything, is how he knows what we need in the time that we need it.

    Ruth Clemence is a follower of Jesus, a wife to Joel, mother to two young children, a writer and a blogger. She loves to write about the hope of the gospel in the ups and downs of daily life. Through experiencing cancer as a 19-year-old and relapsing 10 years later, she has a heart to share the hope of Jesus with others who may be going through a time that seems hopeless.

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • “Pray Without Ceasing” by Gayl Wright: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    How can we pray all the time? Gayl‘s post bursts with ideas of how to keep the conversation with God going throughout the day. I think you‘ll enjoy and benefit from reading her thoughts…

    Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
    for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB

    How often do you pray? Do you think about prayer throughout the day? Or do you forget until you finally take a break? Is it possible to pray at any time during the day no matter what you are doing? In 1 Thessalonians 5, we are told that it is God’s will for us to pray without ceasing. How do we do that?

    One of my friends tells me that she never says Amen. In other words, she has a constant dialogue, an open conversation with God. I like that idea, though I still use the word amen at times as it gives closure to a particular prayer.

    How are we to pray without ceasing or follow the other commands in that passage to rejoice always and give thanks in everything? Notice that it says, “…for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” That makes all the difference. He has given us His Spirit to be with us always.

    GOD’S PRESENCE WITH US

    Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
    If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
        if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
     If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
        if I settle on the far side of the sea,
     even there your hand will guide me,
        your right hand will hold me fast.

    Psalm 139:7-10

    Because God’s presence is with us all the time, we can talk to Him anytime of the day no matter where we are or what we are doing. Knowing that He is with me gives me a great sense of security and peace.

    It’s easy to remember to pray when there are problems and we don’t know what to do. But what about giving thanks for even ordinary things as we go through our days?

    In chapter 3 of Amy’s book, 7 Ways to Pray, she suggests that when we first wake in the morning to place our hands on our heart and “affirm, Jesus lives within me.”  She has similar suggestions for activities throughout the day.

    My days can get rather busy at times and I neglect my special time of reading the Bible and praying. But that doesn’t mean all is lost. I can pray as I prepare meals, clean floors or during most any other household chore. If there is an emergency I can breathe a quick prayer for wisdom and calmness.

    Father, here and now, calm my spirit, hear my prayer, give me grace, help me see you.

    A couple of years ago I set alarms on my phone to remind me to pause during the day to acknowledge God’s presence with me. I discontinued it for a while, but I’ve started it up again. When I hear the familiar alarm on my phone, I stop and think about the presence of God with me. Then I often say a one sentence prayer thanking Him for life, for beauty or for anything else that comes to mind.

    When possible, I set aside a longer time to pause, rest, and pray. Some days I sit on my front porch or walk around outside enjoying the beauty of creation. It gives me time to forget the chores calling my name and relax. I marvel at the vastness of creation and realize that although I am so small in comparison, God loves me, and nothing can take that away. 

    PRAYING WITH OR WITHOUT WORDS

    Praying doesn’t have to be done in a specific way. Sometimes I don’t have words, but I know the Holy Spirit will help me. God knows our hearts and shares our burdens. Sometimes when my day seems overwhelming and things are hard, I write a poem that is like a prayer of lament. It is a way to put words to the aching in my heart.

    Burdens heavy on my heart
    pierce me like a poisoned dart.
    Lord, be near me.

    My weeping eyes seek after you;
    I don’t know what to do.
    Lord, be near me.

    Breaking through my anxious tears
    Your light of peace calms my fears.
    Lord, be near me.

    Full of hope my hands I raise,
    Voicing love and joyful praise.
    Lord, be near me.
    ~gsw~


    Each morning after reading a Psalm, I often write a poem in response which can also be a form of prayer.

    You are gracious, God
    Full of compassion and love
    Your mercy abounds

    You are so patient
    Full of truth, strength and goodness
    Your comfort calms me
    ~gsw~

    The main thing is to keep the communication going between myself and God. Just knowing that He hears anytime is a comfort.

    With the Holy Spirit’s help, may we all be intentional to acknowledge God’s presence with us throughout the day. May we rejoice and praise Him for all His wonderful works.

    Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you.
    May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

    Psalm 141:1-2 (CSB)

    Gayl Wright lives in a log home on a hill in Sunset, SC. She and her husband, Steve, raised 7 kids and have 14 grandkids. Some have chronic illnesses and one son is with Jesus. She was a church pianist for many years, and she also homeschooled her kids. Gayl loves to crochet, compose poems, write, art journal and spend time in nature. She is a seeker of truth, looking for beauty in ordinary things. Her desire in life is to glorify God and encourage others. Currently she serves as a volunteer as Content and SEO Coordinator for Chronic Joy®. Check out her blog Words, Photos and Art.

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • “You read the Bible where?” by Dave Faulkner: 7 Ways to Pray blog series

    Where should we pray? And when? How can we keep our relationship with God fresh? Join Dave Faulkner for some thought-provoking ideas about where to read the Bible (and the photo is the downstairs loo in the vicarage so he’s not alone!).

    “Well, I’ve never seen a Bible in the bathroom before.”

    So said my colleague Jackie, returning from a comfort break during a staff meeting at our manse.

    “Books yes, magazines yes, but a Bible? How holy are you?” she continued.

    Would that I were. The explanation is more prosaic.

    When our children were small, the only place I could grab peace and quiet for my daily Bible reading and prayer was when I visited that small room. Not only was a Bible there, so were my daily Bible reading notes from Scripture Union and my collection of prayer letters and prayer diaries from friends and Christian organisations. Those small children were now teenagers, but I still filed the Bible in that room.

    I must admit that after Jackie’s observation I moved it to my study.

    But it highlighted a prayer routine that had become stagnant, and I knew it. Read the assigned Bible passage, try to consider my own reactions, then read the notes. After that, go through the prayer requests.

    This practice had its virtues. Prayer diaries from Tearfund, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and others alerted me to worldwide needs I would otherwise have missed. Some of them have made it into church intercessions on Sundays as well.

    But for someone in the evangelical tradition, which loudly proclaims that Christianity is a relationship, not a ritual, it felt awfully like the latter.

    So what has modelled a more relational approach to prayer for me? There lies the irony: I have found that practices which originated in more liturgical spiritualities such as Catholicism to be doorways into a more conversational approach to God. Even a loose approach to Lectio Divina helps me talk with God about what he is saying through the Scriptures. The Examen can do something similar as I reflect on my day.

    For several years, the best introduction I have known to these prayer disciplines has been Ruth Haley Barton’s book and DVD Sacred Rhythms. When I was asked at a church meeting to provide teaching on prayer, that was the course I laid on. Sadly, the person who requested the teaching never attended the course: isn’t that always the way?

    But now I can put Amy’s book 7 Ways To Pray alongside Ruth Haley Barton. What I love about the book is that Amy gives a brief, simple introduction to the different prayer habits, and that’s enough to get you going. If you want more details, you can find other books. This gives her the space in each chapter for the worked examples of a particular prayer model in action. Amy puts flesh on the bones, and the form becomes more visible in the mind of the reader.

    None of this magically makes prayer simple. I still need to wrestle myself away from the screen, keyboard, and mouse that dominate my workspace. The Covid lockdown has made it even harder with a wife working from home and children studying at home, so the quiet spaces are more elusive. Maybe that’s good. My wife and I have to be very intentional to spend time together. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that it should be the same if I am to have a conversation with God.

    Although if push comes to shove, there is one small room I could utilise …

    Dave Faulkner is a Methodist minister and amateur photographer. He is married to Debbie and they have three children – a teenage girl, a teenage boy, and a cocker spaniel. Visit him at bigcircumstance.com or flickr.com/photos/davefaulkner

    I’m in good company, Dave; I have such a high regard for Ruth Haley Barton!

    Order 7 Ways to Pray here, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.

  • How to Practice the Presence of God

    How can we fix our minds on Christ? One way to practice the presence of God – to remind ourselves that through his Spirit he lives within those who follow him – is to focus on certain Bible passages.

    Why not set aside a week to engage with this way of praying? Following are seven Scripture texts – you could focus on a different one each day.

    Know that God delights to meet us when we pray.

    • ABIDE – John 15:4: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
    • SET YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS – Colossians 3:1–2: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
    • DWELL – Philippians 4:8: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
    • REMEMBER – Isaiah 46:9: “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”
    • REJOICE, PRAY, GIVE THANKS –1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
    • WALK – Galatians 5:25: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
    • KEEP RUNNING – Hebrews 12:1–2: “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

  • 7 Faith-Building Interviews with 7 Stellar People

    A snippet of the interview with Sharon Brown, author of the Sensible Shoes books.

    Last week, my new book 7 Ways to Pray released into the world. To support you in your prayer journey, we’ve put together a faith-building set of seven interviews with seven stellar people:

    Each video is between 18-30 minutes long, so brew a cuppa or start a watch party and prepare to encounter God.

    Buy the book! Click here for links to purchase in the UK, the States, and Australia.

  • Why pray? A chat with Lauren Windle to launch 7 Ways to Pray

    Why pray? And how can we pray? What if we can’t hear God? These questions and others are those Lauren Windle and I chat about in our launch-day celebration. Join us as she asks me:

    • What’s prayer, and why is it important?
    • If I find prayer intimidating, how can I start?
    • Is prayer only really easy for monks or other ‘holy’ people?
    • What’s a spiritual director and why might we want one?

    How to buy 7 Ways to Pray.

  • Resourcing Your Prayer Journey

    Today my book-baby is born, and I arrive at the day grateful, exhausted, and excited – just like many other parents. What a joy it is to share with you a message that has been long growing within me, from the years of leading retreats and through immersing myself in the field of Christian spirituality with my master’s degree.

    The book is filled with ways to pray – not only the seven time-tested practices that I outline in the seven chapters, but many hands-on exercises within the chapters themselves. So that you can try them out, whether you’re new to the way of praying or consider yourself a seasoned pray-er.

    To buy a copy of the book, click here for links to purchase in the UK, the States, and Australia.

    Want to use the book with a group? We’ve got that covered for you. Following are two options to help you lead a small group through the material:

    The Home Group site features videos of me interviewing seven amazing people who know a thing or two about prayer. The videos are about 18-30 minutes long, and in many of them the interviewee leads us in the prayer practice. You’ll also find background reading and discussion starters. (I think you’ll benefit from these videos if you want watch on your own as well.)

    Want something shorter? Sign up to The Big Church Read where you can access seven videos of me introducing each chapter, with each video about five minutes each. You’ll also have access to a leader’s guide with suggested prayer activities and discussion questions. They are also offering bulk discounts on the book.

    No need for a video component? Here’s the leader’s guide, with an outline of each session with prayer exercises and questions for discussion. Want to read the introduction and first chapter? Here’s the British version and the American.

    How about the free Youversion 7 days devotional journey? You can download that here. Some inspirational quotations, ready to share on social media? That’s here.

    Please do leave a review, including on Goodreads – honest reviews from readers make such a difference in spreading the word.

    Thanks for considering journeying with me in prayer. I’m confident that God will be delighted to hear from you.

    Below, some images from our launch at church on 12 September 2021.