The Elements of Prayer: Learning to Pray in Real Life

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In his 25 years as a Methodist pastor, the question most frequently asked of Joe Jewell is, What is prayer and how does one pray? Not recited-by-rote platitudes, or long-winded sermons, or stale pieties, but how does one communicate to a higher power the things that really matter in one’s life? The Elements of Prayer offers thoughtful guidelines. Written with the understanding that like writing, prayer is something everyone can do, but which all struggle to do well, Jewell uses Strunk and White’s classic guide as a model for prayer. In ten rules of usage, form, composition, and approach, along with a playful glossary, the book bolsters readers’s understanding of, and confidence in, the art of prayer. Rather than employing a doctrinal approach, Jewell’s method is more fundamental, seeking to “outline rather than fill in," trusting in readers to find their own authentic voice in this essential element of spiritual life.