Book Review:Prayer for Those Who Can’t Sit Still

Let me start by saying I know Bill as a friend and ministry colleague, twitter follower, author of Church Talk Radio and blog writer.

I have read a lot of his other material that is really awesome and clearly Christ centered.

I’ve even had him on a webinar and recommend some of his other books like Hitchhiker’s Guide To Evangelism.

He is committed to following Jesus and helping churches in their growth and impact.

Even with the critical theological comments below, I think this book is still good to learn from, and no way want to detract from his other books.

The Good:

Introduction to many different styles of prayer, using motions, symbols, and physical actions. Good stuff. Lots of practical and implementable tips that one could use.

I too suffer from being unable to be still for a long time and find that some of the practices mentioned in this text are quite useful to help me center.

His treatment of casting prayers, beads, and prayer walking are all immediately useful to a person like myself who fidgets and moves constantly.

The Not so Good:

Reading this text seemed to border on generic spirituality, no matter what form of religion you practice. Many times, God was called “the Divine.” We were encouraged to use readings from “a sacred text.”

A few scriptures from the Christian Bible were scattered throughout, and the occasional mention of Jesus, but I felt like I was reading a book about prayer that could be used in any faith, not explicitly Christian prayer.

He admits that some of the practices described in this book may not be orthodox, and some are even disputed by sectors of the Christian church such as the labyrinth and body memory.

Some prayer practices have been so associated with non-Christian religions for so long, like the singing bowls, that I’m not sure I’d practice them.

As I was looking for a book specifically on Christian prayer, this book didn’t meet that expectation, even though I know Bill to be a follower of Christ.

The spirituality in this book was too generic for me.

All in all, this book can be useful if one is looking to learn how to pray if you can’t sit still.   But if you are looking for a book specifically on Christian prayer, this one may feel like it falls short in its rather generic spirituality.

Order your copy of Prayer For People Who Can’t Sit Still direct from Amazon.