Overview

Centering prayer, both a meditative technique and the experience of God's presence in every waking moment, is a spiritual practice that all Christian continue to strive for. David Keller, close colleague of Thomas Keating and director of Keating's Contemplative Ministry project, offers practical suggestions for personal prayer, addresses its difficulties, and reveals what is special about it in relation to other prayer traditions. Short but substantive, this book is for Christians looking for new insights about prayer and for people who are drawn to contemplation, but do not think the church has much to offer them. Above all, Keller emphasizes that it is the integration of personal prayer and our day-to-day activities that forms a life of prayer. Prayer is a life-long vocation, he reasons, not a separate compartment of life.

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9780819223197

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Reviews

"""This short book invites us to enter into a relationship that unites us with God and transforms our way of seeing and of being in the world. A wonderful contribution to those of us who are always learning how to pray."" --Suzanne Toolan, RSM, author of I Am the Bread of Life ""David Keller is one of the church's contemporary spiritual elders, full of wisdom, love, and practical advice. This book will be much appreciated by those who are looking for a mature, inspiring introduction to prayer as well as by those who are ready for a re-introduction."" --Tilden Edwards, Shalem Institute ""David's approach is gentle and pastoral, always firmly anchored in the traditional Christian affirmation of prayer as a loving and ever-deepening relationship with a personal God. Like the shepherd of Psalm 23, he 'leads us beside still waters' and 'revives our souls.'"" --Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Chanting the Psalms ""The gift of simple clarity while speaking of richly complex matters comes only to those with the wisdom of long experience. David Keller's life-long commitment to contemplative prayer as teacher, practitioner, and ongoing learner shines through Come and See."" --Norvene Vest, author of Preferring Christ ""David Keller provides us with a compilation of the tried and true in the practice of Christian prayer: tried for 2000 years, true for generations of seekers and sages."" --Douglas Fenton, Young Adult and Campus Ministries, The Episcopal Church ""Simple, but not simplistic, this work is practical, accessible, and realistic. It is forgiving of people with busy lives who find it too easy to neglect the one thing needful for our spiritual transformation--nurturing a growing awareness of the presence of God."" --Jonathan Linman, Director, Center for Christian Spirituality ""Keller's delightful and thoroughly accessible writing conveys his own personal journey of prayer and interior transformation. His perspective on prayer and meditation is unabashedly Christian yet he gratefully acknowledges the profound contribution of other faith traditions."" --Daniel McMullin, Director, Cornell Catholic Community"

Author Information

David Keller is co-founder and director of Thomas Keating's Contemplative Ministry Project and a major figure in the centering prayer movement. Formerly steward of the Episcopal House of Prayer at Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota, he teaches and leads contemplative workshops in retreat centers throughout the United States.

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