ADVENTURES IN DAILY PRAYER

By Bert Ghezzi

Brazos Press, 2010

160 pages, $17.99

To order: brazospress.com

Personal prayer is something that unites all human beings in pursuit of a relationship with God.

In his book, Adventures in Daily Prayer: Experiencing the Power of God’s Love, Bert Ghezzi provides a delightful and meaningful recollection of his methodology for achieving a prayerful relationship with God in his daily life.

Ghezzi, a popular author and speaker who has written some 20 books, indicates through his own personal experiences and his own spiritual journey the methods of prayer that have been successful in his own development and shares them with his readers. Most significantly, the book allows us to participate in the spiritual exercises of Ghezzi: Anecdotes culled from four decades of his own life reveal how he honed his personal prayer experiences by use of the Eucharist, sacred Scripture, communal prayer and private prayer. At the end of each chapter, Ghezzi invites the reader to participate personally in this prayerful adventure with three points: Think. Pray. Act.

Using these three points of reference, the author illustrates both the multidimensional aspects of prayer, including the personal, communal and meditative, and how that dynamic activity becomes part of an individual’s daily work and activities.

Various topics that contribute to his exploration of the subject include turning oneself completely over to God, living in God’s presence, praying in the Spirit, praying with Scripture, praying for others and prayer and Christian growth.

With each topic, Ghezzi provides stories from his own life and prayer experiences, and reflects on how these experiences led him into a deeper, more prayerful relationship with God, the Church and the people with whom he shares his life and faith.

Throughout the book, Ghezzi provides practical examples of prayer techniques that overcome spiritual obstacles and personal struggles. The author offers examples of devotional prayers, scriptural references, usage of the Psalms and writings by Church Fathers that can become instruments for an effective personal prayer routine and closer relationship with God.

Most striking is the honest and simple way the author recounts his experiences of success and failure in personal prayer. The author’s methodology is really one that shares tried-and-true techniques that have been successful for him, in the hopes that the reader will share similar satisfaction and appreciate prayer as an ever-changing adventure rather than an obligation.

In reading this work, it becomes very clear that the process of prayer is one that constantly evolves and changes, becoming more effective and satisfying over periods of personal and spiritual growth. Sharing his personal journey of prayer, Ghezzi invites all of us to take part in the prayerful adventure he himself has experienced.

Hugh J. McNichol writes from Wilmington, Delaware.