You don’t have a prayer. Perhaps someone has said that to you. Perhaps you’ve said it to yourself. It means you have run out of options.
It isn’t true. We have a prayer. Often relegated to recitation and to ritual, the Lord’s Prayer is a treasure of ancient wisdom. It teaches us how to pray. It offers a path to growth as a human being, and a guide to building and deepening relationships.
The prayer is structured as seven conversations with God. There is room within its frame for us to pray about what is urgent or pressing in our life, even as we are invited to take a step back. The guided conversations are about seven critical dimensions that shape our experience of life: Perspective, Hope, Trust, Our wants and needs here and now, Forgiveness and Generosity, Self-awareness, Gratitude
These seven conversations also provide a path for growth as human beings. There is a movement through the conversations from important alignments that deepen life to assignments that free us and impact others. The prayer challenges us to live a life that is more aspirational and less reactive, the life we were made for, our best life.
The prayer also pushes us beyond ourselves to concern for others and for the world. If the prayer lays out the most important conversations for us to have with God, they are also the topics for valuable conversations we can have with others. They aren’t “religious” conversations and don’t require similar or shared views, politically or religiously. They are conversations that can build relationships with people very different from ourselves, in our own family or workplace or community. They can help us to build bridges and reach across divisions.
This is a prayer we need.
Why I believe this book is important now
I wrote this book because I felt that the Lord’s prayer is often consigned to ritualistic use and that it offers much more than is typically recognized.
When Jesus described it as a teaching prayer, he invited us not only to pray it, but also to employ it as a model and frame. I have found it to be a powerful model. I also wrote this book with an awareness of our changing religious landscape.
Religious surveys of American culture have shown an extraordinary growth of the nonreligious part of our society in the last decade. It is not clear what will be the longer-term consequences of changed patterns of church attendance and worship as a result of Covid19. Will current trends continue or even accelerate?
Nonetheless, there is great interest in the “spiritual” that should not be overlooked and creates opportunities. I believe that using more accessible, less religious, language can deepen appreciation for the wisdom of this ancient treasure. It also can create an invitation to a life of faith, especially as each of the topics provide an opportunity to introduce Biblical stories that are alluded to by the prayer or that help interpret its particular claims.
The Lord’s Prayer also introduces Jesus directly to the reader.
Besides the growth of the “none of the above” group in religious surveys, there are increasing numbers of people of faiths other than Christianity. This can create practical challenges for families and businesses. Rather than looking at religious faith as the source of conflict, I believe Jesus’ prayer offers a gracious way for us to have meaningful conversations with those of other faiths or no faith at all.
Meanwhile, we live in a culture with many divisions, politically and otherwise. We desperately need to find ways to talk with people who see and have experienced the world differently. The conversations that the prayer invites us to have with God are topics we can employ in meaningful conversations with people quite different from ourselves. They are conversations that can push us to articulate our highest aspirations.
I believe this book can be a valuable resource in our time to help us both to talk and to listen.
If you would like to order 10 or more copies, a discount can be arranged by contacting the author directly
Why I believe this book is important now
I wrote this book because I felt that the Lord’s prayer is often consigned to ritualistic use and that it offers much more than is typically recognized.
When Jesus described it as a teaching prayer, he invited us not only to pray it, but also to employ it as a model and frame. I have found it to be a powerful model. I also wrote this book with an awareness of our changing religious landscape.
Religious surveys of American culture have shown an extraordinary growth of the nonreligious part of our society in the last decade. It is not clear what will be the longer-term consequences of changed patterns of church attendance and worship as a result of Covid19. Will current trends continue or even accelerate?
Nonetheless, there is great interest in the “spiritual” that should not be overlooked and creates opportunities. I believe that using more accessible, less religious, language can deepen appreciation for the wisdom of this ancient treasure. It also can create an invitation to a life of faith, especially as each of the topics provide an opportunity to introduce Biblical stories that are alluded to by the prayer or that help interpret its particular claims.
The Lord’s Prayer also introduces Jesus directly to the reader.
Besides the growth of the “none of the above” group in religious surveys, there are increasing numbers of people of faiths other than Christianity. This can create practical challenges for families and businesses. Rather than looking at religious faith as the source of conflict, I believe Jesus’ prayer offers a gracious way for us to have meaningful conversations with those of other faiths or no faith at all.
Meanwhile, we live in a culture with many divisions, politically and otherwise. We desperately need to find ways to talk with people who see and have experienced the world differently. The conversations that the prayer invites us to have with God are topics we can employ in meaningful conversations with people quite different from ourselves. They are conversations that can push us to articulate our highest aspirations.
I believe this book can be a valuable resource in our time to help us both to talk and to listen.
If you would like to order 10 or more copies, a discount can be arranged by contacting the author directly
Organization of the Book
Hover or tap each section for a intro of each chapter
The Book
Introduction
The introduction identifies potential readers, invites the nonreligious reader, and suggests that the prayer offers more than we may imagine and may contradict some expectations. It draws attention to the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them only one thing: how to pray. It points to the extraordinary impact of Jesus’ life on world history and lifts up that the prayer he taught was less a prayer to be recited than a prayer that teaches us how to pray.
Conversations
We need to talk. This chapter is about the Lord’s prayer as seven conversations with God. It also observes that the subjects of the Lord’s prayer can be the subjects of valuable conversations with others. The image of religious faith simply as a source of conflict is contradicted by the simple commendation of hospitality to the stranger that is a part of the teaching of the world’s major religions.
The Prayer
Many notice that there are different versions of the prayer used in different churches. This chapter reviews the differences and the history behind them. It also lays out the structure of the prayer, three alignments, followed by a prayer for our life, and then three assignments. Finally, it lifts up that this prayer uses the plural throughout, the “Our Father,” and pushes us to think of our responsibility to others and our life together.
The Prayer for Perspective
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Perspective is foundational and begins with inclusion of the spiritual in our picture of reality. We can pray daily for perspective on God, life, ourselves, as well as on the challenges facing us. Each of the prayers offers a gift and the gift of this prayer is an understanding of our own worth. Each chapter also includes the invitation to think of a person in your life who has inspired your aspiration, and offers an example from the author’s life.
The Prayer for Hope
“Thy Kingdom come.” If the first prayer is about the scope of reality, the second focuses on the future and the hope with which we live. It invites us to live with hope, to pray for the coming Kingdom, the fulfillment of creation’s purpose. It invites us to examine our hopes, to live with anticipation, and to understand the logic of sacrifice for the future or for the greater good. The gift of a well-founded hope is a purposeful life.
The Prayer for Trust
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The prayer asks us to trust God. It is more personally challenging than the prayer for perspective or for hope because it asks us to believe that God is watching over us. The gift it offers is a confidence that God cares deeply for us and that we are not alone.
The Prayer for our Life
“Give us this day our daily bread.” In the middle of the prayer, there is a prayer not for spiritual things, but for what we need for life. This prayer is an invitation to be honest with God about what is on our heart and mind. It comes after the prayers of alignment which may impact how we think about what we want and need.
The Prayer for Forgiveness and Generosity
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This is the first of three assignments that help us to live a meaningful and impactful life. It suggests that there is a power we have to extend forgiveness and healing in the world and that God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness are linked together. Forgiveness is a concrete dimension of generosity to which we are also commended. The gift offered is a life of impact and significance beyond ourselves.
The Prayer for Self-Awareness
“Lead us not into temptation.” Could God do that? In fact, there are Bible stories that suggest it. These words function as the opposite of “Bring it on.” They invite us to an awareness of our strengths and our limits. They invite us to humility which opens us to growing, learning and appreciation of the gifts of others. The gift offered with this assignment is wisdom.
The Prayer for Gratitude
“But deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.” The words of this prayer originally were simply “But deliver us from evil.” It was an anticipation by Jesus of his death. After his death and resurrection, words of praise were added to the prayer. It shifted the focus of this prayer to gratitude. The gift gratitude offers to us is joy.
Listening
The last chapter is on listening. It invites us to consider how a number of resources, including other prayers, can help us to do that.
Organization of the Book
Hover or tap each section for a intro of each chapter
The Book
Introduction
The introduction identifies potential readers, invites the nonreligious reader, and suggests that the prayer offers more than we may imagine and may contradict some expectations. It draws attention to the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them only one thing: how to pray. It points to the extraordinary impact of Jesus’ life on world history and lifts up that the prayer he taught was less a prayer to be recited than a prayer that teaches us how to pray.
Conversations
We need to talk. This chapter is about the Lord’s prayer as seven conversations with God. It also observes that the subjects of the Lord’s prayer can be the subjects of valuable conversations with others. The image of religious faith simply as a source of conflict is contradicted by the simple commendation of hospitality to the stranger that is a part of the teaching of the world’s major religions.
The Prayer
Many notice that there are different versions of the prayer used in different churches. This chapter reviews the differences and the history behind them. It also lays out the structure of the prayer, three alignments, followed by a prayer for our life, and then three assignments. Finally, it lifts up that this prayer uses the plural throughout, the “Our Father,” and pushes us to think of our responsibility to others and our life together.
The Prayer for Perspective
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Perspective is foundational and begins with inclusion of the spiritual in our picture of reality. We can pray daily for perspective on God, life, ourselves, as well as on the challenges facing us. Each of the prayers offers a gift and the gift of this prayer is an understanding of our own worth. Each chapter also includes the invitation to think of a person in your life who has inspired your aspiration, and offers an example from the author’s life.
The Prayer for Hope
“Thy Kingdom come.” If the first prayer is about the scope of reality, the second focuses on the future and the hope with which we live. It invites us to live with hope, to pray for the coming Kingdom, the fulfillment of creation’s purpose. It invites us to examine our hopes, to live with anticipation, and to understand the logic of sacrifice for the future or for the greater good. The gift of a well-founded hope is a purposeful life.
The Prayer for Trust
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The prayer asks us to trust God. It is more personally challenging than the prayer for perspective or for hope because it asks us to believe that God is watching over us. The gift it offers is a confidence that God cares deeply for us and that we are not alone.
The Prayer for our Life
“Give us this day our daily bread.” In the middle of the prayer, there is a prayer not for spiritual things, but for what we need for life. This prayer is an invitation to be honest with God about what is on our heart and mind. It comes after the prayers of alignment which may impact how we think about what we want and need.
The Prayer for Forgiveness and Generosity
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This is the first of three assignments that help us to live a meaningful and impactful life. It suggests that there is a power we have to extend forgiveness and healing in the world and that God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness are linked together. Forgiveness is a concrete dimension of generosity to which we are also commended. The gift offered is a life of impact and significance beyond ourselves.
The Prayer for Self-Awareness
“Lead us not into temptation.” Could God do that? In fact, there are Bible stories that suggest it. These words function as the opposite of “Bring it on.” They invite us to an awareness of our strengths and our limits. They invite us to humility which opens us to growing, learning and appreciation of the gifts of others. The gift offered with this assignment is wisdom.
The Prayer for Gratitude
“But deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.” The words of this prayer originally were simply “But deliver us from evil.” It was an anticipation by Jesus of his death. After his death and resurrection, words of praise were added to the prayer. It shifted the focus of this prayer to gratitude. The gift gratitude offers to us is joy.
Listening
The last chapter is on listening. It invites us to consider how a number of resources, including other prayers, can help us to do that.
Organization of the Book
Hover or tap each section for a intro of each chapter
The Book
Introduction
The introduction identifies potential readers, invites the nonreligious reader, and suggests that the prayer offers more than we may imagine and may contradict some expectations. It draws attention to the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them only one thing: how to pray. It points to the extraordinary impact of Jesus’ life on world history and lifts up that the prayer he taught was less a prayer to be recited than a prayer that teaches us how to pray.
Conversations
We need to talk. This chapter is about the Lord’s prayer as seven conversations with God. It also observes that the subjects of the Lord’s prayer can be the subjects of valuable conversations with others. The image of religious faith simply as a source of conflict is contradicted by the simple commendation of hospitality to the stranger that is a part of the teaching of the world’s major religions.
The Prayer
Many notice that there are different versions of the prayer used in different churches. This chapter reviews the differences and the history behind them. It also lays out the structure of the prayer, three alignments, followed by a prayer for our life, and then three assignments. Finally, it lifts up that this prayer uses the plural throughout, the “Our Father,” and pushes us to think of our responsibility to others and our life together.
The Prayer for Perspective
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Perspective is foundational and begins with inclusion of the spiritual in our picture of reality. We can pray daily for perspective on God, life, ourselves, as well as on the challenges facing us. Each of the prayers offers a gift and the gift of this prayer is an understanding of our own worth. Each chapter also includes the invitation to think of a person in your life who has inspired your aspiration, and offers an example from the author’s life.
The Prayer for Hope
“Thy Kingdom come.” If the first prayer is about the scope of reality, the second focuses on the future and the hope with which we live. It invites us to live with hope, to pray for the coming Kingdom, the fulfillment of creation’s purpose. It invites us to examine our hopes, to live with anticipation, and to understand the logic of sacrifice for the future or for the greater good. The gift of a well-founded hope is a purposeful life.
The Prayer for Trust
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The prayer asks us to trust God. It is more personally challenging than the prayer for perspective or for hope because it asks us to believe that God is watching over us. The gift it offers is a confidence that God cares deeply for us and that we are not alone.
The Prayer for our Life
“Give us this day our daily bread.” In the middle of the prayer, there is a prayer not for spiritual things, but for what we need for life. This prayer is an invitation to be honest with God about what is on our heart and mind. It comes after the prayers of alignment which may impact how we think about what we want and need.
The Prayer for Forgiveness and Generosity
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This is the first of three assignments that help us to live a meaningful and impactful life. It suggests that there is a power we have to extend forgiveness and healing in the world and that God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness are linked together. Forgiveness is a concrete dimension of generosity to which we are also commended. The gift offered is a life of impact and significance beyond ourselves.
The Prayer for Self-Awareness
“Lead us not into temptation.” Could God do that? In fact, there are Bible stories that suggest it. These words function as the opposite of “Bring it on.” They invite us to an awareness of our strengths and our limits. They invite us to humility which opens us to growing, learning and appreciation of the gifts of others. The gift offered with this assignment is wisdom.
The Prayer for Gratitude
“But deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.” The words of this prayer originally were simply “But deliver us from evil.” It was an anticipation by Jesus of his death. After his death and resurrection, words of praise were added to the prayer. It shifted the focus of this prayer to gratitude. The gift gratitude offers to us is joy.
Listening
The last chapter is on listening. It invites us to consider how a number of resources, including other prayers, can help us to do that.
