A Praying Life, Paul Miller

Been reading through this book on prayer over the last few weeks and have had a love hate relationship with it.  I wanted to read it because I had read a few rave reviews and also the personal need to develop my private prayer life.  So what do I dislike about it?  I guess it's just one of my pet hates  - but why do American evangelical feel that they have to quote nuns and monks?  Now with that out of my system let me thoroughly recommend that you read this book.  If you are a normal Christian you lament that you don't pray as you ought.  This book doesn't come with a magic wand and hey presto perfect prayer life, but it will inform you, encourage you and help you to see that it really is possible to connect with God in a distracting world.
The book comprises five main sections: Learning to pray like a child; Learning to trust again; Learning to ask your Father; Living in you Father's story and Praying in real life.  There are 32 chapter in total each about a 15 minute read.  The author writes in a warm personal style letting you into his home to see how he and his wife learnt to pray amidst the business of a family life.
If you have a shelf for books on prayer this should be one of them.

Facebook photos

Call me an old fashioned nerd if you like but I just can't get this pictures on Facebook lark.  I may be wrong but I have a sneaking suspicion that all the happy smiling faces of my last night out, my formal, my new car, my new friend is fed by the obsession that life is all about me.  It seems that it feeds off the idea that I need as many people as possible to think, whaoh, they are so cool, so popular, so happy, so all together, what a great life they have.  It is called self worship. No actually idolatry.
What about a bit of reality?  Why not my formal that was such a let down, my new car that is costing me a mint to keep on the road, my new friend who has just dumped me.  Oh no couldn't do that - they wouldn't think so highly of me then.
Isaiah didn't do Facebook but I think if he did he would have posted no photo, but just the reality, I am undone.  He saw himself as he really was a sinner before God, ruined apart from the grace of God.  In the light of the glory of Jesus Christ He was released from the obsession with self to serving the only one who really has glory, Jesus Christ.  Here am I send me.
So young Christian, stop trying to build your own glory. Your glory is fading fast.  Soon you will not be that keen to post the sagging wrinkles or your latest wheelchair or zimmer frame.  Be obsessed with His glory and post it for all to see, in a life that is released from itself to serve Him.