num_pages: 272
description: Prayer is an ancient and simple way to prepare yourself for grace or love and to learn to recognize it when it comes. Even the briefest grace spoken before dinner offers its time-honored wisdom. Yet in spite of hundreds of traditions and teachings and books about prayer millions of Americans have become ambivalent about it. They are unsure how when where and even why they might pray afraid they'll do it wrong or worried that they won't be heard. Writing in the beautiful funny honest narrative style that moved and inspired readers of her first book Here If You Need Me Kate Braestrup explains what prayer is and the many ways we can pray. With an approach that is both personal and inclusive Beginner's Grace is a new kind of prayer book. Even if you don't pray and don't consider yourself religious there's room in this book for you. In these pages Braestrup explains how and why the practice of prayer can open a space in our busy lives for mindfulness gratitude contentment and a wider compassion toward others. Inspired by her work as a chaplain Braestrup includes many examples of prayers to draw from beginning with grace a brief prayer of thanks. She provides clear models and practical suggestions for making your own and your family's prayers meaningful and satisfying and offers prayers for situations in which words might fail: times of anxiety helplessness or grief. And she invites you to explore forms of prayer that extend into the wider community including prayer with and for people we don't like or with whom we disagree. A welcoming modern guide to the simplest most effective way to satisfy a universal spiritual hunger Beginner's Grace is for the religious and nonreligious and even irreligious in its generous good-humored approach to spirituality. With its insight and warmth Beginner's Grace is sure to become a spiritual touchstone for people of all faiths
language: English
title: Beginner's Grace: Bringing Prayer to Life
publisher: Atria Books