Having a good prayer life is something that many Christians struggle with. There are thousands of methods, books, sermons, and other sources that deal with prayer, but it is still a difficult discipline for many. Jared Brock felt his prayer life needed work, and took a year to see how others were handling prayer. He recounts his experience in A Year of Living Prayerfully.

Brock wanted to learn how to increase the quality of his time praying, and traveled to different places in the world that were known for devoted prayer. Monasteries, churches, old, and recent, he went there to see how people defined and practiced praying.

Though it deals with a serious topic, A Year of Living Prayerfully is nowhere near a dry, dull book. Brock, being a modern Christian, has to adjust to some of the ancient and foreign methods of prayer. This, and his sense of humor, lead to funny events throughout his journey. He is not afraid to try new things, even when they could cause him embarrassment.

He also visited a wide variety if groups, Christian and non-Christian, to get an idea of how they both stayed devoted. Though he isn’t able to use all he learned, he had a better understanding of what prayer means to people.

If you are looking for a way to help your prayer life, and most Christians are, this book can give you a few ideas. It is especially nice since we can’t all travel around the world..

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for this review.