I have been a fan of Sarah Bessey's speaking and writing for years, and I was curious when this book was announced. How will she help us reframe prayer for a new era in the Church and in the world? Yet she does help us reframe prayer, with her characteristic honesty and grace: "We think we only have two options" she says, "double down or burn it down. So when it comes to prayer we might mistakenly believe that if we can't pray the way we used to or the way we were taught, somehow that means we can't or don't pray anymore, period... But pray is still for you." Bessey's introduction offers an intimate and compassionate invitation for us to (re)enter the mystery of prayer, with openness and creativity. And the prayers held within these pages, written by poets and justice workers and ministers, create doorways into different paths of prayer, for us to try on, meander through, and find a home within. For anyone seeking a different way of approaching prayer, this book is for you. For anyone yearning for to find words that bring to life their laments and dreams for our world, this book is for you. For clergy searching for find creative prayers to help their congregations reimagine life with God, this book is for you. What a gem--thank you to all those who contributed to it. Five stars! Thank you to Convergent Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook. I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy soon!

Fervently hopeful and unabashedly relevant, Rhythm Of Prayer takes our guilt and shame surrounding corporate prayer and casts it away in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Bessey does not bring us the neat, tidy, marketable, or socially acceptable prayer -- she and her brilliant essayists, liturgists, theologians, and poets strip away our old preconceptions and prejudices, making room for a faith that deconstructs white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, and asks us to see God in everything we do and everything we are.

Beautiful cover.
A collection of meditations for renewal.
Broken down into three parts: Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation.
Each chapter includes a prayer and a description of the prayer's author.
Between every few prayers there are quotes or Bible verses about prayer.
Includes Journaling pages at the end where you are encouraged to "date to write your own prayers."
Canadian Author.

I write this with tear-stained cheeks. For anyone who has struggled to pray, questioned what prayer is, who it serves, how to pray, but particularly for the person who was taught to pray in a way that feels uneasy or ill-fitting, this book is a liberation.

So much of my faith journey has been shaped by Sarah Bessey's beautiful writing, but I can say unequivocally that this is her best and most important work yet. Eshet chayil, woman of valour. I will recommend this to every person I know.

This book of prayers includes beautiful prayers of lament and love. It inspired me to connect with God over truth, beauty, and goodness.

One of the prayers that hit me deeply was Sarah Bessey’s “You are Loved.” It is a powerful and poignant reminder of your belovedness no matter what.

In the middle of a global pandemic, social change, uncertainty and instability - I need a little help with words to help me connect with God and myself. Many of my prayer times are silent. Some are angry or hurting. This book helped me find language for many prayers I was wanting to pray and also inspired me to pray in new deeper ways.

There are many prayer books available to clergy, worship leaders and those who engage in spiritual direction. Some provide prayers to be adapted to one's own use and some talk about the understanding and practice of prayer. What makes each of them work is the specific way that they engage prayer without going too broad. So I was surprised and delighted to discover that A Rhythm of Prayer aims so broadly and yet touches so deeply on the heart of prayer I could imagine this book for almost anyone in my circle--pastors looking for sermon fodder, parishioners that want something to invigorate their personal devotional time, and friends that possess a spiritual longing yet don’t affiliate with a faith community.

What I appreciate the most is the diversity of the contributors as well as the diversity of texts. Each section brings something new and unexpected. A breath prayer adapted from scripture passages written by the editor, a prayer formed around the step of making chicken noodle soup from scratch that centers the work of justice by Osheta Moore, a prayer for those weary and tired written by Laura Jean Truman that reads as a traditional prayer or liturgy but feels like a Psalm, a liturgy for disability and prayer for chronic illness, a poem by speaker Kaitlin Curtice that reads like a breath of fresh air, an essay on the physicality of prayer by Kelley Kikondeha, each give breadth and life to the collection. And sprinkled throughout are quotes and scriptures that speak to the meaning and practice of a practice that at its heart seeks to know God. There is a steady candor to the work of prayer in this books that is both nurturing and challenging, a difficult balance to strike.

I would give this book to my Midwestern mother and to my coastal activist friends and know they would each get something pleasurable and thoughtful from the collection.

The timing of this book could not be more perfect. It speaks to both the moment we're in and the years to come, drawing on both weariness and possibility with real talk instead of fluffy masking of aching hearts. Of particular note is Stephanie Tait's entry, "A Liturgy for Disability." The disabled are often ignored or implicitly excluded, as though their particular concerns for existing in this world are not of equal value for prayer. Amena Brown, Rev, Gail Song Bantum, Nadia Bolz Weber, Alia Joy, Chanequa Walker-Barnes, and several other names will be familiar to those who've attending the Evolving Faith Conference. Editor Bessey's own prayer, "A Prayer to Learn to Love the World Again" is medicine we could all use. This slim volume is full of vital wisdom and encouragement. Get your hands on a copy and soak it it.

Oh how we need this book in this time! Sarah has gathered an incredible collaboration of folks together for this beautiful book. It is full of prayers that address not only faith but issues there are not often spoken about enough in most churches. If you're a fan of Sarah's, Evolving Faith, or find yourself in the midst of deconstruction- this book is for you.

I have long loved Sarah’s writing so when I saw that she was editing/writing a book of prayers I knew I needed it during this time in our lives. I immediately pre-ordered it and was blessed to receive an early review copy from NetGalley. I have slowly looked and chosen a prayer daily through out the last month. My heart has been lifted by some and broken by others. Lisa Harper’s prayer will stick with me for the rest of my life. Sarah Bessey’s prayer to learn to love the world has been so timely the last week. Prayers from Osheta Moore, Kaitlin Curtice, Enuma Okoro, and so many more will resonate with so many hearts and be prayers you carry with you and words you repeat to yourself to remind yourself you’re not alone. I will be recommending this book to all of my family and friends.

After this past year, this book feels like the one my soul needed. A Rhythm of Prayer is a collection of prayers, mediations, and mindfulness practices to bring renewal and refreshment to weary souls. This will be a book I look to time and time again, especially in seasons where I have trouble finding words to express my own thoughts and heart longings. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy.

This volume from Sarah Bessey features prayers from herself and similarly-minded friends. Sure to be of interest to those who follow her online or attend her conference; less of interest to those with a more robust theological background.

This. Book.

It’s one that I can imagine always having within arms reach.

One that is bent from fitting in the small spaces necessary to “carry-on”.

Pages marked.

Highlights strewn on each page.

Personal ... but universal.

I will read pretty much anything Sarah Bessey writes, contributes to, or recommends. It's a whole thing. I loved this book. Prayer is hard for me as it wasn't something my childhood churches really focused on for some reason. This collection of essays was raw and beautiful. I found myself writing down certain pieces, and researching some of the authors that were new to me. I loved that there were some that were already familiar and I found myself saying "YES!" multiple times. A beautiful book and would be a fantastic gift.

Dedicated to the late Rachel Held Evans and edited by Sarah Bessey, A Rhythm of Prayer is an invitation into holy communion and conversation with God. It is a book of examples of how, where, and why to talk to God. Although there isn't one particular correct way, or place, or reason. You don't even have to use words at all. The extraordinary women who have contributed to this book are gifting us a treasure and ministering to us with love and acceptance and friendship. They invite us to pray - to speak, to listen, to receive all that God has for us - wherever we may happen to be in our spiritual journey. And so I thank them. And I leave you with a small piece of my favorite essay from the collection.
"Find a bit of water to look at, it doesn't have to be much. Maybe a pond, a river, a creek, a lake - if you're really lucky, find the ocean. But go there alone at sunset. I know it seems indulgent and impossible - that's because it is. But every once in a while, the best way to keep moving through your life is to do something that seems impossibly kind for your own soul...Sit in the silence at the edge of the water..."
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to review.

Sarah Bessey is one of the people behind Evolving Faith, a conference, podcast, and community that connects people in the midst of faith shifts (or evolutions) with each other in order to provide companionship for the liminal spaces between no longer and not yet. It's an approach with a wide lens, seeking and receiving spiritual guidance from inside and outside of narrowly-defined American Christianity. It's a generous and inclusive community, offering hospitality to the unsure and the disillusioned.

So it is appropriate that Bessey invited a diverse group of writers, pastors, preachers, theologians, and poets to offer prayers and meditations that speak to the longings and hopes that people hold while they're in the process of growing. The prayers are beautiful, deeply resonant and imaginative.

A Rhythm of Prayer is not quite what I expected but still good in its own way. Perhaps, it was the way my egalley was set up but the format of the book was odd. The prayers are insightful and deep. I enjoyed reading prayers from all my favorite Christian pastors, writers and influencers. If you're looking to deepen your prayer life you should check out A Rhythm of Prayer. Also Sarah Bessey has yet to let us down.

A Rhythm of Prayer is a book of prayers, hymns, thoughts, and stories; a modern day version of Psalms for a post-everything world. The themes covered in this book are the same timeless themes that have been with humanity for millennia. Brokenness, desperation, fear, and anguish, are all well represented. But there are moments of hope, joy, and thanksgiving wrapped within it so that the book doesn’t seem like a steady descent into darkness.It’s a quick read, but would work better for a reader if a few entries are read at a time, so that there’s time for reflection.

This is the kind of book that’s going to make a reader feel uncomfortable at times because there are two types of psalms; those a person can relate to and those that a person hopes to never relate.

A large group of women from diverse backgrounds wrote the entries in this book, so no two are alike and the perspectives are broad and honest.

Sarah Bessey did a phenomenal job of putting this together and could definitely put together a successful sequel to this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Books for an advanced copy.

A Rhythm of Prayer features a collection of prayers, mediations on prayer, and prayer and mindfulness practices. Most of the prayers seem especially suited for those who find themselves in the wilderness or out on the fringes of faith, so to speak, and serve as an invitation for readers to think differently about prayer. I found many of the prayers to be very moving and resonated strongly with my own experiences and spiritual journey.

Many of the prayers and meditations center on issues of justice, from ableism to racism, as well as mental health and wellness.

The contributors to this collection make up a diverse group of women, with writings from Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color. This would be a great resource to keep on hand when crafting liturgy for prayer and worship gatherings as well as for personal use in your spiritual journey.

If you, like me, find yourself weary—because what a year, right?—there is a lot of hope to be found among these pages from fellow travelers along the way.

Thank you @netgalley and Convergent Books for the ARC!

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.

Among all the lovely things written, poetic prayers stir the soul. This is one of those collections of prayers. You'll find prayers for refection, current challenges and opportunities, and future visions. Come join the followers of Jesus in their pleas and praises - this volume will become a treasured part of your meditations and appeals, regardless of your Christian background.

Let your soul be stirred.

What a beautiful reflection of what honest prayers look like. This book will lift and care for your spirit in a way that only Bessey and her contemporaries know how -- with full love and grace.