Busy Lives and Restless Souls

It's too easy to think that methods of prayer, such as the Ignatian method discussed here, don't really apply to us as busy laypeople. In this book the author shows how these methods of prayer work in her life and how they can apply to yours as well.

While I found her story interesting and the application good, I often felt as if the book relied too much on the current state of things instead of drawing on the richness of the Church. She uses current noun phrases like "heart friend" and "Resurrection people" casually, but never explains to us what they mean. I don't like that because these current noun phrases indicate to me a sloppiness of thought.

Another symptom of this currency is the only Pope she quotes is the current ony. Yes, I know he's a Jesuit and therefore formed by Ignatian spirituality, but he isn't quoted in that context. The quotes are more general. Aren't there other great popes? Don't the Jesuits have centuries of great and saintly men who said worthy things? Doesn't the Church have two millenia of saints to quote? I find this currency limiting.

While useful enough, I think this book could be improved by more careful writing and a broader view of what the Catholic Church is historically.

​In this book, Becky talks about prayer tools and how you can infuse prayer in your daily life if you are spiritually inclined.

She focuses on the Ignatian spirituality (based on St. Ignatius) which is about living a life of prayer within our daily realities.

As with good storytellers, Becky first gives us an insight to her life, how she grew up and why she decided to live an Ignatian lifestyle.

Rating: 3/5

Favourite quote: “People ask me all the time. ‘how do I know if I’m hearing God’s voice or not?’ While I don’t have the million dollar answer to this question, I can tell you this: A way to recognise God’s voice is to spend time praying with Scripture.”

Recommendation: If you are looking for a good that simply lays out how to have a daily relationship with God in your day to day life, this is a good book to start with.

Started off a bit slow for my taste, but had some gems throughout the book. It's a great read for those who rationalize not being strong in prayer and focusing on the spiritual aspect of our lives. It can spark a revelation in the right person...

The author uses her personal stories to make suggestions for readers to improve their prayer life. This is a fine book for people new to praying and those who like memoirs, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

I enjoyed the memoir aspect of the book and the encouragement to pray, to set time aside and realize that we are never too busy for God. It was easy to read and very relatable. Would recommend!

I enjoyed this book. Being new to praying and getting in touch with my spiritual side, this was a nice introductory read.

I've found this to be a big help in my daily journey with God. WHilst I'd heard most of it prevously, I was in need of reminders of how to be with God and properly spend time with him. I'm not a catholic but that didn't put me off the message of this book.
I'm now practicing the Examen prayer on a daily basis and finding it a really beneficial practise.

I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks NetGalley!

This book was a quick read & wonderful for a wife and mother to three small kids to read and gain valuable insights into the world of Ignatian spirituality and modes of prayer from someone in a similar life position. I thought that although the author is of a Catholic background and faith tradition that she did a very good job making this method accessible for Christians of other denominations while a lot of other Catholic authors I've read seem to only write for Catholic audiences. I appreciated this inclusive tone immensely. I will definitely use the methods in this book in my own prayer life.