Prayer

Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President, is a founder of The Simple Way, a community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world.

If there is anything that the New Monastics gravitate toward in a sympathetic impulse that may be just beyond the reach of their own self-awareness is the ability to tell stories and to find in them the meaningful and hearty grist from the mill of life. I think most folks involved with this ancient and contemporary call are aware of how much "story" is vital in their lives, I just don't know if most of them know how good they are at telling them.
Common Prayer helps today's diverse church pray together across traditions and denominations. With an ear to the particulars of how various liturgical traditions pray, and using an advisory team of liturgy experts, the authors have created a tapestry of prayer that celebrates the best of each tradition. The book also includes a unique songbook composed of music and classic lyrics to over fifty songs from various traditions, including African spirituals, traditional hymns, Mennonite gathering songs, and Taize chants. Tools for prayer are scattered throughout to aid those who are unfamiliar with liturgy and to deepen the prayer life of those who are familiar with liturgical prayer. Ultimately, Common Prayer makes liturgy dance, taking the best of the old and bringing new life to it with a fresh fingerprint for the contemporary renewal of the church. Churches and individuals who desire a deeper prayer life and those familiar with Shane Claiborne and New Monasticism will enjoy the tools offered in this book as a fresh take on liturgy.

Does God Exist???

/British philosopher Flew has long been something of an evangelist for atheism, debating theologians and pastors in front of enormous crowds. In 2004, breathless news reports announced that the nonagenarian had changed his mind. This book tells why. Ironically, his arguments about the absurdity of God-talk launched a revival of philosophical theists, some of whom, like Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, were important in Flew's recent conversion to theism. Breakthroughs in science, especially cosmology, also played a part: if the speed or mass of the electron were off just a little, no life could have evolved on this planet. Perhaps the arrogance of the New Atheists also emboldened him, as Flew taunts them for failing to live up to the greatness of atheists of yore. The book concludes with an appendix by New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop N.T. Wright, arguing for the coherence of Christian belief in the resurrection. Flew praises Wright, though he maintains some distance still from orthodox Christianity. The book will be most avidly embraced by traditional theists seeking argumentative ammunition. It sometimes disappoints: quoting other authorities at length, citing religion-friendly scientists for pages at a time and belaboring side issues, like the claim that Einstein was really a religious believer of sorts. (Nov.)
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Review
 Does God Exist?
Most people come to God through faith, not reason. Flew has taken the road less traveled by, and that has made quite a difference. He has only approached Theism. You might say that he has come to the strait gate, but he has yet to enter thereby. I respected Flew from my first encounter with him, and this book has increased my respect. 

"A most valuable and readable overview of the many evidential changes of landscape that 20th century science is furnishing to the oldest question in Western civilization: Is there a God?" -- Does God exist? American Spectator
So Does God Exist? British philosopher and Atheist Anthony Flew has been convinced in this book.... I think you will be too.

You Can Make God Smile

• You make God smile when you follow his word and live your life by them
• You make God smile when you give to those that have not
• You make God smile when you go out and spread his word to others
• You make God smile when you stand up for what is right even if the so called "civilized world" is against you
• You make God smile when you continue to be faithful and pray to him whether things are good or things are tough
• You make God smile when you seek his wisdom diligently
• You make God smile when, at the time of your passing, others testify about all the acts of kindheartedness and good will that they remember you by

Surely we can go on and on about this but the important thing here is that our continuous good deeds pay dividends in the eyes of god and we really can make him smile and make him proud of us. So be encouraged to consistently follow God’s will and enjoy a close relationship with Him.