seeing a wonderful little article by my amazing wife in the new issue of the journal of student ministries (the article is called ‘praying without ceasing’), i was suddenly struck by the face that i never posted about jeannie’s new book! there’s only one word for a husband like me: dolt.

here’s the official product description:

Imaginative Prayer for Youth Ministry provides tools that can help you use imaginative prayer as a means of experiencing the God who is continually reaching out to us. Invite your students to open their imaginations to God’s spirit and allow God to move and speak directly to them through the 80 imaginative prayer exercises inside.

much of the intro (and the table of contents) is downloadable here.

i’m so proud of jeannie for writing this book. if anyone had told her a few years ago that she would publish a book, she would have laughed (in a quiet and nice way) in that person’s face. the idea of jeannie writing and speaking was so completely beyond what she could imagine for herself.

but, about two years ago, jeannie came to me with this book idea, and said, “you guys need a book like that.” i agreed, and said it was a fantastic idea, and we should definitely publish it. she suggested that she knew who should write it. i responded, “well, i don’t think we’d have that person write it. we’d probably use one of the authors we already know can write, and who write in that vein.” then i added, “but, of course, it’s your idea. so if you want to write it, we can’t give it to someone else.”

jeannie thought about it for a couple days, then came back with the idea that she co-author it with larry warner (larry was one of the guys she’d wanted to write it — he’s a former pastor and spiritual director who was one of the instructors in jeannie’s spiritual direction course, and introduced her to imaginative prayer). and the rest, as they say, is history.

writing was hard work for her, but she plugged away at it; and the result is a truly excellent resource. since then, jeannie and larry presented a seminar at the national youth workers convention (in anaheim only) and got great response.

one thing that totally cracks me up about the book is that the four endorsements on the back of the book are of a diversity that i just don’t think one would find anywhere else. the four endorsments are from:
– jeanne mayo: leader in pentecostal youth ministry. named “america’s youth pastor” by charisma magazine.
– david nasser: full-time youth speaker. favorite of the southern baptist world.
– tony jones: author of “postmodern youth ministry” and other books. national coordinator of emergent village.
– brian mclaren: author of “a generous orthodoxy” and “a new kind of christian” and many other books. lightening rod of the emerging church.
seriously. that list of four is like “ebony and ivory” or “we are the world” or “can’t we all just get along?” it’s red and blue states coming together. it’s focus on the family and the world council of churches patting each other on the back. you get the idea. but it’s all on the back of my little honey’s book!

get the book. it’s really not just for youth ministry, and could so easily be used in any ministry in the church, or even for personal devotional purposes, deepening one’s own experience of the living god who wants to connect with each of us.