A Year of Living Prayerfully: How a Curious Traveler Met the Pope, Walked on Coals, Danced with Rabbis, and Revived his Prayer Life

With humor, an energetic spirit of inquiry, and bold belief that he can go anywhere and meet anyone in his quest to deepen his prayer life, filmmaker and debut author Brock takes readers on a world tour, getting prayer advice from Pope Francis, storming the gates at Billy Graham’s mountain hideaway, and sitting down for a chat with folks at Westboro Baptist Church. Along the way, he learns something of “the practice of the presence of God” (the definition of prayer according to 17th-century monk Brother Lawrence), trust, reverence, evangelism, and the need for silence. This book is not one that explores the prayer traditions of communities across the world empathetically, but a story of a broad—though not deep—pilgrimage of a young man finding his way. Ostensibly writing an ecumenical and interfaith journey, Brock can push the line with his humor, at times coming off as uncharitable, disrespectful, and culturally insensitive. Readers will certainly discover something new about prayer, though not all will be amused. (Mar.)