Are spiritual exercises, prayers and "tools for truth" necessary to strengthen one's faith? Based on the success of evangelist Omartian, one may argue that the answer is "yes" for many of today's searchers. The author of The
Power of a Praying Wife
and The
Power of a Praying Parent
continues her spiritual journey, focusing this time on the process by which one invites the Father/Son/Holy Spirit into one's life. Omartian talks movingly of the horror of her early years, recounting her relationship with her abusive, mentally ill mother and the desperate moments when she tried to end her life. She chronicles the processes by which "Jesus opened all those dark places in me." At one point in her journey, she describes how a small closet similar to the one in which her Mom used to lock her away became a sanctuary for prayer. Nevertheless, this work is strictly for those born again, or for those ready to be. As poignant as many of Omartian's stories are, she speaks too often with a righteousness that borders on intolerance, and her Sunday school tone may alienate as many as it calls home. Based on the Thomas Nelson trade paperback. (Aug.)
