Centering Prayer: Sitting Quietly in God’s Presence Can Change Your Life

by Brian D. Russell

Publisher:

Paraclete Press

, 2021

Overview

A new, but ancient, way to pray can turn your life around. Discover how to experience God’s love at your core, freeing you to love others, and even yourself. When biblical scholar and coach Brian Russell discovered centering prayer at a difficult crossroad in his life, he had no idea how his life would change. “Sensing God’s love for me has been so transformational that it almost feels as though I’ve experienced conversion all over again,” he writes. He became calmer, less anxious, less reactive, freed of past wounds, and a better listener in the presence of others. Centering prayer, also known as the prayer of silence, helps you quiet your mind from the constant thoughts and impulses, and frees your true self to experience more of God’s love in the very core of your being. This inviting guide gives you practical tools to make centering prayer a consistent habit in your life, gives the history and theological foundation for the practice, and helps identify and overcome common obstacles. Beginners, as well as seasoned practitioners, will gain inspiration, rich insight, and practical knowledge of a contemplative prayer practice that can open you up to deep experiences of inner healing and peace.

Key Features

• Helps you quiet your mind from the constant thoughts and impulses.
• Frees your true self to experience more of God’s love in the very core of your being.
• Gives you practical tools to make centering prayer a consistent habit in your life.

Praise for the Print Edition

Brian invites us to trust God’s own heart as our most true dwelling place. He shows how this centering is not an escape to an ethereal realm but inhabits God’s own life in the glorious messiness of our own.

—Dr. Amy Oden, Professor of Early Church History and Spirituality; author of, Right Here, Right Now: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness

Most of us sort out life’s problems using words and logic. Brian Russell shows us a better way—to begin from our divinely designed center of gravity: prayer. The best way to experience ‘lavish love’ and pay it forward is to pray (and play) it forward. This book could change your life.

—Leonard Sweet, best-selling author, preacher, and educator.

We live in a crazy world, where people are stressed and burning out. Spiritual burnout occurs when we don’t give ourselves time to stop and rest from our busy routine. More than ever, we need to recenter our lives on Christ. More specifically, we need to rediscover the practice of centering prayer that will help sustain us. Centering Prayer is a timely book. Read it and you will be refreshed, renewed, and recentered in the presence of God.

—Dr. Winfield Bevins, Director of Church Planting at Asbury Seminary and author of Ever Ancient Ever New

Product Details

• Title: Centering Prayer: Sitting Quietly in God's Presence Can Change Your Life
• Author: Brian D. Russell
• Publisher: Paraclete Press
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 176
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9781640606432, 1640606432
• Resource ID: LLS:CNTRNGPRYRSYRLF
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-24T15:24:27Z

About Brian D. Russell

Dr. Brian D. Russell is professor of Biblical Studies. He has taught at the seminary since 2000 and is the recipient of the 2004-2005 Award for Teaching and Learning. He received a B.A. from the University of Akron, 1991; a M.Div. from Asbury Seminary, 1994; and a Ph.D. in Bible from Union Theological Seminary-Presbyterian School of Christian Education, 2002. Dr. Russell is involved in missional church planting and coaching. He is a consultant and speaker on missional interpretation and creating a missional ethos in communities of faith. He is the author of The Song of the Sea: The Date of Composition and Influence of Exodus 15:1-21 (Peter Lang, 2007). He is also a volunteer in the Seminole County (Fla.) Public Schools. Dr. Russell and his wife, Jackie, have two children.