{Product Review} Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating

A Course in Centering Prayer in Convenient Box Form

If you are interested in centering prayer and looking for a more multimedia introduction into the practice then this is a product you may be interested in.

What you receive is:

A relatively small spiral bound book which provides introductions, summaries and guides you through the other materials in the course.

A set of 6 DVDs with lectures from the likes of Fr. Thomas Keating, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler and Fr. Carl Arico about centering prayer.

Two audio CDs with tracks for introducing you to and taking you through a centering prayer session.

And a set of prayer cards to help assist you with entering the quiet time of reflection prior to centering prayer.

As has been mentioned by others the book is not super thorough, it serves as more of a guide to the course then a full text on the subject of centering prayer. I suggest if you are completely new to the concept of Centering prayer you may want to bundle this set with Fr. Thomas Keating’s book “Open Mind Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel,” which is a very complete take on centering prayer.

The DVDs too are nothing spectacular but are just video sessions of lectures that are given at Introduction to Centering Prayer retreats. They are not exciting or adrenaline pumping, but then if that is what you are looking for, I think you have the wrong practice.

I don’t think it is my role to appraise the practice of centering prayer but rather offer insight on this introductive course, which I find to be very complete and helpful to a beginner who just doesn’t know where to start or what to do. I believe short of taking a course in centering prayer in person at a seminar this is the next best thing you could use to introduce you to the practice of centering prayer. I found it complete, thorough and helpful; and if this is a subject you are interested in I think you may find it helpful too.

Review: The New Media Frontier

As my Grandparents became young adults they had the opportunity to witness the dawning of the Space Age. As a teen and young adult myself I have had the opportunity to see the beginning of and explosion of the Information Age. This new era we have been ushered into presents us with many new ways to absorb, present and produce media and information. John Mark Reynolds and Roger Overton has compiled what I would think to call a collection of articles/essays introducing, explaining, and providing advice for how to engage this new age with a Christian conviction.

At the beginning of the book, titled “The Landscape of New Media” Reynolds and others provide a great background and lay a foundation for the place of new media in society. A great read for beginners or those a bit unfamiliar with the internet. Here all the basic are covered including blogging, podcasting, etc... The second part of the book “Engaging New Media” brings in experts to discuss topics such as theological blogging, pastors and new media, facebook and myspace use with youth ministry, evangelism and apologetics in new media, virtual classrooms, and many more. Almost of the articles/essays are thoughtful, well written and very up to date with their references.

As fast as the internet evolves some of this information may be outdated in as little as year, and in five years even more of it will be considered dated, but right now I don’t think there is a better book addressing these issues and ideas. I would highly recommend this book for today’s pastors and church leaders. Even students who have grow up with access to computers and the internet all their life would benefit from a close read of this title.

Rob Bell's New Book

I finished this book last night, and I continue to hold to my stance that even if you do not totally agree with Rob Bell’s theology he always brings up some very good points that are worth think about and discussing. This book is a collaborative work of Rob Bell Teaching Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids and the former Lead Pastor of said church Dan Golden on the current exile of the Church in America.

The point and ideas that Rob and Dan make in this book are clear and simple enough that I do not want to ruin it with a shoddy summary but I do encourage you to read this book. Bell is known to sometimes make links and correlations between New and Old Testament that are sometimes thin at best. And there are a few of those, also in one biblical reference he confuses Philip the Evangelist with the Apostle Philip, but small little things like this do not take away from the fact that Rob Bell & Dan Golden bring forth some very interesting ideas that can really make you reevaluate what you think your position in the world is. There are people who love everything Rob Bell writes or speaks about, they will enjoy this book.

There are people who hate everything thing Rob Bell writes or speaks about, they will dislike the book and probably find hundred’s of things wrong with it. Then, there are those of us to listen to Bell, and agree with him on some things and disagree with him on others. I get the feeling that is the kind of reader or listener he enjoys the most. Bell & Golden don’t ever claim to have everything right, but they do want to ask questions and encourage people to think and do. If you read this book with an open and without preconceived notions this book should deliver that for you.

Dallas Willard Quote

"We need to have vision, intention and means in order to achieve spiritual formation. That’s the basic issue regarding the teaching of Jesus. There isn’t a single thing that Jesus taught that a person cannot by engaging His grace come to do. Not a single thing. But you have to want to. And you have to decide to. And that’s what is lacking."

-Dallas Willard