New book discusses ‘50 Ways to Pray’

For most Christians, praying is not taught, except to young children or converts.

But that doesn’t mean praying can’t be learned – much as someone would learn to swim or ride a bicycle.

In the New Testament, no less than Jesus’ own disciples asked him how to pray. There were several answers, including the Lord’s Prayer.

Elsewhere, Jesus tells people in the Sermon on the Mount to shun ostentatious public prayer, to go into their rooms, shut their doors and pray in secret.

“At its best, prayer moves us out into the world, to take action,” says Teresa Blythe, author of a new book, “50 Ways to Pray: Practices from Many Traditions and Times” (Abingdon Press, 208 pages, $13).

“At its worst,” she says, “it’s an escape. You don’t want to use it to remove yourself from the world. That wouldn’t be Christian, in my theology.

“That’s where ‘spiritual direction’ comes in: You can process these questions with someone who’s been down a path.”

Blythe says she has written her book for “the seeker and the sojourner” as well as for church leaders, youth ministers, retreat facilitators and worship planners.

The methods range from deep breathing to using beads, from meditation to discussing spiritual dimensions of popular culture. Practical tips follow each suggestion.

“I was targeting this book to people who want to start praying, but they don’t know where to start,” she says.

“Something happens when people start praying that they don’t understand, like new insights. But sometimes fear, and the things that have been nagging them and bothering them, may intensify.”

However, this is no reason to give up, Blythe writes.

“If the road of spiritual practice produces anxiety or a feeling of being in too deep, don’t despair or stop praying,” she advises. “Consult with a trusted, spiritually mature friend, a pastor, or a spiritual director about what you are experiencing.”