Ebook
People who pray are those who break through, who hold on, who
stand in the gap, who will not be silent, and even who change
history. But they are also those who wait in the silence, sometimes
in the sorrows, who contemplate His beauty, and stand in awe.
The Discipline of Intimacy looks at the dynamic paradox of
prayer: knowing how to be still and silent but also how to plead
and speak. Knowing how to let go but also how to hold on.
For individuals and church groups, The Discipline of
Intimacy is for anyone seeking help to develop their
relationship with God, particularly where once-passionate hearts
may have lost their spark. With accompanying videos and questions
for reflection and discussion, readers and participants will be
introduced to practical and biblically-rooted ways to experience
the intimacy with God they have longed for, and will have the tools
to cultivate a life that is characterized by this closeness.
“Jean-Paul Sartre said, ‘I caught the Holy Spirit in the basement of my mind and flung him out of there.’ Yet this didn’t bring the freedom he sought: ‘Atheism is a long and cruel business. I believe I’ve been through it to the end. For the last years I’ve been like a man who no longer has any reason to live.’” (source)
“We want the intimacy, but shun the discipline of pursuing it.” (source)
“Bertrand Russell admitted his malaise: ‘That God is dead, that I cannot deny. But that my whole being cries out for God: that I can never forget’.” (source)
“The difference between John the prisoner and John the pastor is a vision of Christ in the place of prayer.” (source)
“Julian Barnes put it like this: ‘I don’t believe in God … but I miss him’.” (source)
Charlie Cleverly, along with his wife Anita, lead St
Aldates Church in Oxford, one of the most influential Churches in
the UK. A regular speaker at Christian festivals, Charlie is seen
as a spiritual mentor to many leaders in the Church.