Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer: The Hidden Power of Beauty, Blessing, Wisdom, and Hurt

Suffice it to say that, over the past few days, life has provided me with some weighty challenges.  I found myself last night realizing that I needed some beauty in my life – and so I reached into my inspiration library for a book that could remind me who I am and what I am made of.

What I found was the next My52WOW book club book: Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer: The Hidden Power of Beauty, Blessing, Wisdom, and Hurt by Gregg Braden.

I finished the last book club book, The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, quickly. That book is such a beautiful collection of powerful poetry – powerful reminders of spiritual truths written so simply that reading it is like eating from a banquet of delicacies. I gobbled it up, and then somehow got distracted from my daily routine of reading, prayer and meditation. Life, work, and other concerns took over my mornings. I would leap out of bed as soon as my eyes opened and start to tackle my never ending to do list. And this, as it always does, took a toll on me. Whenever I forget to take a moment to read, meditate, and pray in the morning, that moment turns into days, and days into weeks, and I find myself in this place, gas tank empty, and needing a refill.

I know this book will do the trick.

In the inside cover are these words, scribbled in my father’s handwriting:

Ephraim Bassey

1/23/06

This was my father’s book. We, like two sides of the same coin, both write our names and dates in the books we read.  He used to write the date where he started the book; I tend to write the date that I completed the book.

We talked about this book before he died– about the power of praying, and the power of praying with expectancy. When I read the introduction this morning, I saw that he had placed a star by this passage in the introduction:

“…Prayer may not change this for you, but it for sure changes you for things…an ancient and forgotten form of prayer…invites us to feel as if our prayer has already been answered…through prayers and feeling, we’re empowered to take part in the healing of our lives and relationships, as well as our bodies and our world.”

So in reading this book, not only will I soak in the wisdom that lies within, I will take heart that before me, life challenged my father, he soaked in the wisdom, and he carried on to live an uncommon life.

I invite you to read this book with me and share your thoughts about how the contents impacted you.. The book’s dedication shares that:

“This book is written for those who search for comfort in the presence of fear and uncertainty in our world. In those moments when life’s hurts tear into the hidden places of your soul, I invite you to enter the refuge of beauty, blessing, our lost mode of prayer, and the deep wisdom that each rests upon. It is here that you may find meaning in the unexplained, and the strength that guides you to the close of another day.”

Blessings and strength to you on your journey, whatever that journey may be.