An invitation to a more participatory relationship with God through the power of prayer.

Nothing is more remarkable-or more beautiful-than an ordinary life, quietly transformed by prayer. This is the life that Deborah Smith Douglas chronicles-and invites readers into-in her lovely collection of essays and poems. Drawing from events as simple as breakfast with her five-year-old daughter or waiting in line at the post office, Douglas shows how a loving relationship with God can be nurtured in small ways every day. "Without my ever really intending it," she writes, "my own life-as a wife and mother, daughter and friend-has taught me to see God hidden in the ordinary, to watch for God under the surface of things as a fisherman watches for fish."

Woven into each of these pieces, along with reflections on the author's experiences, are guidelines for readers watching for God in their own unique-and ordinary-lives. Divided into four sections-Ways of Praying, Healing, Spiritual Companionship, and Fruitfulness-The Praying Life will help Christians move from awareness of God's presence in their lives to a deep participation in God's love.

Deborah Smith Douglas is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and author whose work has appeared in such publications as Commonweal, Spiritual Life, Weavings, and Christianity and the Arts, from which this collection has been drawn. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.