Lady Rowena

This book is one of considerable variety, dealing mainly with prayer, worship, and song to a minor degree. "Prayer," the author states, " . . . is the fourth dimension of human existence, a dimension of mystery--a spiritual dimension, for God is Spirit, and God dwells in us as Spirit. This dimension becomes especially manifest in silent prayer . . ." Prayer is part of the pilgrimage of life. Small wonder, through many years the book has grown to some 145 prayers covering a vast variety of subjects, some most serious, dealing with fundamental, human struggles and fundamental questions; some are even humorous--sport, the Kentucky Derby, God's humor in creation. Pastoral prayers touch on the worship service and its danger of becoming stereotyped. So he even ventures in giving fifteen new benedictions, which he says is not intended to be a wimpy prayer of dismissal to go home now to have a nap, but an authoritative culmination of the worship service, sending people out into the world as laborers. The lyrics deal with the essential elements of life: praise to the Almighty (Psalm 146), love, faith, hope, God's goodness, and ends with a song to America. Prayer, the author says, is the universal language of all religions, and he anticipates that people of diverse religious persuasions will find in the book guidance in trying situations, comfort, joy, and inspiration.