Heart Prayers

Endorsements: ""Lord, teach us to pray,"" Jesus' disciples ask him in Luke's gospel (11.1). Their question tells me two things. All of us have the desire to pray, but prayer is an art that needs to be taught for most of us. As a parish pastor, I have observed that so many of my people either don't know how to pray or feel self-conscious when asked to pray. So I am always on the lookout for a resource to share with them. That is where KJ Wuest comes in with her marvelous little book, Heart Prayers. Last Christmas I gave each household in my two congregations a copy of this book as a guide to their own prayer lives. One woman passed it on to a friend whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia just before Christmas. Others take it along with them when they take communion to our home-bound people. Another person carries a copy in her purse and refers to it often. What a great blessing KJ and her book are to those of us who are learning and practicing the art of prayer. Thank you, KJ. About the Contributor(s): KJ Wuest served as a lay minister in the Lutheran church, ELCA, for more than twenty years; most recently as Ministry Associate of Faith Formation and Visitation at Kent Lutheran Church in Kent, WA. KJ is a Veriditas certified labyrinth facilitator with training in Spiritual Direction. She has written for The Upper Room Disciplines and has an extensive background in prayer, grief and care giving ministries. KJ is a voracious reader and mixed-media artist with a special interest in journaling, pilgrimage, poetry and memoir. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Paul, and a very personable cat named Wilbur. She blogs about HOPE at www.partners4hope.net