Opening to God: Guided Imagery Meditation on Scripture (Pathways in Spiritual Growth)

Rating:
Summary: Great Way to Pray and to Start Discussions
Review: I read Opening to God first as a book about prayer, then I discovered that Carolyn Stahl Bohler has actually written prayers and ways to engage in conversation with God. Simply taking the time to read and reflect and rest in silence with her guided prayer meditations allows me to hear the still small voice of God.

Most of Dr. Bohler's meditations are based on the four Gospels, episodes in the ministry of Jesus. She does include prayer meditations based on some Psalms and other Old Testament books as well as some of the New Testament epistles. I used one of the meditations with a church youth group. Dr. Bohler uses a meditation from a noncanonical Gospel. The meditation worked very well with the kids in the group, then they wanted to know where the scripture was located. "Gospel of Mary." "What's that? You mean the Song of Mary? The Magnificat?" "No, the Gospel of Mary." That led to conversation about the criteria for inclusion within the canonical ranks of scripture. Good conversations about the importance of scripture and the kids are continuing to read and reflect on the scripture and to study the history of scripture and the church. Excellent for a church in an urban setting!