Prayer at Night's Approaching

Rating:
Summary: First Rate
Review: Jim Cotter's slim voume has graced my bedside table now for many months and usually finds a spot in my suitcase when I travel. I am a member of a choir that sings the office of compline monthly and I have developed a great love of the service. Jim's version is fresh and inviting. The language is both prayerful and poetic. It is satisfying.

Jim has done an excellent job of creating a prayerbook that is inclusive in language without any obvious effort. It does not stand out that this is an inclusive langauge effort, it is simply good prayer.

There are one or two bits that seem a little odd to my ears, for example the allusions to God as unicorn and other unsual creatures. Even those simply startle one into new thoughts. There is only one such reference in the order of prayer for each day of the week, so even this is a minimal issue.

As a tool, Jim's book succeeds. The organization is logical and convenient. Organized by day of the week, all material is readily at hand. Even when exhausted at the end of the day, I can pick up this volume and find myself prompted for a little peaceful prayer before dropping off to sleep.

The volume is nicely printed, well bound and the included ribbon marker is useful. The cloth binding gives every appearance of promising to stand up well to regular use.

While I have other prayerbooks downstairs in my study, this is the one that stays on my bedside table. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: First Rate
Review: Jim Cotter's slim voume has graced my bedside table now for many months and usually finds a spot in my suitcase when I travel. I am a member of a choir that sings the office of compline monthly and I have developed a great love of the service. Jim's version is fresh and inviting. The language is both prayerful and poetic. It is satisfying.

Jim has done an excellent job of creating a prayerbook that is inclusive in language without any obvious effort. It does not stand out that this is an inclusive langauge effort, it is simply good prayer.

There are one or two bits that seem a little odd to my ears, for example the allusions to God as unicorn and other unsual creatures. Even those simply startle one into new thoughts. There is only one such reference in the order of prayer for each day of the week, so even this is a minimal issue.

As a tool, Jim's book succeeds. The organization is logical and convenient. Organized by day of the week, all material is readily at hand. Even when exhausted at the end of the day, I can pick up this volume and find myself prompted for a little peaceful prayer before dropping off to sleep.

The volume is nicely printed, well bound and the included ribbon marker is useful. The cloth binding gives every appearance of promising to stand up well to regular use.

While I have other prayerbooks downstairs in my study, this is the one that stays on my bedside table. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: a beautiful aid to meditation
Review: my copy came to me as a gift.

it is the first inclusive language prayer book i have seen that is elegant and poetic. it is full of the kind of vibrancy and life that until now i thought was confined to the ancient prayers.

there is, in the introduction, a suggestion for its use as a companion for those who are awake in the night either because they are watching with someone, or because they are themselves sleepless.

if you love poetry, you will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: a beautiful aid to meditation
Review: my copy came to me as a gift.

it is the first inclusive language prayer book i have seen that is elegant and poetic. it is full of the kind of vibrancy and life that until now i thought was confined to the ancient prayers.

there is, in the introduction, a suggestion for its use as a companion for those who are awake in the night either because they are watching with someone, or because they are themselves sleepless.

if you love poetry, you will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Prayers that move your soul
Review: Read the editorial reviews for accurate, factual descriptions of the contents. The beauty and unique contribution of Cotter's book of daily night prayers come from his exquisite phrasing, fresh metaphors and images for the Holy One, and flexibility for each reader/prayer's needs.
Other reviewers have mentioned his easy, natural use of inclusive language. He goes farther; his language for God is expansive and creative. I am reminded that the whole Universe bears the imprint of the image of God.
Those from the Anglican or RC liturgical traditions may find this volume most accessible, but any Christian wishing to deepen her or his relationship to God might find it helpful. I can give no higher compliment than to say that I have been giving Cotter's book as gifts for almost every occasion since I discovered it some months ago.
Warning: Be prepared, upon reading this book, to become a "Cotter groupie."

Rating:
Summary: Prayers that move your soul
Review: Read the editorial reviews for accurate, factual descriptions of the contents. The beauty and unique contribution of Cotter's book of daily night prayers come from his exquisite phrasing, fresh metaphors and images for the Holy One, and flexibility for each reader/prayer's needs.
Other reviewers have mentioned his easy, natural use of inclusive language. He goes farther; his language for God is expansive and creative. I am reminded that the whole Universe bears the imprint of the image of God.
Those from the Anglican or RC liturgical traditions may find this volume most accessible, but any Christian wishing to deepen her or his relationship to God might find it helpful. I can give no higher compliment than to say that I have been giving Cotter's book as gifts for almost every occasion since I discovered it some months ago.
Warning: Be prepared, upon reading this book, to become a "Cotter groupie."