Steve Brown had me from the introduction. When a seminary professor is willing to be known as Steve, you sit up and take notice. When he admits he is not an expert on God and had to be convinced to write a book on prayer, I am going to be willing to read the book. When he is able to tell jokes on himself and make me smile, I am going to love doing it.
That is just what Steve Brown did for me in the book called “Approaching God: Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God”. He fulfilled all my expectations in bringing me the well known principles of prayer in a fresh new way.
Yes, he did talk about all the familiar principles of prayer. What he did differently was to tell it to me in stories. It kept me reading. I loved it!
In the book Brown talks in a very down to earth and humble way about his own experience with prayer. He admits his own doubts and questions, he talks about his own heart connections with God through prayer. The blurb on the back jacket says that the reader is encouraged to “come before God with a childlike honesty and openness that allows them to discover the Father who loves them no matter what.” Brown leads the way with his own example of openness.
Some of the topics he tackles include:
- What does it mean when God says no?
- How can we know God’s will?
- Does God ever change his mind because of our prayer?
- How can we best deal with doubts when we pray?
Another feature I really appreciated about the book was that Brown includes other friend’s experiences with prayers. And, how could you not love a book that includes in every chapter a section entitled “A Story of Answered Prayer”?
Steve Brown is heard daily on his radio show, Key Life which is broadcast across the globe. He served as pastor for 25 years, is a seminary professor and author. He now devotes most of his time to the radio program. We do not get it in our area, after reading this excellent book on prayer, I wish we did. I could easily become an ardent fan.
Reviewed by Joan Tyvoll
