If you like Anne Lamott or Elizabeth Gilbert, then you will probably sink really quickly into the ideas in this book. In a nutshell, this book is about prayer—how to access deep, honest prayers to heal wounds in your life. The author is woo-woo Christian, but she was careful to make this book accessible to anyone who believes in a higher power.

In church, I was always taught that there are different types of prayers: adoration, intercession, confession, petition, and thanksgiving, and ssooooommeeetimes in some corners you hear whispers about meditation (to be honest, I've only heard about Christian meditation through books and podcasts, never in a physical church). At the same time that I was taught to follow a checklist making sure to hit every kind of prayer, I was also taught that prayer is a conversation. It's really hard to have a deep conversation if you have a checklist dictating your time. This book focuses on the conversation part, and specifically on personal petitions. This is not about praying for other people or with other people. This is about confronting heart issues in your own life and working together with God to heal them. It's also about cultivating a rich, deep personal relationship between you and God where nothing is left unsaid and no stone is left unturned (do you ever have certain thoughts that you would never actually pray about because the thought of exploring those thoughts scares you? I do). The book is really hands-on and gets down to business. No frills, no fuss, no excuses.

I highlighted about 50% of this book and I so wish I had a physical copy to keep around as a reference. There are so many good questions (hundreds of questions) and ideas. I kept thinking of things I want to pray/write about as I was reading it. Skeptics might not be ready to give this sort of prayer-journaling a try, but I believe this vulnerable prayer-style works:
1) The author's own life story is incredible. I was laying down on the couch while I was reading it, but after the first page I literally had to sit up and pay attention. It is that amazing.
2) Personal experiences of prayer-writing have gotten me into being connected to God faster than just normal oral prayers, and left me with strands of connection throughout the day.
3) 95% percent of this book aligns with what the Bible teaches about God's desire for a personal relationship with each individual.

I know that actually doing the follow-thru work of the daily praying and asking God reveal the source of my issues will not be comfortable. But I also know that it is completely worth it. I want to be the strongest, wisest, most grounded person that I can be, and I'm willing to do the work to get there.