Being with God
The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer
by AJ Sherrill
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 19 Oct 2021 | Archive Date 19 Nov 2021
Baker Academic & Brazos Press | Brazos Press
Talking about this book? Use #BeingwithGod #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
All fruitful doing must begin with being. For many Christians, it's easy to be swept up into the fast pace of modern life, desiring to do much for God. But we struggle to slow down and be with God.
According to pastor, Enneagram teacher, and author AJ Sherrill, being with God is what empowers doing for God. Sherrill shares his own journey from "busy" Christianity to the ancient paths of contemplative practices. He equips readers to integrate rhythms of stillness, silence, and solitude, offering step-by-step guidance and examples of finding solitude both personally and on retreats.
Sherrill warns that making these changes appears absurd in a society where time is money, productivity is central, and hurry is a way of life. He guides readers gently through the beginning and often confusing stages of contemplative practice. Citing timely insights from the world of neurology and mental health, he shows that solitude is crucial not only for Christian growth but also for holistic flourishing. Foreword by Rich Villodas.
Readers will emerge, centered in Christ, well on their way to this goal: slow down, pay attention, be still, and be loved.
Advance Praise
“In this book, you’ll discover that contemplative prayer is for everyone, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey. . . . So sit down, take a deep breath, and open yourself to God’s presence through these pages. I’m so glad I did.”—Rich Villodas (from the foreword)
“Years ago AJ first told me of his desire to apply prayer and brain science to this cultural moment. If you’re in search of a deeper life with God, I highly recommend Being with God.”—John Mark Comer, founding pastor of Bridgetown Church; author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
“In a frantic, busy-obsessed world, too many Christians have settled for an anemic Christian life. AJ Sherrill pastorally calls for Christians to disentangle themselves from the loud clamoring of the world by embracing the formational rhythms of Jesus and entering into the depths of a gracious, loving, and kind God. AJ not only casts the vision, he also pastorally tells us how to experience the fullness of God.”—Tara Beth Leach, author of Emboldened and Radiant Church
“I’m addicted. Addicted to activity. Addicted to noise. Addicted to accomplishment. All this addiction means I’m never still. My mind never quiets. I often lack the space to be with God. And, crazy as it sounds, that’s what God wants most. AJ gifts the church with needed, helpful insights into the crazed culture we live in and the way our minds work, and he presses it against God’s dream for human flourishing. If you, like me, struggle to get quiet, read this book.”—Sean Palmer, author of Forty Days on Being a Three (Enneagram Daily Reflections); teaching pastor, Ecclesia Houston
“Feeling like a robot programmed by demanding outside forces? Tired of constant reactivity, of having little capacity to respond functionally to life? Read Being with God. AJ Sherrill’s insights will reshape your soul, which will in turn reshape your life in the world.”—Bishop Todd Hunter, author of Deep Peace: Finding Calm in a World of Conflict and Anxiety
“There is a dizzying litany of books about God in the contemporary marketplace. Many of them are good and helpful. Some not so much. But far too few have been penned to help us know how we relate to God. In the rugged history of Christianity, some of our heroes and saints have offered beautiful descriptions of how they found the God of Scripture. Their tales are so needed today. This book mines our history and theology for these tested and true gifts. I commend Sherrill’s miraculous book. And I believe God will show you a whole new way to know him.”—A. J. Swoboda, assistant professor of Bible and theology, Bushnell University; author of After Doubt
“I first met AJ Sherrill somewhere on the streets of a noisy, busy city. Now, some years later, I find myself rejoicing in AJ as an emerging voice on how to quiet the noise and find rest in the busy places. If you are looking for a field guide to help you enter into the rest of Christ, look no further. This is that field guide.”—Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church; author of Jesus Outside the Lines and A Gentle Answer
“In a world filled with distractions, Christians are often people of action but not too often people of contemplation and prayer. This approach ultimately results in stress, depression, and burnout. More than ever, we need to rediscover contemplative prayer that will help sustain us for living in today’s complex and changing world. Being with God is a timely book filled with timeless wisdom for today’s church. Read it, contemplate it, but most of all, practice it!”—Winfield Bevins, director of church planting, Asbury Seminary; author of Ever Ancient, Ever New
“This is a fantastic book for those pursuing the way of Jesus. Instead of adding another religious task to do, AJ seeks to instill the necessity of being with God. Truly abiding is a forgotten discipline in our time from which all spiritual fruit is born. I highly recommend this book.”—Jon Tyson, lead pastor, Trinity Grace Church
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781587434730 |
| PRICE | US$16.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 176 |
Featured Reviews
Vickie D, Reviewer
The basis of the book, Being with God, defends the benefit of meditation into your daily walk with God. To avoid the stigmatism associated with mediation, the author, AJ Sherill, refers to meditation as contemplative prayer. Being with God rebukes Western belief that meditation/contemplative prayer is associated with Buddhist or New Age views. On a side note, I don't know why we say New Age; it's pagan beliefs that have been around since the Old Testament. God has provided several scriptures in the Old and New Testament warning His children from following these beliefs. The following chapters offer its readers scientific proof on the benefit of meditation and comments from Christian leaders who have already incorporated meditation into their walk with God. In addition, Being with God provides its readers' tips to integrate meditation into your daily practice. I would not recommend this book for new believers. I would advise that you pray to God and surround yourself with Scripture; before incorporating any spiritual exercise. If God is calling you to increase your prayer time, ask Him to show you? Is He asking you to keep a list of people to pray so that you can pray for these individuals daily, or is He asking you to be silent? If it's to be in silence with God, Being with God will help you embrace that practice into your daily walk.
Rich L, Reviewer
This book teaches us how to be with God and the power of contemplative prayer.
Here are my three biggest takeaways from this book.
Being empowers our doing. We are better at our doing when we learn how to be with God on a daily basis. We partner with God on our daily decisions. Jesus modeled this for us.
As we awaken to who we are and the actions we should take we become more and more aware of how we can meet the needs of others. We learn how to best serve others.
As we go to sleep each night we surrender to God. We let God heal and transform us. Sleep is a powerful rest in God.
Ethan L, Reviewer
How is your prayer life going? Have you found it challenging to develop a good, consistent, and healthy prayer life?
How much of your prayer life involves you talking at God versus how much of your prayer life involves being with God?
If the answer to the last question is more bafflement than anything else, A.J. Sherrill would not be surprised.
And all Christians would do well to consider his Being With God: The Absurdity, Necessity, and Neurology of Contemplative Prayer.
The author presents a well argued and reasoned introductory encouragement into the world of contemplative prayer. He began by considering its absurdity: the oddity, especially in modern culture, of sitting just to be in God’s presence; how our technology hijacks our attention and continually distracts us; and our challenges in actually hearing with all the noise all around us. For most of the book he explored the necessity of contemplative prayer: a lot of practical hints about creating the space and time of silence with God; how to cultivate stillness; aligning with and heeding the Spirit in His groaning; and diving and gazing into the Presence of God in contemplation. In the final part of the book the author explored the scientific basis for contemplation: the way our breathing works and how we do not take time to breathe deeply and well; how stressed out we are and how we do not sufficiently relax; and the importance of a quality sleep regimen for a healthy spirituality.
Every chapter ends with a guided experience for practice to be able to better cultivate and develop in one’s contemplative prayer life.
This is definitely an introductory level guide to contemplative prayer, aware of and connected to the deeper tradition without explicating much of it. Yet it represents an excellent introduction; in many respects, I wish I would have had access to it and read it at the beginning of my (more intellectual than experiential, I confess) explorations into contemplative prayer.
Thus I highly recommend this work for all Christians in order to develop a healthier, more well-rounded prayer life than just spending certain times talking at God.
