Over the past four decades, author Daniel Wolpert has answered the question "What do you do for a living?" with "I am a student of the spiritual life." In the original foreword to Creating a Life with God, Wolpert was called a “Pray-er” — someone who knew how his life was altered and transformed by prayer and someone who accepted the invitation to join Jesus in prayer to tend the longing in his heart. Both statements are still true today.
In the twenty years since this book was first released, Wolpert's work has inspired many to reflect on the life of prayer and what it means to be intentional about creating daily life with God. The longevity of the book speaks to a deep hunger for the practice of prayer and contemplation. Over the years, interest in spiritual life has grown stronger, both within the church and within popular culture. In the face of a world filled with chaos, uncertainty, and constant change, spiritual practices and prayer shape us into people who can provide healing, love, and compassion in response.
The twelve prayer practices in this book will help you take your relationship with God to a new level by:
- Inviting you to solitude and silence
- Inviting you to use your mind and imagination
- Inviting you to use your body and your creativity
- Inviting you to connect with nature and community.
Creating a Life with God invites you to join traveling companions like Julian of Norwich and Ignatius to help illuminate each of these prayer practices. This 20th Anniversary Edition includes two new chapters and two new companions: Saint Brigit, who invites us to take a spiritual look at climate change, and Howard Thurman, noted pastor, author, and contemplative, who invites us to explore how spiritual practices inspire social transformation. These new chapters build on the original twelve prayer practices and ask how we can use the practice of prayer to engage a world in crisis.
Alongside these traveling companions, you will discover how classical approaches to God can deepen your prayer life and help prepare you to engage the world as a fearless ambassador for God's goodness.
Daniel Wolpert, a healer and student of the spiritual life, worked as a research scientist, psychologist, farmer, and teacher, before earning his Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Co-founder and former Executive Director of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing, he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation in numerous settings around the world. A writer and a spiritual director, he has also played key roles in developing environments for contemplation and spiritual leadership, helping to build or restore monasteries, theological schools, and retreat centers across North America. The author of six books, his most recent work is Looking Inward, Living Outward: The Spiritual Practice of Social Transformation (Upper Room 2024). When not on the road, he lives in Seattle, Washington, hanging with his grandson as much as possible.