Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace - Hardcover

"A wise, helpful and nourishing book, filled with personal stories and practical guidance."
— Marcus J. Borg, author, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time and Reading the Bible Again for the First Time

"Jane Vennard's carefully constructed book creates much-needed bridges— between the personal and political, the mystical and mundane, the pastoral and prophetic— so that pilgrims can connect to the world and beyond."
— Swanee Hunt, former United States Ambassador to Austria

"In Embracing the World: Praying for Justice and Peace, Jane Vennard gives us fresh and creative perspectives on the many questions that surround prayer. With numerous and varied examples, she shows us how to connect with others through personal prayer to help bring peace in our chaotic, afflicted world. This is a very timely book. While its focus is primarily Christian, readers who follow other spiritual traditions will not go unrewarded."
— Patricia Hopkins, coauthor, The Feminine Face of God: the Unfolding of the Sacred in Women

"A comprehensive and contemporary look at the meaning and power that will speak to all who are hungry for the voice of God in today's world. Jane Vennard reaffirms our essential connectedness to the mercy and comfort of God who forever waits to hear our voices and listen to our silences."
— Edwina Gateley, minister, speaker, poet, and author of I Hear a Seed Growing

Prayer can be much more than a personal spiritual practice to foster your relationship with God. It can also be a way of engaging with the world and increasing the compassion, love, and hope that can make a difference in our troubled and hurting world.
Embracing the World is your guide to finding a deeper relationship with God through prayer and to seeing how your prayers can contribute to healing the world. Author Jane E. Vennard helps you understand how to best use your spiritual gifts and graces to serve God as well as the cause of peace and social justice here on earth.
Embracing the World reveals the twofold nature of prayer: as both contemplation and action. Vennard explains that prayer is a cycle where prayer leads to service and service leads to reflection and back to God. Throughout the book, she explores many different forms of outward-reaching prayer and includes a wealth of vivid descriptions, helpful explanations, captivating stories, and biblical and theological reflections.
Embracing the World will nourish your soul and help you contribute to the making of a just and peaceful world.