Nothing is more remarkable--or more beautiful--than an ordinary life, quietly transformed by prayer. This is the life that Deborah Smith Douglas chronicles--and invites readers into--in her lovely collection of essays and poems. Drawing from events as simple as breakfast with her five-year-old daughter or waiting in line at the post office, Douglas shows how a loving relationship with God can be nurtured in small ways every day. "Without my ever really intending it," she writes, "my own life--as a wife and mother, daughter and friend--has taught me to see God hidden in the ordinary, to watch for God under the surface of things as a fisherman watches for fish."

Woven into each of these pieces, along with reflections on the author's experiences, are guidelines for readers watching for God in their own unique--and ordinary--lives. Divided into four sections--Ways of Praying, Healing, Spiritual Companionship, and Fruitfulness--The Praying Life will help Christians move from awareness of God's presence in their lives to a deep participation in God's love.