What is this "thing" called prayer? At sometime or another in our lives we have asked that question. Is it possible that the God of creation actually listens to and answers our prayers or are we having a monologue with ourselves? For those of us who have struggled with these and other questions concerning prayer, "In God's Presence" offers invaluable insights about this wonderful gift of communication.

Majorie Suchocki shares with us her reflections about prayer from both a theological and personal perspective. She leads us through the various conceptions of what we think prayer "is" and shows us another view that moves beyond our well worn myths of communicating with God. We are challenged to look and examin every facet of prayer from the way we view God to offering prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

This is not a "how to" book on prayer with pat formulas to communicate with God. The strength of this work is its insistence on urging us to reflect upon just what we are doing as we pray and the impact it has on us, God and the world. In that reflection prayer becomes more meaningful and alive. I highly recommend this work for those who want to move beyond the mundane babblings that we call prayer and establish a coherent and interdependent conversation with God who cares.

This is a mind-opening book that gives a real reason to pray, placing prayer in the context of our active relationship with God. The first few chapters also offer a clear but simple exposition of "process theology" --- a sometimes daunting way of looking at God and our relationship with God, but here built up in words of one or two syllables. The chapter on death and the dying is among the best essays on this subject I've ever encountered, and it makes profound pastoral and spiritual sense, and speaks to both mind and heart.

This book is the perfect text for someone who is ready to move beyond the common definitions of prayer. Prayer is more than simply conversing with God, according to Suchocki. This book was a fantastic challenge for me. I have been a Christian over 30 years, and this book helped me see prayer in a new way. The chapters on intercession and prayers for healing were exceptional.

This work by Suchochi provides the not so timid reader of theology the opportunity to understand the concepts of evil, God's aim, Christ, Redemption, Resurrection and Eschatology from the view point of Process Theology. Suchochi shows God as a truly relational Being. She explains God as one who takes us from the point we are at, considering our pasts and then providing us with the best possible combination of circumstances (considering the world's influences upon us) and developes a way to reach God's aim. Suchochi provides some diagrams that need to be studied well in order to get the most benefit from them.