“I think Jesus watches eagerly for us to break out of the mold–as He did.” ~Kelly O’Dell Stanley from Praying Upside Down, A creative prayer experience to transform your time with God
I am honored to have been asked to read and review Praying Upside Down. Kelly O’Dell Stanley is a graphic designer and writer. You can read more about Kelly at her blog.
If your prayer life has become stale or feels stagnant, you may want to consider “praying upside down.” What does this mean? you wonder. I assure you it has almost nothing to do with your physical position while praying, unless you want it to. Because God sometimes works in unexpected ways, sometimes we should pray in ways we also wouldn’t expect.
As Kelly says, we can “flip-flop our needs with a friend.” It’s a sort of you-scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours of prayer, in the most sincere and purest form. You pray for your friend’s needs and your friend prays for your needs.
I love how Kelly shares some intimate moments in her life, particularly her experience with her mom’s illness. This touched me in a specific way and I could see myself in her experience with regards to my own mom. This book caused me to dig deep and it challenged me, which is something we all need. Kelly even includes “Prayer Palette” at the chapters’ ends with some challenges for introspection and exploration. Uniquely, this book adds clear splashes of art and even a Van Gogh mention (the artist who has been personally inspiring to me). It will open your eyes and heart to a new way of praying, one you may have never considered previously, so that your prayer life may be enhanced and you can develop a richer relationship with Him.
“Praying upside down is a way to move your prayers away from the expected so that you can learn something new, hear an answer you didn’t anticipate, or see God in a unique way.”
You can purchase Praying Upside Down at any of these great places and I wholeheartedly suggest that you do. Chances are, you’ll be sitting on a beautiful beach, unplugged at your campsite, traveling in a car or plane at some point this summer, and you’ll wish you had a great book to read. This should be that book.
(Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. It is an honest review based solely upon my own opinion).
