Nothing embodies the mystery of faith quite like prayer. Although sometimes an elusive practice that may baffle and confuse, prayer is not otherworldly, for it is in prayer, in talking and listening to our infinite, loving creator, that we truly find our way in this world. In the twenty-first issue of The Other Journal, contributors consider the transformative mystery of prayer in all its questions and practicalities. They carefully think through intercessory prayer and prayerful political theology and what it means to commune with God and one another. They dance, laugh, and pray like fools. The issue features essays and reviews by Emmanuel Katongole, Erin Lane, Timothy McGee, L. Roger Owens, Andrew Prevot, Carl Raschke, and Lauren Smelser White; interviews by Kate Rae Davis, Ashleigh Elser, Jen Grabarczyk, and SueJeanne Koh with Sarah Coakley, Peter Ochs, Dominique Ovalle, and Richard Twiss; and fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry by Mary M. Brown, Kate Rae Davis, Denise Frame Harlan, Katie Manning, Tania Moore, Jillena Rose, Nicholas Samaras, and Robert Vander Lugt.

"I would like to write a beautiful prayer," writes the young Flannery O'Connor in this deeply spiritual journal, recently discovered among her papers in Georgia. "There is a whole sensible world around me that I should be able to turn to Your praise." Written between 1946 and 1947 while O'Connor was a student far from home at the University of Iowa, A Prayer Journal is a rare portal into the interior life of the great writer. Not only does it map O'Connor's singular relationship with the divine, but it shows how entwined her literary desire was with her yearning for God. "I must write down that I am to be an artist. Not in the sense of aesthetic frippery but in the sense of aesthetic craftsmanship; otherwise I will feel my loneliness continually . . . I do not want to be lonely all my life but people only make us lonelier by reminding us of God. Dear God please help me to be an artist, please let it lead to You." O'Connor could not be more plain about her literary ambition: "Please help me dear God to be a good writer and to get something else accepted," she writes. Yet she struggles with any trace of self-regard: "Don't let me ever think, dear God, that I was anything but the instrument for Your story." As W. A. Sessions, who knew O'Connor, writes in his introduction, it was no coincidence that she began writing the stories that would become her first novel, Wise Blood, during the years when she wrote these singularly imaginative Christian meditations. Including a facsimile of the entire journal in O'Connor's own hand, A Prayer Journal is the record of a brilliant young woman's coming-of-age, a cry from the heart for love, grace, and art.

This Aqua colored, Butterfly design, "Serenity Prayer," large hardcover, flat-laying journal has a ribbon marker, two-color interior and 192 lined pages with a scripture verse at the bottom of each page. It is 6" x 8" in size.

Maybe your grandchildren are living with you. Maybe they're thousands of miles away. Their parents may be spiritually rebellious or simply neglectful of the family's spiritual life, failing to make prayer and church attendance a regular part of their routine. But even if your grandchildren's parents have established a strong Christian home, busy schedules, jobs, parenting, and all the distractions of today's world conspire to distract or even destroy the family. How can you, as a grandparent, help? God gives grandparents a sacred trust an opportunity to imprint another generation with the message of his faithfulness. You can stand in the gap by being a godly example for your grandchildren and by praying for them. Even grandparents who already pray regularly for their grandchildren will discover creative suggestions for making the practice even more meaningful. From cell phones to photo prayer journals, you'll find tools that work for you and for your grandchildren. Author Lillian Ann Penner provides specific examples of prayers to help you get started, such as alphabet prayers, prayers based on special scriptures, and prayers for certain holidays. You may even widen the circle, praying for other children in your life, for children who have parents in the military, and for the adults who influence your grandchildren. Regardless of how far away your grandchildren are, praying for them can bridge the distance between you and leave them with an inheritance more precious than gold.

From the award-winning author of Prayer comes an elegant companion to the struggles, joys, and insights of prayer. Here, Foster offers memorable quotations from the Bible and devotional writers to encourage and guide readers on their individual faith journeys. Space is provided for recording special moments. Two-color interior.

THE ORIGINAL Prayer Map! What Does Prayer Look Like? . . . Find out in The Prayer Map for Boys. This unique prayer journal is a fun and creative way for the boys in your life to understand the importance and experience the power of prayer. Each page features a fun 2-color design that guides boys to write out specific thoughts, ideas, and lists. . .which then creates a specific "map" for them to follow as they talk to God. Each map includes a spot to record the date, so boys can look back on their prayers and see how God has worked in their lives. The Prayer Map for Boys will not only encourage them to spend time talking with God about the things that matter most. . .it will also help them build a healthy spiritual habit of continual prayer that will carry over into adulthood. Boys Ages 8-to-12. This creative journal, perfect for boys ages 8 and up, features: A user-friendly spiral binding--lays flat! Delightfully designed two-color interior Space to record the date on each Prayer Map Prompted sections guide the creation of each Prayer Map--from start to finish Carefully selected scripture on every spread