Words With God
Trading boring, empty prayer for real connection.
The Book
About the Book
Let’s face it. For most of us, prayer is a struggle.
We know we should pray. Deep down, we have some sense that it would be good for us—that it would help us be more grounded, more connected to God. But in the busyness of our hurried lives, slowing down to pray can often feel like a cosmic waste of time.
Do our prayers even matter?
Why does it so often feel like there’s no one on the other end of the line?
What, if anything, is truly happening when we pray?
Are we having words with God or just words with ourselves?
In Words with God, Addison Bevere invites you deeper into the tension of prayer—the struggles, the doubts, the answers—the divine wrestling of it all. In this fast-paced and fragmented world, you’ll discover how prayer is the only way to put it all back together.
Throughout history, the people of God have been known as those who wrestle with him. There are no formulas. God doesn’t fit in our boxes. He can’t be pinned down. But he invites us to know him by contending with him. Authentically. Honestly. Here. Now.
Inside
Words With God
Part 1
The Canyon
Ch. 1: The Voice
“Communion is what we’re truly chasing . . . Prayer–words with God–is our highest and best communion. Even when our prayers have no words.” pg. 19 & 20
Ch. 2: Into Silence
“I was beginning to learn that peace is not found in having all the answers, it’s found when we’re in tune with the One who is the Answer.” pg. 25
Ch. 3: The Prayer
“It’s tempting to reduce anything and everything about prayer to pithy statements and life hacks, but the pathway of real connection with God is much more exciting.” pg. 39
Part 2
The Temple
Ch. 4: What We Call God
“When we pray “Father,” however, we surrender our deepest and darkest pains about fathers to what Jesus knows about the Father, a revelation he invites us to experience through prayer. ” pg. 59
Ch. 5: Seeing the Kingdom
“The Accuser’s greatest fear is that prayer would become an intimate part of us and reshape our world.” pg. 76
Ch. 6: Opening the Conversation
“…constant prayer is a place of rest, not another form of striving. It is a rest of the heart, a holy deep breath.” pg. 86
Part 3
The Dance
Ch. 7: The Integrator
“This is the highest form of prayer: beholding God in the Spirit... surrendering all our efforts to grasp God so we can be grasped by him.” pg. 106
Ch. 8: I Am Here
“The Father has a way of not delivering us from something when he knows that thing will ultimately deliver us to him.” pg. 123
Ch. 9: How Should We Ask?
“Prayer is much more than a transaction; it’s a transformative journey into the Father’s heart.” pg. 142
Ch. 10: Confession, Sin, and Conscience
“A prayer of confession has, for many, become a transaction, something that clears the ledger….Confession is not for God, it’s for us.” pg. 150
Ch. 11: Me to We
“When we, through prayer, awaken an awareness in our brother, he will attack his betrayal and disease as only he can - from the inside.” pg. 177
Ch. 12: Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is the central theme of the gospel because it’s the path of reconciliation to God, to ourselves, and to others. ” pg. 181
Ch. 13: Trials, Temptations, and Joys
“In this sense, the temptations (trial) becomes the pathway of godly formation. It is how we grow in character and capacity–all the while knowing that if we face it, we can make it.” pg. 201
Ch. 14: In the Name
“To pray in the Name is to give the Voice, who has a name, the final Word. ” pg. 220
Re-Learn to Pray
The Invitation
On most Sundays, I share a few words on prayer as a way of life, words that help us open the conversation so we can see, hear, and experience more of God in our daily lives. I’d love for you to join the conversation.
When you sign up, I’ll send you the first 2 chapters of the Words with God book as a gift!
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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM
Re-Learning to Pray
Sunday Entries
June 11, 2023
I’ve been thinking a lot about circles lately.
So much of life is defined by circles—our days, weeks, months, and years form circles for us to move in and through. We’re constantly reminded that the end of a thing has a way of taking us back to a beginning.
It would seem the cosmos announces the Circle as God’s shape of choice.
But in a world where progress is defined by straight lines and checked boxes, corporate ladders and bar charts, what’s circular is often considered unsuccessful—a waste of time and energy.
We prefer the efficiency of the “direct assault.”
I love the story of Jericho and its 13 circles. For seven days Israel walked around Jericho, seeing it from every angle. With each pass, they became more familiar with their pursuit, more aware of the promise, more in tune with the tension.
The militant voices of human strategy and efficiency were silenced. The only sound, until the very end, was the blast of the trumpets, which was a constant symbol of praise, a defiant declaration. Only through silence would victory find its sound.
And in the end, one week of walking in faithful circles accomplished something that would’ve taken months of direct assault.
The question that I want us to be prayerful about this week is, What is my Jericho?
The Course
Session Titles
Session 1 – Revisiting Prayer
Session 2 – Praying in the Pain
Session 3 – Opening the Conversation
Session 4 – The Power of Confession
Session 5 – The Heart of Prayer
Session 6 – Praying in the Name
We created the Words with God course to help you embrace prayer as a way of life.
Because, let’s face it…for most of us, prayer is a struggle. Do our prayers even matter? Are we saying the right things? Is it even about that? What goes right when prayer, well, works? Or wrong when it doesn’t? Does prayer even have anything to do with us?
Are we having words with God or just words with ourselves?
In the Words with God course, Addison & Juli Bevere invite you deeper into the tension of prayer—the struggles, the doubts, the answers—the divine wrestling of it all. In this fast-paced and fragmented world, you’ll discover how prayer is the only way to put it all back together.
Throughout history, the people of God have been known as those who wrestle with him. There are no formulas. God doesn’t fit in our boxes. He can’t be pinned down. But he invites us to know him by contending with him. Authentically. Honestly. Personally. Here. Now.
6 Full-Length Sections
Dive into topics such as hearing God’s voice, moving through the pain of unanswered prayers, understanding prayer’s framework and purpose, praying in the Name, and more!
Conversational Format
Benefit from multiple perspectives as Addison and Juli Bevere tackle the difficult and intimate world of prayer.
Course Guide
Provides a personal, practical, and purposeful component to each session.
About
Meet Addison
Addison loves disassembling the boxes that fragment and frustrate our lives—a process he calls integrative faith. Prayer is his passion, and he is the author of Words with God, Saints, and the coauthor of The Holy Spirit: An Introduction. He serves as the COO of Messenger International, a discipleship organization that impacts millions of people in nearly every country. Addison and his wife, Juli, have four children and live in Nashville, Tennessee.
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CONTACT, INTERVIEW & COPY REQUESTS
Pamela McClure, McClure Muntsinger Public Relations | [email protected]
SPEAKING & OTHER REQUESTS
Heather Moerman | [email protected]
Addison Bevere is the COO of Messenger International, a ministry founded by John and Lisa Bevere in 1990 that exists to develop uncompromising followers of Christ who transform our world. Messenger is dedicated to providing people with access to life-transforming messages regardless of their location, language, or financial position.
Addison Bevere
Husband, father, author, poet, speaker & follower of Christ
Addison Bevere
Husband, father, author, poet, speaker & follower of Christ
2024 © Addison Bevere. All Rights Reserved.