The best spiritual book I’ve read this year is Uncommon Prayer by Michael Plekon. The author’s own spiritual pilgrimage is interesting all by itself. Plekon began as a Carmelite Friar, left the order, married, and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology. He has taught at the City College of New York since 1977 and was concurrently a Lutheran pastor for 15 years and then an Orthodox priest. That’s quite a range of experience.
 

Just as widely ranging is the subject of his book which is revealed in the subtitle: “Prayer in Everyday Experience.” Plekon looks at the spiritual insights of numerous people in varied situations. He examines the prayer of a hermit–Thomas Merton; poets– Mary Oliver, Christian Winman, and Mary Karr; people who care for those in need–Dorothy Day and Maria Skobtsova; and my favorite, prayer of pirogi making–the members of his parish who make and sell pirogis to finance charitable work.

Plekon’s diverse experience provides one of the strengths to the book in that his examples are

from various Christian (and some not exactly Christian) traditions. I have often found that Roman Catholics have little understanding of Protestant religious figures or visa versa and neither group seems to know much about the Orthodox. I think we’re impoverished if we don’t experience the spectrum of spiritual ideas across the whole Christianity.

I always enjoy reading about how people live out their faith in their everyday lives. I need their examples as a challenge to me, but also as an assurance that God can use anyone, including me.

Read Romans 12:9-13, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne