Questions about Prayer

Into the Desert is the new blog of Nate (who in his Blogger profile page, rather than listing his favorite books, movies, bands, etc., simply informs us that he is "a peculiar fellow"). Nate, for those of you not in the know, used to hold forth at Eight Strings, and is my eldest lad (heir to the kingdom?).

Of this new blog Nate writes, "This blogger is operating under the notion that the Body of Christ is in need of a robust practice of silence and contemplation. The notion that the Christian life cannot be practically lived unless one travels "into the desert."

In that spirit, his most recent post asks 28 Questions about Prayer. Here, for example, are six of them:

Do I have to use hackneyed language that I hear in church every week in my prayer?

Could action be prayer?

Could I have a very deep, sustaining prayer life and still, for whatever reason, feel uncomfortable praying out loud in a group?

Does prayer have to be theologically sound?

Is more prayer preferable, or is better prayer?

Is prayerlessness actually a prayer, or could it be transformed into one?

BTW, at the end of the post Nate invites readers to ask further questions. Forming questions, positing thoughts in the form of a question, helps us to avoid smug declarations, careless imperatives, and thoughtless bonhomie.