cover image Every Day I Pray: Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion

Every Day I Pray: Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion

Iyanla Vanzant. Fireside Books, $10.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-684-85999-6

Prayer is""an inner communion with the divine"" and should be""as natural as breathing,"" writes spirituality diva Vanzant, author of the bestselling In the Meantime, in this collection drawn from her ongoing""Prayer Journal."" There's undeniable energy (and a lot of exclamation points) in Vanzant's personal entreaties; she's fond of ringing but generic affirmations of God (who is""awesome,""""magnificent,""""amazing"" and""a skilled negotiator"") and self (""I praise my body! I love my body!"").""Every thought, every word, every action is a prayer,"" Vanzant says, but she still offers specifics: there are prayers for""Alignment with God"" and for blessing married couples; to""Eliminate Tiredness or Exhaustion"" and to give thanks. Her fervent desire for the Divine presence in every facet of life will be inspiring for many, but others might find her detailed invocations (""Teach me to monitor my thoughts and desires to ensure that they are filled with love, harmony and peace for myself and everyone in my life in all situations and under all circumstances"";""Please purge my agenda today. Take out of my life everything...that could possibly take my focus from you"") a trifle demanding. Replete with""I"" statements, many of her prayers seem self-absorbed; the longer, more reflective ones, such as""Prayer When Ending a Relationship"" and""God's Promise"" strike deeper chords. Vanzant's spirituality of is powerful and motivating, as is her rags-to-riches bio, but occasionally this volume seems as much about her as it is about God. Photos of Vanzant and her children.