Take the Quiz: What's Your Praying Personality?

Finding Your Natural Prayer Style—& a BOOK GIVEAWAY

Hi Friends,

If you’d been at my place this week, you may have heard my questions and cheers, my groans and gratitude . . . all spilling willy-nilly from me, all uncooked.

They streamed from me after I read that text. And when I heard that news on that screen and guessed at that whisper, more sailed from me, passing through ether to the ears of God.

I pleaded, too, and—when that moon rose full, and that hummingbird arrived through snow—I sang with awe. You’d have heard, or at least sensed, the mishmash coming from me raw, shot straight from my hip and heart.

Because that’s how I pray.

Once upon a time, I thought I had it wrong. Prayer, I mean.

Make a list, I’d heard. Dedicate a set time. Get on your knees. Do this, and this, and this . . .

But I’m squirmy. Non-linear. Too weak to pack boulders of concern until an appointed hour. Too clumsy to leave my buckets of joy unspilled.

Mine are the on-the-spot prayers of a kindergartener who shares everything with, and needs everything from, the One nearby, the Daddy she loves.

And that’s okay.

So are your prayer styles, friends.

Or, as author Janet Holm McHenry calls them—your Praying Personalities.

In McHenry’s new book by that name, she not only affirms my natural bent for prayer, but offers guidance for growth within it. Given all the praying styles in this book, I have little doubt she’ll do the same for you.

Here’s the gist:

Discover the particular way God designed you to connect with prayer!

You should pray in the morning. You should write out your prayers. You should make prayer lists and pray through them every day. You should pray with others or out loud. We've all heard the "you shoulds" of prayer from pulpits, presenters, and well-meaning friends. But when none of these ways to pray feel natural, what's next?

Janet Holm McHenry has studied prayer extensively, and the one thing she knows for sure is that there's no one-size-fits-all way to pray. Instead, there are different styles of prayer--and by discovering the style most instinctive to each individual personality, staying in touch with God throughout the day becomes simple and all the more joyful.

In this book, the author helps readers determine their particular praying personality by examining the praying styles of biblical people, spiritual gifts, and various ideas about personality, including the classic temperaments, the Enneagram, and more. McHenry includes scores of bulleted suggestions for developing a praying lifestyle that works for individuals. She has also created a Praying Personality Quiz for readers (available in the book and online) to help narrow down the style that will most naturally fit into how they process a prayer life.

Whether a longtime Christian who has tried various prayer strategies but can't keep up or a new believer looking to learn about this spiritual discipline, every reader who dives into this book will come away with a renewed prayer life and a greater understanding of who God created them to be.

You can preorder it HERE.

Ready for a Praying Personality quiz? Aim your camera at the QR code and click.

What do you think? Did your results ring true? I’d love to hear. Let me know in the comments?

OR . . . If you’re a subscriber, you can also respond privately by replying to this email. AND you can win a copy of the book!

Here’s how:

SUBSCRIBERS: Reply to this email between January 26 and February 1 with the word PRAYER somewhere in your message. On February 2, I’ll draw a name from subscriber entries, and will send the winner a copy of Praying Personalities.

📣 📣 📣 Now BOOK STUFF: Tech glitches during our move here to Substack last week sent you an old Saturday Letter AND bounced a number of your replies to me. Sorry for the mixup, and THANK YOU to those who tracked me down to tell me—and to say you preordered Leaning on Air. By now we’ve connected, and you’ve received your advance review copy of the book, right?

Did I miss you in all the mixup? Please try again? Preorder the book HERE, you won’t be charged until it ships in May.

And because beauty, love, truth, and a smile do the heart good, here you go:

Flurry.

"The Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.'"

—Luke 10:41-42

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Day, unwrapped.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

—James 1:17

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Thaw.

"He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow."

—Psalm 147:18

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Seen.

"And no creature is hidden from his sight . . ."

—Hebrews 4:13

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For now.

"I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by."

—Exodus 33:22

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Croissant.

"Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die."

—John 6:49-50

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BTW—our neighbor girl texted that an example is something that used to be ample. Got a comeback for me?

Love,

Cheryl