Little birds of prayer
Andrew Taylor-Troutman invites readers into a gentle practice of prayer shaped by rhythm, imagination and praise.
Thank you. Please. Why? Help. How beautiful. How horrible. Guide me. Show me. Forgive me. Help me forgive. What do I do? How do I continue?
Or — silence.
Or — joy.
Many of us have been taught that prayer requires a certain posture and language, that there is a right way to pray, to speak to and seek the presence of God.
But is that true?
Prayer is as unique as the person offering it, and it comes from all corners and spaces, from all emotions and needs. At times, it is a sigh. Other times, a groan. Still other times, silence.
Prayer is the active seeking of God’s heart and presence, inviting God’s nearness.
God hears all.
In this issue of the Outlook, we explore prayer that is right just the way it is, prayer that is poetry, prayer that is witness. The prayers of one, the prayers of generations. The prayers of the individual, the prayers that are corporate. What we ask of God shapes our steps in this world.
You already know how to pray and that you do it daily, perhaps constantly, through your longing, you do it daily, perhaps constantly, through your longing, your wondering, and your reaching out to seek God’s nearness.
God has been listening the whole time.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman invites readers into a gentle practice of prayer shaped by rhythm, imagination and praise.
Roger and Mary Clare Owens share how writing a book on prayer together taught them there are no experts — just curious souls learning to connect with God in their own way.
In "Braving the Truth," Rachel Held Evans’ essays continue to guide doubters, seekers and exvangelicals toward hope-filled faith. — Amy Pagliarella
In "The Gospel of Salome," Kaethe Schwehn gives voice to an overlooked female disciple to craft a vivid, humanizing portrait of the historical Jesus. Ross Fogg offers a review.
Blaine Crawford reviews James K. A. Smith's "Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark," a timely and deeply personal guide to finding faith, love and companionship in life's darkest seasons.
Joy isn’t the absence of pain — it’s what we carry through it. In "Joyful, Anyway," Kate Bowler offers hope without easy answers. Amy Pagliarella provides a review.
Winterbourne Harrison-Jones reimagines prayer as activism, insisting that true communion with God must move beyond the sanctuary and into the streets.
Poetry is not proclaimed in a vacuum. Neither is prayer. Both teach us to construct our words with care and intention. — Kathryn Lester-Bacon
Quincy Worthington recounts witnessing protest and brutality outside an ICE detention center in Broadview, Illinois — and how that moment reshaped his understanding of faith, power and public discipleship.
L. Roger Owens reflects on prayer as both practice and way of life, inviting readers to see every moment as participation in God’s presence.
In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation.
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Psalm 47's call to stillness as both divine command and open invitation — exploring how silence, doubt, and sacred pause open us to the presence of God.
Rosalind Banbury previews the 2026-27 Presbyterian Women/Horizons Bible Study, "United through Christ, Bound to Each Other."
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