Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church. Robert Elmer. 2022. 352 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Scripture tells us in Luke 11:1 that the original twelve disciples asked Jesus how to pray. It was a good question then, and one worth asking again today.
Fount of Heaven is a collection of prayers from the early church fathers; these prayers come from the first few centuries of the church.
I believe they are arranged somewhat topically. Though to be fair I had a hard time decoding the topics and themes. In part, I think there IS a definite gap. The writings feel foreign which can be explained for at least two reasons: the authors were born thousands of years ago AND there are big cultural shifts. It isn't a bad thing to get snapshots from the past. Especially if you want to take the time to really settle in and engage with the writing. This requires perhaps getting out of your comfort zone and putting in the effort to find meaning, to go beyond the surface level.
I was hoping this one would read more like Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers. It didn't. That's not the author's fault.
The author I found myself 'liking' most was Augustine. I think for me personally I might have been better off seeking something that was just focused on Augustine. I'm sure such books exist!
I also think this one probably wasn't meant to be read cover to cover in a week. Again, I think if you were to have this book in hand and spend weeks, months, or even an entire year with it, you might find it valuable.
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