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Practical Praying: Using The Rosary To Enhance Your Life
The internationally acclaimed psychic and best-selling author shares his belief in the power of prayer to illuminate a path for each individual, specifically through the use of the rosary--includes an audio CD that reviews the process of practical praying and a wallet-sized rosary card. 50,000 first printing.
- GenresSpiritualityPrayer
103 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2005
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118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 8, 2020
3.5 Kindle ebook I feel bad giving a book on praying a 3.5 ….but there was very little content regarding the rosary and praying until the end of the book. This was more about the author's background, life and experiences, which was interesting although not what I was looking for!
December 6, 2007
I have a rosary, and I use it...but not in the traditional way. More like the way John speaks of in his book.
Yes, this is the John Edwards of speaking to the dead fame...imagine my surprise when I saw him on the telly and he spoke of this book. I went to Amazon to check it out and ordered it. Glad I did. I have not finished the book but I have skimmed it..and I think this is a wonderful read for all Christians of course, but also for those of us who choose to connect with Spirit for Guidance in this life.
In the back of the book is a c.d. on which John prays the rosary...step by step...he clearly leads us on an inner journey.
I am posting this before I have fully read the book because I thought it would be a lovely gift to give to a loved one during the Holy Season of Light.
I want to also say, this book speaks of prayer in a clear non specific way..as in..ones using Mala or prayer beads etc.
All in all...I must give this book 5 Stars...hope someone else posts on it...I would like to hear other opinions:) V.
Yes, this is the John Edwards of speaking to the dead fame...imagine my surprise when I saw him on the telly and he spoke of this book. I went to Amazon to check it out and ordered it. Glad I did. I have not finished the book but I have skimmed it..and I think this is a wonderful read for all Christians of course, but also for those of us who choose to connect with Spirit for Guidance in this life.
In the back of the book is a c.d. on which John prays the rosary...step by step...he clearly leads us on an inner journey.
I am posting this before I have fully read the book because I thought it would be a lovely gift to give to a loved one during the Holy Season of Light.
I want to also say, this book speaks of prayer in a clear non specific way..as in..ones using Mala or prayer beads etc.
All in all...I must give this book 5 Stars...hope someone else posts on it...I would like to hear other opinions:) V.
April 14, 2013
Not much new here to me, but surprised and pleased that the author is so attuned to the Rosary. And I liked that the book had the accompanying CD with it, although the first book I bought had the CD with glue on it and it broke while trying to remove it from the back of the book. So I bought another one (very cheap on amazon.com) and was much more careful removing the CD with a razor blade, this time successfully.
February 16, 2009
Read it - re-read parts when I need inspiration. Pray at all hours of the day now - totally believe in the power of the Holy Mother. She has helped me in many ways especially since my mother passed away. John is a great inspiration and a big help to me in accepting the world after my parents passed over. Glad I bought this book.
February 14, 2010
I've been amazed at how much I like this book. I actually want to learn the Rosary now. It comes with a CD which is helpful for a reformed Baptist like myself! I don't affiliate with any one religion- Only with God, the Creator.
April 16, 2011
This is an uplifting book. If we persist in our praying the Rosary, any problem can be solved. You do not need to be Catholic to say the Rosary. Powerful praying is for everyone. John writes in a very down to earth manner. I enjoy all of his books.
December 28, 2019
Concise and to the point
Very quick read. As I am rediscovering my faith, I found great comfort knowing that praying my Rosary is not as difficult as I thought it would be. I would recommend this book to everyone!
Very quick read. As I am rediscovering my faith, I found great comfort knowing that praying my Rosary is not as difficult as I thought it would be. I would recommend this book to everyone!
September 16, 2011
John Edwards describes a non-traditional way to pray the Rosary. Very inspirational. It also includes an audio CD.
September 22, 2012
The best bit was Roma Downey reciting the rosary-the reason I bought it. I use it as a meditation guide in some instances, even though I'm not Catholic/christian.
August 4, 2014
John Edwards describes a non-traditional way to pray using the Rosary. Very inspirational and helpful references at the end of the book
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September 25, 2018I love his books !
November 27, 2023
Most of this book was not about "using the Rosary to enhance your life," but rather the author's own testimony as to why the Rosary and prayer is important to him. I would say that is fine, but it becomes obvious very early on that he is not a Catholic at all; rather, he is a Universalist: "I believe that no religion is the 'right' one, but that each is like an airplane all taking us to the same destination. Each airline may have a different name and a different route, but all will take us to the same place in the end" (4).
He does not believe in the infallibility of the Bible: "''How do you reconcile doing the type of work you do with being a Catholic? Don't mediumship and all things psychic go against the Church?' Well, the answer is, even in a strictly black-and-white interpretation of Church doctrine and the Bible, it would depend on who in the Church is doing the interpreting... It's usually those who I refer to as 'holy rollers' who take the most offense at what I do... We shouldn't let ourselves be limited by an overly strict interpretation of the Bible or any other religious book" (15-16).
Rather, Edward believes that God "inspired" him to become a psychic medium (16), but God never not contradicts Himself and would not contradict the warnings and negative views of mediumship in Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 2 Chronicles 33:6, and Galatians 5:19-21.
Being a psychic medium, Edward uses many New Age terms that aren't found in the Bible: "[getting] in touch with the universe" (ix), "life energy" (x), "focus my energy" (1), "praying...for the energies to communicate with me" (2), "spirit guides" (2), "spiritual energy" (7), "you can begin operating on another level, and take your life, and the lessons it has to offer you, to the next plane" (9), "sense of being integrally connected with the entire universe" (61), "prayer energy" (64), "energy force" (87).
This was also my first introduction to the Rosary and praying the Rosary, as I do not come from a Catholic background. It was interesting to learn about this and about Marian apparitions even if I have not quite settled on my opinions of them. It is a shame that there seems to be such a focus on serving Mary, using the Rosary as "a powerful armor against hell" since "it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies," using the Rosary to "never be conquered by misfortune," (73-74) and Mary making us "worthy of the promises of Christ" (68). To me, it implies a lack of sufficiency in the Gospel, in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
Reading this was a good exercise for me in examining concepts touching the New Age and liberal Christianity, and I took notes along the way. I did agree with a number of things Edward mentions, such as the power of prayer and how prayer should not be used to try to claim material success, because "the core issues of the soul, the self, and the spirit, cannot be fixed or repaired no matter how much money we may amass" (85). I also agree that in general, we see that children in the Church are not being taught the Bible sufficiently, and their teachers often leave out the difficult parts. This causes children to eventually grow into adults who don't know how to answer basic questions about their faith and who then stray from the Church and faith entirely. I'm afraid this may have happened in Edward's own background which caused him to go down this path of mediumship.
Edward seems like a nice person though! I certainly would have a cup of coffee with him and chat with him, but I just don't agree with his views of the Bible or his path in life, but I know we would find some common ground in some regards.
He does not believe in the infallibility of the Bible: "''How do you reconcile doing the type of work you do with being a Catholic? Don't mediumship and all things psychic go against the Church?' Well, the answer is, even in a strictly black-and-white interpretation of Church doctrine and the Bible, it would depend on who in the Church is doing the interpreting... It's usually those who I refer to as 'holy rollers' who take the most offense at what I do... We shouldn't let ourselves be limited by an overly strict interpretation of the Bible or any other religious book" (15-16).
Rather, Edward believes that God "inspired" him to become a psychic medium (16), but God never not contradicts Himself and would not contradict the warnings and negative views of mediumship in Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 2 Chronicles 33:6, and Galatians 5:19-21.
Being a psychic medium, Edward uses many New Age terms that aren't found in the Bible: "[getting] in touch with the universe" (ix), "life energy" (x), "focus my energy" (1), "praying...for the energies to communicate with me" (2), "spirit guides" (2), "spiritual energy" (7), "you can begin operating on another level, and take your life, and the lessons it has to offer you, to the next plane" (9), "sense of being integrally connected with the entire universe" (61), "prayer energy" (64), "energy force" (87).
This was also my first introduction to the Rosary and praying the Rosary, as I do not come from a Catholic background. It was interesting to learn about this and about Marian apparitions even if I have not quite settled on my opinions of them. It is a shame that there seems to be such a focus on serving Mary, using the Rosary as "a powerful armor against hell" since "it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies," using the Rosary to "never be conquered by misfortune," (73-74) and Mary making us "worthy of the promises of Christ" (68). To me, it implies a lack of sufficiency in the Gospel, in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
Reading this was a good exercise for me in examining concepts touching the New Age and liberal Christianity, and I took notes along the way. I did agree with a number of things Edward mentions, such as the power of prayer and how prayer should not be used to try to claim material success, because "the core issues of the soul, the self, and the spirit, cannot be fixed or repaired no matter how much money we may amass" (85). I also agree that in general, we see that children in the Church are not being taught the Bible sufficiently, and their teachers often leave out the difficult parts. This causes children to eventually grow into adults who don't know how to answer basic questions about their faith and who then stray from the Church and faith entirely. I'm afraid this may have happened in Edward's own background which caused him to go down this path of mediumship.
Edward seems like a nice person though! I certainly would have a cup of coffee with him and chat with him, but I just don't agree with his views of the Bible or his path in life, but I know we would find some common ground in some regards.
October 14, 2025
Irredeemable. I learned nothing from it. Skip it.
The author made a living tricking people into believing he could communicate with their dead relatives. I was stunned by his audacity in publishing a book on the rosary—which he doesn't even attempt to pray properly—more than half of which is absurd little vignettes that only an easily manipulated grandma could believe or want to read.
Wow your taxi driver in Mexico was named Jesus, what a life changing coinky-dink.
The last 25 pages are padded out with "Notes" lines and—the gall!—a "journal" part to fill up the remaining pages. If we're seeing through coincidences, the book looks like it aimed to be right at 100 pages. I'll let the thinking man (who should never read this book) figure it out.
The author made a living tricking people into believing he could communicate with their dead relatives. I was stunned by his audacity in publishing a book on the rosary—which he doesn't even attempt to pray properly—more than half of which is absurd little vignettes that only an easily manipulated grandma could believe or want to read.
Wow your taxi driver in Mexico was named Jesus, what a life changing coinky-dink.
The last 25 pages are padded out with "Notes" lines and—the gall!—a "journal" part to fill up the remaining pages. If we're seeing through coincidences, the book looks like it aimed to be right at 100 pages. I'll let the thinking man (who should never read this book) figure it out.
April 3, 2021
A guide to praying the rosary.
June 20, 2022
I read this searching for an answer about why I have been drawn to the rosary lately. It supported my intentions.
March 2, 2025
Interesting
January 3, 2008
Insightful humorous personal stories from John and excellent advice on incorporating prayer in our daily lives in a practical way. Quick read & comes with a CD.
January 14, 2016
A lovely book and CD. I acquired this one for my own collection.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews