Reddit Reddit reviews The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

We found 11 Reddit comments about The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
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11 Reddit comments about The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions:

u/Luo_Bo_Si · 5 pointsr/Reformed

It's a book of Puritan prayers.

The publisher puts a new one up maybe daily here.

u/nmshhhh · 3 pointsr/TrueChristian

I’ve been really enjoying this for daily readings before my Bible time: Daily Readings-the Early Church Fathers https://www.amazon.com/dp/152710043X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_I2VEAbY526C09

Also this for help with prayer: The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions https://www.amazon.com/dp/0851512283/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_33VEAbQ0FRS8S

Check these out! Hope they prove useful to you.

u/dionysius_rossi · 2 pointsr/Reformed

The Puritans practiced a form of discursive "meditation" (think of Augustine's Confessions and how he talks to God while thinking through something) that has been getting some much needed attention lately. David Saxton's book "God's Battle Plan for the Mind: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation" is a great book on the subject.  Joel Berke also has a great summary (in less depth), for free here.

Another Reformed classic is Matthew Henry's A Way to Pray, which is online here. Henry takes the strangely novel approach of creating a "prayer book" composed entirely of Scripture.

Another absolutely essentially "prayer book" is "The Valley of Vision."  Just get it.

Finally, not to be to self serving, but I have setup an online liturgical website who's sole intention is to help Christians pray either regular morning and evening services (Psalter once a month), or even the classic hours (Psalter in a week).  I created Reformed and Evangelical services that try to combine Matthew Henry's method of using Scripture as the prayers while retaining the classical western liturgical tradition (similar to the Book of Common Prayer) but modified to remove the repetitions and keep the non-biblical content to an absolute minimum. If you're interested, you can check it out here.

One last thing, I'd personally stay away from things like the Jesus Prayer if you're Reformed. There's nothing wrong with the prayer itself, but it's practice in the East is tied into the mystical practice of hesychasm, which is itself tied to the asceticism of the Eastern Orthodox, which is in turn, tied to a very un-Reformed view of salvation as the synergistic healing of the nous (which was just damaged in the fall) through the asceticism of the church, rather than as spiritually dead people being saved by God in spite of themselves and through no action of their own.

u/gt0163c · 2 pointsr/Reformed

Yes, all RUF pastors are ordained ministers with seminary training. I'm friends with a bunch of current and former RUF pastors as well as other staff members (interns, the intern coordinator, assistant to an area director, etc). RUF's an awesome ministry and I'm a little jealous they it wasn't on my campus when I was in college. I'm sure your meeting with the pastor will be fruitful.

As for your concerns. Yep. That happens. Spiritual disciplines are hard. Fortunately we serve a God who knows that. Jesus died for us knowing full well most of us were going to be forgetful, sluggish people who neglect what we've been taught a good portion of the time and don't like to or want to repent. The fact that this troubles you is good! It's evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your life!

So, how do you fix it? There are some ways to become better at spiritual disciplines. Set aside a specific time each day to read scripture and pray. Using a devotional/Bible study guide might help. It's okay to pray printed prayers (The Valley of Vision) is one good source). Being in fellowship with other believers and being intentional about your interactions, talking about spiritual matters, praying together, etc is also helpful. There are tons of strategies. But also remember that these things do not save you (Yes, you almost certainly already know this. But as people we're really good at forgetting things.) There's a good quote from a book by Dallas Willard; "Grace is opposed to earning, not effort."

u/robertwilliams · 2 pointsr/Reformed

I understand your point and disagree. But really my intent was to use the BCP in private worship and devotions; the RPW only pertains to corporate worship.

I have a copy of The Valley of Vision which is a collection of devotions and prayers of the Puritans. Some have used it for their own devotions. Would you also consider that inappropriate?

There's also this book about a prayer of a guy named Jabez; I think I should try that out for sure. ;-)

u/chewblacca681 · 2 pointsr/Reformed

Have you considered going through The Valley of Vision, perhaps following a daily guide?

Not only do I enjoy and benefit from praying the old Puritan prayers, they also help and encourage me to consistently pray personal prayers.

u/terevos2 · 2 pointsr/Reformed
u/pilesofwater · 1 pointr/TrueChristian

Have you ever read The Valley of Vision? I think you may enjoy it