As I was reading the manuscript of this book, The Joy of Prayer: The Way to Intimacy with God, I had an epiphany. I mean a real one. I actually had the sense of being in the presence of God. I felt closer to God than I had ever felt while reading a book, even the Bible itself. 

And the feeling lingered for hours and days. 

I know this a very extravagant statement, but it is true. I do not normally say something like this about a book I am reading or reviewing, and all my friends know that. 

The Joy of Prayer has given me insights into the gift of prayer that I never had before, even when reading the works of such popular writers as Thomas Merton, Anne Lamott, and Harry Emerson Fosdick. 

The reason undoubtedly lies in the unique life and personality and point of view of the author of The Joy of Prayer, the Rev. Dr. James E. McReynolds. 

~John Killinger