DESCRIPTION
Beautifully written meditations on fifteen well-chosen words In
What's in a Phrase? — winner of the 2015
Christianity Today Book Award in Spirituality — Marilyn McEntyre showed readers how brief scriptural phrases can evoke and invite. In
Word by Word McEntyre invites readers to dwell intentionally with single words — remembering their biblical and literary contexts, considering the personal associations they bring up, and allowing them to become a focus for prayer and meditation.
McEntyre has thoughtfully chosen fifteen words (see below), and she gives each word a week, guiding readers in examining the word from seven different angles throughout the week. She draws on the spiritual practices of
lectio divina and centering prayer as she encourages readers to allow these small words to help them pause and hear the voice of the Spirit. "I invite you to discover," says McEntyre in her introduction, "how words may become little fountains of grace. How a single word may, if you hold it for a while, become a prayer."
| Listen | Accept | Rejoice |
| Receive | Resist | Ask |
| Enjoy | Allow | Dare |
| Let Go | Be Still | Leave |
| Watch | Follow | Welcome |
REVIEWS
Richard Rohr
— author of Falling Upward and Immortal Diamond
"Word by Word brings lively attention to the way single words can open multiple doors of memory, imagination, and reflection. . . . Rich daily reading for those who seek to make their practice of faith and their reading lives more reflective."
Shauna Niequist
— author of Bread & Wine and Savor
"I love this book. It reminds me of the power of language — to heal and instruct us, to challenge and shape us."
Brian Doyle
— author of Mink River and A Book of Uncommon Prayer
"Gentle, wise, piercing, alert — an altogether gracious book in every sense."