Praying with Jonah: Practices for Imperfect Pilgrims (Paperback or Softback)

In a noisy and chaotic world, how do we live into a faith that is both deeply contemplative and compassionately active?

When spiritual director Sharon Seyfarth Garner began forgetting small but important details — appointments, family milestones, even a pot of boiling water left on the stove — she feared the worst and turned to her doctor for answers. After the tests revealed no physical cause for her forgetfulness, she was forced to acknowledge a spiritual truth: the very wisdom she offered others was the wisdom she herself needed most — to slow down and listen for God again.

Praying with Jonah: Practices for Imperfect Pilgrims is a gentle yet compelling invitation to rediscover God's sacred rhythms — stillness and boldness, being and doing, contemplation and action — woven into the messy magnificence of everyday life.

With the reluctant yet relatable prophet Jonah as our fellow pilgrim, Seyfarth Garner invites us to wonder together what it means to be still enough to know and bold enough to go wherever God is calling. Along the way, readers are guided into creative prayer practices — contemplative coloring, poetry, journaling, movement, reflection questions, and more — designed to help us wake up, pray honestly, act boldly, and love extravagantly.

Each chapter includes:

• Reflections on Jonah's journey
• Creative and engaging prayer practices for a deeper dive into meaningful spiritual rhythms
• Whale Spout journal prompts with questions for individual or group reflection based on the themes of the chapter
• A blessing and guidance for creating your own pilgrim's prayer journal

Perfect for personal devotions, small groups, sermon series, or retreats, Praying with Jonah offers a hopeful way forward in tumultuous times.

Come just as you are and discover how to thrive in the belly of the whale and beyond.

Sharon Seyfarth Garner is an ordained United Methodist pastor and the founding director of Belly of the Whale Spiritual Direction & Retreat Ministries. She is the author of several books including Praying with Mandalas: A Colorful Contemplative Practice and Mandalas, Candles and Prayer: A Simply Centered Advent. Sharon is a certified Spiritual Director and cherishes the gift of walking alongside folks in faith. She also leads pilgrimages and retreats across the United States and along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. She loves spending time with family at their cabin in the woods, listening to audiobooks as she gardens, taking long walks in nature, and singing loudly while making up the words.