Developing Intimacy With God: An Eight-Week Prayer Guide Based on Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises

It is customary for pastors to urge their congregations to spend time with God in prayer. They know that this is of paramount importance, the one thing needful. But instructions given by pastors usually have to do with prayer for others or prayer for oneself. Rarely does one hear instruction on how, specifically, one can nurture and deepen one's relationship with Jesus. This is the challenge that Alex Aronis has taken up in his book, Developing Intimacy with GodAnchored on the spiritual classic The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Alex has made the necessary adjustments to this sixteenth century text to maximize its contribution for modern readers. Thus, the book serves as a personal spiritual guide. It can be used for individual or group use and coaches the prayer over an eight-week period through a series of interactive prayer exercises.Aronis writes, 'For disciples of Jesus, nothing in this world is of greater importance than experiencing intimate communion with Christ. It is our greatest privilege to know Jesus personally, and to let God love us as we commune with him on a daily basis. Developing Intimacy with God will teach you how to do that.'

Alex Aronis was raised in Los Angeles and lives with his wife, Carol, in Cincinnati, Ohio. For sixteen years he served as a Navy Chaplain, and for sixteen years he served as pastor of the Union Church of Manila and Kenwood Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is currently the Senior Pastor of Union Church of Manila.He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Fuller Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, and has a Ph.D. from the American University.Alex Aronis conducts retreats, workshops, and seminars on devotional prayer for churches, schools, and missionary organizations. For further information, contact Alex at his email address: alexaronis@unionchurch.ph.