Karl Barth's legendary image of preaching with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other now has a matching image for praying. In Ain't Too Proud to Beg Telford Work encourages praying with a social documentary in one hand and the Lord's Prayer in the other. The result is neither a commentary on the Lord's Prayer nor a theology of prayer. Instead it is an exercise book that uses prayer to strengthen our theological muscles.
Work proposes that we take whatever is happening in our world -- a political election or the latest war will do -- and set the Lord's Prayer in the middle of it. Let that prayer shed light on the scene and expose what matters. Then pray it. Then look again and see how the prayer is a response to what matters. These three movements give structure to the book as a whole and to each chapter within it. Prayed this way, the Lord's Prayer is always new and never quite the same.
Ecumenical, evangelical, postmodern, and irenic in tone, Ain't Too Proud to Beg ends not with a neat scholarly wrap-up but with an open-ended -Amen- -- three sparkling, joyful sermons -- a fitting ending to Work's provocative exploration of prayer as a theological process.

There is but one king that I know. It is he whom I love and worship. If I were to be killed a thousand times for my loyalty to him, I would still be his servant. Christ is on my lips, Christ is in my heart; no amount of suffering will take him from me.--Genesius of Rome These are more than lofty words. They are a reflection of ultimate faith spoken by a person staring death in the face. Like a flaming torch, they illuminate for us the reality the martyrs saw, the truth that gripped their hearts and lifted their eyes to heaven in the face of fire, sword, and executioner's axe. biographies of sixty Christians who died for their faith, from Stephen, the church's first martyr, to Bahram Dehqani-Tafti of Iran, who was shot to death in 1981. In today's age of uncertainty, spiritual pluralism, and self-indulgence, the words of the martyrs remind us of the worthiness of Jesus and the costliness of the gospel. They humble us with their commitment. They fortify our faith with their honesty and certitude. And they direct our vision toward eternal realities that far outshine anything this world has to offer.

Whether your spiritual life is in shambles or your faith is robust, whether you attend church or not, are angry at God or resting in God's embrace, you will discover in this book a path to authentic faith sifted through intense joy and disheartening loss, through breathtaking experiences and the nearly hidden reality of the Spirit tucked away in everyday life. In Holy Spirit, I Pray, you'll meet the Holy Spirit as you never have before--in prayers of uncanny candor and surprising beauty. Each raw, honest prayer is accompanied by the Scripture texts that inspired it.

"Jack Levison studies, meditates, prays, and writes of the place of the Holy Spirit in our lives with more skill and understanding than anyone I know."--Eugene Peterson, author/translator of The Message