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139 of 150 people found the following review helpful: Practical Praying - The rosary is NOT just for Catholics!, March 17, 2005 By  Pam Blizzard "PamBlizzard.com" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews    Kudos to John Edward for having the bravery to write this book! It is unfortunate that Mr. Edward has to make disclaimers in this book about not endorsing or representing any particular religion, nor is he claiming any special supernatural communications from God or Mary. But this is the climate and culture we live in, where psychics are demonized for claiming what Christ said we would all do. Fortunately, Mr. Edward is able to move past this, and make you feel as if he is talking directly to you the reader. In the book, John shares some very deep personal experiences from throughout his life that deepened and strengthened his personal relationship with Mary the Mother of Christ: childhood, the period of time that his mother became ill, and adult experiences afterward. Reading this book, you receive an intimate view into John's personal viewpoint of his relationship with God, and how Mary and the rosary plays an important part in that relationship. He shares the basics of how the Catholic church teaches the rosary, but emphasizes that the words themselves are not so important as your "presence" in the prayer itself, leaving room open for you to put your own intentions into the prayer or use the classic form of meditatation upon the mysteries of Mary's and Jesus' life and passion. The book also includes a workbook type section with suggestions for exercises to get into a space where you can reflect, and focus on what you want your prayer dialog to be. Roma Downey prays the entire rosary on the CD, as well as John. There is also a guided meditation on the audio by John that is a preparation for your prayer journey, that is absolutely wonderful. I'm confident this book will ignite a fire in Catholics like myself who may have let their rosaries gather dust over the years, to pick it back up again. I'm hoping and praying it will inspire non-Catholics to seek out the rosary, as a way to deepen their prayer life also. The included CD will help you to feel like you're not alone in your prayers, as you can pray along with Roma or John until you feel comfortable enough with the prayers, to pray them by yourself. This is by far, my favorite John Edward book and audio.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

65 of 72 people found the following review helpful: Best John Edward Book yet!, April 19, 2005 By  A Reader "Jo-M" (Remsen, NY USA) - See all my reviews - This is truly a wonderful and inspirational book. In the past, I had not been sure about the authenticity of John Edward. I did, however, believe that he was providing a comfort to those suffering from grief due to the loss of a close loved-one. So, regardless if he was truly communicating with the spirit of one passed-on or whether he was only communicating from within himself, he was still providing a service to those suffering. This book is inspirational in that John tells how the Rosary has helped him in the loss of his Mother, Aunt, and Granmother and how it centers him in his work. Now that I have read this book, he has me believing that he is a true blessing. The book comes with an audio CD which has the rosary spoken by Roma Downey and another version by John Edward. This is truly wonderful. If this review has helped you, please vote.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful: Good Guide to Using the Rosary for Focused Prayer, April 18, 2005 By  Linda Painchaud-Steinman "PARK EDGE BOOKS" (MA, USA) - See all my reviews       John Edward has written a clear, unsentimental, non-preachy guide to using the rosary as a tool for focusing the intention of your prayers. Edward, a Catholic, makes it clear that he didn't write this book in an attempt to win converts. Rather, he shares his own method of using the rosary as a meditation tool, etc. He also makes mention of other religions which use similar tools --prayer beads, etc.-- for the same purpose. (So there's something for everyone in this short little guide.) This is a good guide for anyone who: --wants to know more about the rosary (in general), --would like a new approach to their own daily prayer rituals --needs a specific "how-to" for using the rosary --is interested in a brief history of the rosary All around, an interesting book, worth the hour or so it takes to read. (The personal information on Edward is also intriguing.) Linda Painchuad-Steinman, PARK EDGE BOOKS  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)