This is a review of Prayers with Purpose for Men (2010) by John Hudson Tiner (otherwise under Barbour Publishing Inc.).

This book does not suit me. By that I mean its prayers are not a good fit for the ways I wish to make my requests known to God.

Whenever I am confronted with a written prayer, I can usually file it away in one of five folders: Praise, Thank, Sorry, Think, and Please (PTSTP). "Praise" embraces prayers of adoration and worship. "Thank" includes prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude. "Sorry" is for prayers of remorse, repentance, and confession. "Think" is used for prayers of meditation and contemplation as prompted by Bible readings. "Please" covers prayers of supplication, petition, and intercession.

Several of the prayers in this little book are of the "Think" variety but 180 degrees out of phase. Let me explain by one example what is meant by this observation. Instead of using a Bible verse to stimulate meditation that flows into prayer, the writer sometimes uses the prayer itself, first, for instructing the one who is praying and, second, for petitioning God on the basis of the instruction.

For example, there is a prayer on page 106 that begins with the following words that to me seem to be words of instruction for the reader's contemplation, not for God to think about: "Lord, I read about Benjamin Franklin and how he used his printing shop to distribute songbooks and collections of prayers in the American colonies. The English authors of these books couldn't find a publisher in England because the authorities would not approve anything new. Franklin made a profit and at the same time served the public good."

The previous words of explanation were followed by a short petition: "Lord, I pray my work will have a dual purpose of supporting my family and serving Christian objectives."

Do you see what I mean? The instruction portion of the prayer is manifestly for the reader's benefit, i.e., something for him to think about, and not for God's understanding, i.e., something for Him to contemplate and meditate on. In my opinion, matter-of-fact statements like these should be addressed to the petitioner, not to the Lord. Having never been taught to pray this way, I find it very awkward to express thoughts like these to God in prayer. To tell the truth, I would be embarrassed to be so prosaic and earthbound in prayers to my Heavenly Father, as if the creature could tell the Creator something He didn't already know.

What's missing from this little book of prayers for men? I found no prayers of praise that send men to their knees in adoration and worship of God. Instead, the prayers focus on me: My Bible, My Salvation, My Responsibilities, My Marriage, My Children, My Home, My Health, My Joy, My Peace, My Fears, My Job, My Finances, My Church, My Ministry, My Friends, My Extended Family, My Nation, My Dreams, My Fulfillment, My History, and My Future.

Bottom Line: The author's purpose did not match either my need for, or my manner of, prayer. Not recommended for geezers like me. ( )