Joyce Huggett

A thoughtful, well-written book about different styles of prayer. The author describes her own journey towards contemplative prayer, alongside suggestions and Scriptural teaching. There are different chapters that would appeal to different kinds of people, depending on their temperaments and situations.

The author acknowledges that what works for her, as an empty-nester Introvert, would not be at all appropriate for someone working full-time at an office, or looking after several children. show more She also touches on different ways that people communicate and listen, depending on personality preferences. She explains how unresolved anger or other personal issues can cloud communication - and it's all done in a non-judgemental way, recounting her own mistakes along the way.

Definitely recommended to anyone wanting to tune in better to God's voice in a variety of ways.

Longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/01/listening-to-god-by-joyce-huggett.h... show less

Joyce Huggett became interested in contemplative prayer, even though it was very different from her own Christian denominational background, and writes in this book about her journey, the methods she used to reach "silence," and ways in which God speaks today.

This is a tough book to describe because it covers so much both about prayer and about Joyce's own life as what I would call a pastor's wife (she lives in England). She's real about her struggles and comes across as humble. I've been show more wanting to add a few minutes of just a quietness at the end of the Bible studies I've been doing, so I found the timing of this to be very good. I don't expect myself to follow in her footsteps, say, of putting aside an entire room as a prayer room and scheduling an hour a day to devote myself to silence. But a lot of the advice she gives is practical, and she draws heavily from many sources that give anyone interested in studying prayer many options for further study. show less

This is a helpful volume for anyone wanting to understand what conflict is, from a Christian perspective, with some helpful suggestions for resolution and moving forward. It begins with an overview of situations in the Bible where there was confict, emphasising that it's not always wrong: that conflict WILL happen when people have opposing viewpoints or experiences, or perhaps when they're tired or hungry. What matters is what we do with it.

I slightly skimmed this first part of the book as show more none of it was new to me, but found the majority both interesting and readable, even though I'm not currently in any real situations of conflict. Joyce Huggett was living in Cyprus when she wrote this, and describes some situations and anecdotes which felt very familiar to me.

Some might find her suggestions too prescriptive; when tempers are raised most people aren't going to sit down with paper and pencil and work through their deepest emotions together. But there are, nonetheless, some helpful suggestions which are relevant to those without faith as much as those who are believers.

Recommended. show less

As someone who believes in the healing power of God working alongside medical professionals I really looked forward to reading this book. Sadly it didn't live up to expectations and I didn't enjoy it at all.

There were many things that seemed wrong to me not least the very idea that someone who is a member of the anglican clergy is somehow more in need of speedy care than anyone else. It seems to go against the very idea of servant-hood that Christians are called to. The author also seems to show more have very extreme emotional reactions to surgery which is regularly undertaken by many.

Her views of the NHS are very strange on several occasions eg thinking it unusual that she was given a wash in bed the morning after surgery, when in fact I thought it strange she wasn't washed and changed on the evening of the surgery!

To close I can't recommend this book which to me gives a poor account of what God's love in action should really be for all His people. show less