Paul Wesley Chilcote

Transformed by Grace

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:17:12 GMT

A Year of Prayer, Rooted in Wesleyan Faith.

In the devotional classic Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit, renowned Wesleyan scholar Paul Chilcote invited readers to experience the spiritual depth of John Wesley's sermons through devotional prayer. Now, in Transformed by Grace: 52 More Prayers in the Wesleyan Spirit, Chilcote continues this journey, offering a fresh collection of weekly prayers inspired by Wesley's later sermons. As in the first volume, Chilcote pairs each prayer with a beloved hymn by Charles Wesley, offering readers an opportunity to sing as they pray.

While Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit focused on Wesley's "standard sermons" and their theme of salvation, this new volume explores a broader range of spiritual themes. Traditional theological topics like the Trinity, creation, the image of God, faith, and perfect love are included here, but more fall into the broader category of spiritual formation and examine practical questions of every Christian related to topics like temptation, patience, conscience, simplicity, and zeal.

In Transformed by Grace, Chilcote takes on some of Wesley's most challenging sermons for modern readers and artfully conveys their original purpose: to touch the heart and inspire change. Whether you are a lifelong Methodist, a pastor seeking inspiration, or a person of faith longing to grow in grace, Transformed by Grace will be a treasured resource as God speaks to you through the insights of the Wesleys and their vision of the Christian way.

Walk with Christ through these prayers, both read and sung, and invite the Holy Spirit to be your companion along the way.

Also available: Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit: 52 Prayers for Today

Transformed by Grace

Fri, 02 May 2025 16:20:37 GMT

A Year of Prayer, Rooted in Wesleyan Faith.

Walk with Christ through these prayers, both read and sung, and invite the Holy Spirit to be your companion along the way.

Also available: Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit: 52 Prayers for Today

Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:51:22 GMT

John Wesley (1703 - 1791), one of the greatest preachers of all time, preached more than 40,000 sermons. Wesley's sermons centered on God's unconditional love, freely offered to all through Christ. Wesley preached at coal mines and in fields and sparked a great spiritual renewal. Wesley's published sermons instructed the people in Christian discipleship and explained the core understandings of the Methodist movement.

Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit offers contemporary readers an approach to Wesley's spiritual depth. Author Paul Chilcote has transposed 52 of Wesley's standard sermons into flowing devotional prayers that are written in contemporary language, yet faithful to Wesley's message. A scripture reference and a hymn by Charles Wesley accompany each prayer. The prayers offer a means of reflecting on such topics as salvation by faith, yearning for God, and Christian perfection. Like Wesley's sermons, these prayers show a concern to reveal how God works in the world. The prayers also engage the head and hands and heart in the same way that Wesley understood Christian discipleship.

With 52 prayers, readers may pray one prayer a week for a year and immerse themselves in a short course in Wesleyan thought and theology. This one-of-a-kind prayer book will introduce readers to a rich heritage of Christian discipleship and is a must have devotional book for those active in the Wesleyan tradition. A Scripture Index and a Hymn Index are also included.

Also available: Transformed by Grace: 52 More Prayers in the Wesleyan Spirit

A Life-Shaping Prayer

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:45:41 GMT

Who is God to you?
What can you give to God?
How does God shape your life?
How do you live as a disciple of Christ?

Drawing on the rich resources of the Methodist tradition, A Life-Shaping Prayer is a beautifully written devotional resource. Centered around a prayer of an early Wesley follower, the themes of this book lead to a rediscovery of what it means to practice faith.

Advocating a holistic spirituality where prayer and life are interconnected, Chilcote's premise will make God increasingly real to you.

"Grant me, gracious Lord, a pure intention of heart and a steadfast regard to your glory in all my actions. Possess my mind continually with your presence…" is how the prayer of Elizabeth Rhodes begins. This prayer reflects many of the central themes, values, and goals of vital Christianity. Studying and praying this prayer for a "waking spirit and a diligent soul" will lead to a Christ-filled life.

Breaking down the early Methodist prayer into 52 readings, Chilcote retooled it into a flexible devotional format that includes a scripture, a brief meditation, a Wesley hymn, and a prayer for the day. Whether you decide to read a selection a week or begin a pattern of morning/evening prayers, you'll immerse yourself in the discipline of prayer.

A Life-Shaping Prayer is suitable for individual or group reflection and is ideal as a prayer aid to prepare for Lent and Advent.

"The practice of prayer—practicing life in Christ—requires effort, but all begins and ends in God's grace and loving-kindness," writes Chilcote. "God has gifted you richly, desires to shape your life through the power of Jesus' love, and yearns for you to show yourself to be a disciple of Christ. Permit the Spirit of God to breathe new life into you."

Discover a richer life of enacted love through A Life-Shaping Prayer.