Our Way Home: A Journey through the Lord's Prayer

Overview

When you pray, you stand at the door to the Father’s house and knock.

But do you dare to hope the door will open?

When we pray, we’re often hesitant. Hesitant to believe that our small voices will be heard by the sovereign God reigning in heaven. Hesitant to think we even have the right words to say. But Jesus gave His disciples—and us—the Lord’s Prayer as a guide in our prayer life. This prayer contains words of confession, thanks, recognition, need, and praise; it’s the perfect prayer model from our perfect role model.

Our Way Home invites you on an incredibly vivid journey through the Lord’s Prayer to dispel your hesitancy and to discover the power, the beauty, and the depth of the world’s most famous prayer. Paavola surrounds each petition of the Lord’s Prayer with captivating imagery and storytelling that will animate your praying, making it a prayer you not only say with confidence but live out every day—in any situation and in every circumstance.

So whether you’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer a thousand times or you’re not quite familiar with every word, you will be encouraged to pray the words Jesus has given you with renewed boldness. You will come to the door of your Father’s house and knock with confidence because you have the words to say. All you have to do is pray “Our Father. . .”

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Endorsements

“His mastery of illustration through poignant example makes Dan Paavola is a remarkable teacher and preacher. The same homespun style in his writing will engage readers just as the author so effectively connects to his students in the classroom and hearers from the pulpit. A first-rate scholar with a compassionate pastor’s heart, Dr. Paavola has few equals in his ability to connect text to context—the application of the Bible’s teaching to the everyday lives of people. In this study of the Lord’s Prayer—well-known words that are at once simple yet sublime—Dr. Paavola makes the familiar familial. People who pray to the Father will be encouraged on their way home.”
—Dr. Patrick Ferry, President of Concordia University Wisconsin

“Dr. Paavola’s use of vivid images and relatable word pictures explore the Lord’s Prayer with insight and depth. His writing style is rich with an element of storytelling that engages and enlightens. As he leads the reader through each petition, the journey home reveal layers of meaning and astonishing grace.”
—Jessica Bordeleau, Young Adult Ministry Coordinator for the LCMS Youth Ministry Office

“Dr. Paavola’s engaging style uniquely combines wit and charm with the trusted voice of a well-read scholar. He invites you on a lively journey in which you are actively placed in each petition to see anew the kingdom, power and glory of our Father. This book has changed the way I pray the Lord’s Prayer. It’d be an excellent resource for Confirmation, adult Bible study or individual reflection.”
—Amy Gray, Media and Publications Project Coordinator for the LCMS Office of National Mission’s Youth Ministry

“I learned the Lord’s prayer 25 years ago, but I never truly understood it until now. . . [Our Way Home] invites us to exit life’s crazy highway to spread a picnic blanket in the warm sun with God and His Word.”
—Donna Pyle, Author