"e;This current colleciton of prayers were also prayed over my classes, over the church and at other special events in the life of the church and my friends. And this collection has come together because family, friends, and students--flung across the country--have hounded me mercilessly: Put it together! Get it done! And here it is at last, having rested on the corner of my desk for quite a long time while I battled cancer. My physicians say I'm losing the battle and that I'm getting this project done in my last days. That's the clinical rendition. We shall see. God is still in charge of my life and my life-span. My faith has not, and I pray it will not, become subject to my disease, and I'm hopeful that these prayers will refect that faith."e;- from the Introduction by Ray Hardin