Retreats are increasingly popular but the classic 8-day version is nowadays too daunting or too expensive for most. Here is a resource for both first-timers and the more experienced: a journey of personal prayer to be made over the period of one Lent, slowly integrating formal prayer times and the routine activities of daily living into a deeper encounter with God.

The material is equally suitable for the reader at home, or for groups, or can be adapted to a residential retreat (either self-guided or directed). Effective use of prayer time is explored, with the emphasis on practical suggestions and ideas including scripture and poetry, meditation, contemplation, journalling and intercession.
A 'prayer journey' through Lent, increasingly involving the whole person, opens up a world of spiritual possibilities by encouraging a deeper relationship with God and a reconnection with daily living, reinvigorated and hopeful.

Andrew Walker is Parish Priest of St Michael-in-Lewes, Director of the London-based Ignatian Spirituality Course and a Visiting Scholar at Sarum College, Salisbury. Founder-Director of the London Centre for Spirituality, his previous books include Journey into Joy (SPCK, 2001), Spirituality in the City (SPCK, 2005) and Discovering the Spirit in the City (ed. Continuum 2010).