BOOKS BY MARY HOLDER NAEGELI
New Book Released March 5, 2023!
WHY I DON’T PRAY: Sharing the Struggles of Saints and Sages
This work, thirty-five years in the making, captures the struggles and frustrations of would-be pray-ers like me. My praying life comes in spurts and sputters, even now that I am “retired” and in full control of my time—NOT! But studying the great works of spiritual literature over the centuries, I discovered that even saints and sages have struggled to keep conversing with God in prayer. I am not alone.
The difference between them and me is that their life challenges did not stop them from praying. In fact, the more obstacles they encountered, the more they prayed! This book shares the insights from their stories and, of course, the Scriptures to encourage us to open our end of the conversation with God.
My life was deeply touched and influenced by Dallas Willard, from whom I took a two-week Doctor of Ministry class in 2007. He described the six aspects of human life—physical, mental, emotional, willing, social, and spiritual—and how each aspect is renovated through apprenticeship to Jesus Christ. So, in this book I have examined those six areas and the challenges and opportunities each presents to an enriching prayer habit.
The book does not focus on prayer prescriptions, but more on diagnosis. But to model persevering prayer,, every section concludes with a personal prayer specific to that obstacle. In addition, the Appendices include an examen (a guide to personal assessment and confession), prayer starters, and resources for next steps.
As always, your “likes” and reviews on Amazon are very helpful in making my book visible to others in need of its encouragement.
Available Now!
A cancer diagnosis is upsetting to anyone, but Mary Holder Naegeli demonstrates how life-threatening illness can be navigated without terror.
When pastor Mary Holder Naegeli was told she had lung cancer, her world shifted into slow motion. Prone to anxiety and worry, she learned how to stay calm, curious, and courageous through her aggressive treatments—by accepting her illness as a test of faith and surrendering to God her life and death. With realism and humor she chronicled her growing discovery of God’s safety and security.
In Deep Breathing: Finding Calm amid Cancer Anxiety, Mary guides those facing dangerous illness toward calming faith in God’s might and mercy. Daily reflections on her medical journey grappled with life’s basic questions of Why me? and What does this mean? Drawing from Scripture, Christian history, and current events, Mary processes her experiences and in doing so inspires hope in anyone daunted by a cloud of anxiety.
Deep Breathing is structured around the church year and its hopeful rhythms:
- ADVENT—welcoming the waiting room
- CHRISTMAS—treasuring the gifts we’re given
- EPIPHANY—opening our eyes to God in action
- LENT—examining our soul condition to pursue healing
- EASTER—celebrating resurrection hope
Mary’s writing style is reflective, grounded, and encouraging. She helps readers embrace faith that survives life’s upheavals. Discover how to slow down, discern right thinking, and loosen anxiety’s grip as you hold fast to the One who holds you.
Deep Breathing is also an excellent resource for pastors, caregivers, and medical professionals seeking insight into the patient’s experience.
Available Now!
HERE IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT Deep Breathing
“What are you full of? The answer to that question becomes evident when life squeezes you. When something or someone beyond your control seeks to rob you of your hope or your joy. When Mary Naegeli was squeezed by cancer, what she’s full of became evident. Grace and truth and honest pleading are what you will find in the raw and radically faithful writing of this gracious saint. If you’ve ever wondered how a person of faith can experience pain and find purpose, or give glory to God at the cellular and granular level or if you just need to know the anchor really holds, these reflections are for you.”
—Carmen LaBerge, radio host and author of Speak the Truth: How to Bring God Back into Every Conversation
“This highly personal and radically transparent memoir of Rev. Mary’s physical and spiritual journey through “the valley of the shadow of death” with advanced lung cancer is informative, moving, and ultimately a call to discipleship through intimacy with Christ. Her honest realism and insightful biblical reflections provide encouragement and hope both for those suffering threatening illness and for those who walk alongside them as companions on the Way. I highly recommend this, both for its insight and for the gems of wisdom to help us on our own daily pilgrimage of life in the love of Christ. I was blessed and challenged in reading it.”
—The Rev. Dr. Roberta Hestenes, pastor, former professor at Fuller Seminary, and President of Eastern University
“Breath is our life and our moment-by-moment hope: the breath of our lungs, the breath of others whom we love and who love us, the breath of living creatures. All this breath is derived from the ultimate source of all breath, the very ruach or breath of God. Mary Naegeli’s story of lung cancer draws us into the particularities of this especially insidious cancer, and its physical, emotional, and spiritual taunts and tyrannies. It is a tale of the very stuff of life. Read it. Breathe deeply. You will be glad you did.”
—Mark Labberton, President, Fuller Theological Seminary
“How does one write a book that is both very personal and very helpful for others? With great care, and the Rev. Dr. Mary Holder Naegeli has done just that. Mary’s writing is clear, compelling, insightful, personal, faithful. Deep Breathing journeys deeply through her lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, her feelings and insights, some fundamentals of Christian faith, and even the seasons of the church calendar. She manages capably to weave all of these strands together into a delightful and hopeful whole. Whether one is staring down personal cancer, supporting a loved one in the journey, wondering what God is up to, or supplying spiritual care, this is an insightful resource.”
—The Rev. James D. Berkley, pastor, writer, editor
“One day you may receive unexpected news that turns your world upside down. How do you begin to navigate your new life – one now filled with loss, suffering, and pain? When pastor, musician, and creative thinker Mary Holder Naegeli was diagnosed with cancer, she merely veered down a new path on her life journey which was already one of holding tight to the hand of Jesus. Deep Breathing is a brilliant and beautiful manifestation of how God’s people can use a lifetime of spiritual deposits to guide the inevitable hard days. ‘What I need to know I have in my possession already: a vision of life that is infused with joy, filled with the Spirit, empowered by God’s grace, baited by good life-questions, and met with insatiable curiosity. I am going to keep living this life until God says, Stop.’ Follow Mary’s journal, which so cleverly interweaves classic spiritual resources with everyday life experiences. And then please buy another copy for a gift – there are so many who need to learn to breathe in deeply the grace and mercy of our loving God.”
—Lucinda Secrest McDowell, author Soul Strong and Life-Giving Choices