Reviews
Library Journal May 1, 2007
Dancer and mathematics instructor MacBeth's charming book may be the first to combine the pleasures of doodling with a discussion of, among other things, lectio divina. Here, she shows how simple drawings-often hardly more than circles and lines with names or ideas or places sketched in and enlivened with color-can focus the praying heart, making prayer something better than a shopping list or a chore and helping the praying believer to carry the wishes and thoughts of the prayer through the day. MacBeth's book is not for unbelievers or those who do not pray; it is directed to those suffering something more like spiritual attention deficit disorder. Still, it is one of the most appealing books on prayer to appear in the last five years. Highly recommended.

Publishers Weekly January 31, 2007
Starred Review. Just as Julia Cameron, in The Artist's Way, showed the hardened Harvard businessman he had a creative artist lurking within, MacBeth makes it astonishingly clear that anyone with a box of colors and some paper can have a conversation with God. Frustrated by a laundry list of what she calls "prayer dilemmas," and the unfortunate situations of more than half a dozen friends and family members on her "critical prayer list," MacBeth, a math professor by trade, spent an afternoon doodling before she realized she'd in fact spent the afternoon in prayer. As she takes particular care to emphasize, this method most effective for intercessory prayer, but adaptable for other approaches requires absolutely no skill, merely a desire to connect with God. (Readers should therefore ignore any lingering self-doubt planted by a first grade art teacher.) Amid gentle personal anecdotes, MacBeth illustrates each step of the process, providing not just instruction but inspiration by sharing her own prayer pages as well as those of her students. She even includes a chapter on using one's computer for the process. Readers of all ages, experience and religions will find this a fresh, invigorating and even exhilarating way to spend time with themselves and their Creator.

"Praying in Color has been a valuable asset to my ministry for many ages, from 5th graders all the way through young adults. The book and DVD are straight-forward, easy to follow, and, more importantly, easy to teach and adapt to your own needs. I would recommend Praying in Color to anyone serious about expanding and improving their prayer life."
—Brian Salvatore, Youth and Young Adult Minister,
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

"MacBeth is transparent, accessible, and human. She exercises what she calls spiritual imagination as she works on, in, and through prayer. She trusts herself enough to experiment, mess up, and try again in prayer. She trusts God enough to guide her as she falters, succeeds, and grows stronger. Her book emboldens others to trust their instincts, too."
—Christianity Today

“I was so glad to discover Praying in Color, a prayer style that fit my personality and temperament perfectly. This past year we used it with our Confirmation candidates and their sponsors.”
—Annie Kitching, St. Thomas Aquinas Church