Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Graceology with Gwen Smith podcast.

I'm Gwen Smith, and I'm really glad you've joined me today. Around here we have fun,

faith-focused, grace-filled conversations,

all to help you know and trust God more. Our discussions are honest, often humorous, and always

practical, and they're going to encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean on the grace

of Jesus in the midst of cluttered, messy days. You got any of those?

I know I do. And I can't wait to get to today's conversation, which is all about experiencing

God's presence through prayer. My guest is Crystal Evans Hurst. Now Crystal's a best-selling author,

a speaker, a podcaster, and a Bible

teacher, who's also a wife and a mama. And I love that she says that she runs her household

by cultivating hearts and commanding chaos. Now that's something I can surely relate to. Today,

she joins me to discuss the theme and message of her newest book,

The 28 Day Prayer Journey. And let me just say, y'all are about to hear a word.

So many of us long for a consistent prayer life, and yet we struggle with distractions and

doubts or even knowing where to start. The kind of intentional, fervent prayer that

we'd like to experience often seems intimidating and just out of reach. Crystal says she knows how

that feels and she shares her own relatable journey through the challenges and the joys of

deepening her prayer life. So whether you've been communicating

with God for decades or whether it's all new to you, today's powerful conversation is going

to encourage and challenge you toward a personal practice of meaningful prayer.

I want to personally invite you to partner with the Graceology podcast through our Patreon program.

When you join our Patreon community, you'll get all kinds of bonuses like exclusive content,

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