Gordon MacDonald's new, all-too-true novel is about a group of Christians in their fifties and sixties who feel as if someone stole their church. The only real characters in the book Who Stole My Church? (Nelson, 2007) are Gordon and his wife, Gail, but you'll recognize others, once at the center of church life, whose influence is now replaced by younger folks'. In this excerpt, the pastor has gathered some of these older members for a weekly discussion.

I asked Clayton Reid privately if he would pray at the beginning of our next Discovery group meeting. At first he said he didn't do "out-loud praying." I asked if he would consider writing a prayer ahead of time and simply reading it for us. After a bit of hesitancy, Clayton said he'd give it a try. When Tuesday night came, I outlined my hopes for the evening, and then turned to Clayton.

He pulled an index card from his shirt pocket, said, "Shall we pray?" and began reading. Two or three around the table were startled when they realized ...