Batterson, Mark. 2012. Praying Circles Around Your Children. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
My wife and I want to be the best possible mom and dad for our son. As Christians, we understand that this includes praying regularly for him. But what should we pray? And how should we pray? That is the topic of Mark Batterson’s excellent little book, Praying Circles Around Your Children.
Mark is pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC, a prolific author, and—full disclosure—a personal friend. Praying Circles is a spinoff of his longer book on prayer, The Circle Maker, which I also highly recommend reading. (See my interview with Mark about that book here.)
Praying Circles talks about five things we ought to do when we pray for our children:
- Circle the promises of God
- Make prayer lists
- Create prayer mantras
- Form prayer circles
- Pray through the Bible
Each short chapter includes relevant Bible teaching, on-point personal anecdotes, and eminently quotable advice.
The small group that my wife and I attend is currently reading Praying Circles. The book is provoking great discussion among us. Most of all, it’s inspiring us to pray more for our kids. And that’s good, for as Mark writes: “Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren, and every generation that follows.”
Praying Circles Around Your Children is a great introduction to what and how to pray for your kids. I highly recommend it.
P.S. If you found this review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.
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