Praying for Boys
by Brooke McGlothlin

When I like a book, I mark a few quotes here and there, when I really like a book I turn down the pages to mark whole sections, and when I love a book it ends up a worn and weary mess with turned down pages, highlighters, pencil marks and maybe even a few food stains.  I really loved Brooke McGlothlin’s book, Praying for Boys, and after just one quick read my copy already looks like I’ve carried it through a battle zone.  That’s okay.  I intend to do just that.

I’ve been praying for my kids diligently for years, using books and my own way of praying through Scripture to commit them to God.  But after having three daughters, I gave birth to a baby boy just a few months ago and Brooke McGlothlin is giving me a whole new way to pray specifically for him.  She proposes using focused and determined prayers in the battle for boys’ hearts and minds.

The book itself is short with quick and easy to read chapters.  She begins with a call to prayer, why, how, and when to pray.   In response to specific questions she’s received on her blog (The M.O.B. Society), she even includes a chapter of encouragement and tips for those parenting alone.  Following that, McGlothlin offers 21 prayer points for sons, including praying for their salvation, integrity, honor, and each of the fruits of the spirit.

The book can be read in one sitting (like I did last night), but then it can be used as a constant companion to prayer. The prayers are extremely short (one sentence long, maybe, and usually personalizing a Scripture verse in the process).  That means I could use them all day, every day, in any way I can imagine. I could post a few up around my house and pray whenever I see them.  I could join with a group of other moms and pray through them together for 21 days (she includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter to use for small groups).  Anything goes as long as the book doesn’t just sit on the shelf gathering dust.  It’s meant to be used and applied.

Along the way, McGlothlin shares parenting tips, Scripture verses, personal stories of both success and failure, a sense of humor, some grace, and her passion for praying for her sons.  It’s a book I read in one evening while my three-month-old son played happily in his bouncy seat next to me, but it’s a book I hope to pray through many times in years to come.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”