Some Thoughts About Prayers for Faithful Families

Today is the release date for my second book Prayers for Faithful Families, published by Beaming Books (formerly Sparkhouse Family.) I thought I’d take a moment to share some of how the book came to be, and why I’m so happy it’s in the world.

The vision of the book in a few words: family connection through prayer. My first book Faithful Families has all kinds of ways to connect as a family through faith practices, and yet, I wanted a book that was even more compact, more “grab it and go” and more distilled. Prayers for Faithful Families is that book.

Don’t be fooled: The theology in Prayers for Faithful Families is very deliberate: It’s easy to think of books for children as “theology lite” or something similar. I believe the opposite is true: in order to write for children, the theology you use has to be distilled and boiled down until it has no place to hide. There are consistent themes in this book. They are: God is love. God hears us when we call. We can bring our whole selves to God, in good times and in bad. These themes are repeated over and over again. The idea is that, over time, they might work their way into the hearts and minds of those who choose to pray them with their children.

Designed for little ones, but grows with them: One of the things I’ve learned in publishing so far is that, as much as I might have wanted a resource that was good for children birth to 18, it’s not realistic. This book skews young, and I’m happy with that. The words are simple and profound (I’ve had adults tell me how much the prayers mean for them) but there’s no question the prayers are designed for little ones. I think that makes it a perfect gift for a baby shower or baptism.

The book looks AMAZING inside and out: I can’t take any credit for this, but the designers on Prayers for Faithful Families did an amazing job. Cover design by my friend Paul Soupiset, who also designed Faithful Families and also designed the cover for another of my books coming out soon. He’s amazing, and does excellent work.

Finally, it’s a book I want to use: I always write for myself and my family, first and foremost. It’s never let me down yet.

So join me in wishing a Happy Book Birthday to Prayers for Faithful Families. If you get it, head straight to the acknowledgements. It’s there that you’ll see all the many hands, hearts, and minds that went into making this book such a beauty.

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