Book Review {Power of a Praying Parent, Crazy Love}

Last month, I read the Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian.  What I liked about the book--Mrs. Omartian brings new depth and breadth to praying for your children.  Every chapter (I think there were over 20!) covers a topic or area in which you can pray for your children.  I love how she developed the point that if you begin to worry about something in your child's life, you should take that as a prompting to pray for your child in that area.  I also liked how she reminds us as parents that we know our children best and we are the guardian of our children's souls, and as such, we are responsible to bathe them in prayer.  If we believe God answers prayer, then we should practice it.  I loved how each chapter ended with Scripture verses supporting each area of prayer. What I didn't like--I didn't care for the tone of the book....almost as if we could bend God to do our bidding if we only say it often enough or specific enough. I felt as if this book on prayer was more about trying to control what happens in your child's life.  Certainly there is balance here, and we must trust our Heavenly Father that His way is best. Perhaps a bit nit-picky, but I didn't like how each chapter gave a sample prayer.  God seeks a relationship with us, and He is not just a genie to whom we make requests.  All in all, this book was just okay.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan is a powerful book about the astounding love of God and a Biblical synopsis of what our lives ought to look like in response to that passion.  If you have ever wondered if there was more to the Christian life than what you are currently living, this book will challenge you.  The first three chapters of the book are dedicated to describing the infinite and unimaginable scope of God's love for us.  The rest of the book is a examination of how most Christians live compared to what the Bible says.  He deals with hard issues, like challenging the existence of lukewarm Christians and offering a Biblical view of the American way of life. He finishes the book with a chapter of modern examples of those who have moved towards pursuing a passionate life for Christ.  I loved Mr. Chan's honesty and clarity, mostly because he used Scripture to lovingly call the church to a deeper love for Jesus.  I would highly recommend this book.