I never heard of prayerwalking until I started going to a church about 4 years ago. While I was in a meeting to get more information for a mission trip, somebody had mentioned prayerwalking. It sounded interesting to me, and I somewhat got an idea in my head of what prayerwalking was. It wasn’t until I saw “PrayerWalk” by Janet Holm McHenry that I decided to get more information about prayerwalking.
McHenry had a down-to-earth approach, and she was thorough and informative regarding both the physical and spiritual aspects of prayerwalking. Her book includes a 30-day prayerwalk challenge, guide to organizing a community prayerwalk, and Bible study guide. She recounts how and why she started prayerwalking and discusses the blessings and changes that happened due to her prayerwalking.
Like the author, I wanted to start prayerwalking because I wanted to be more physically active and work more diligently in having a better prayer life. I think prayerwalking is a perfect melding of the two. However, I feel somewhat uncomfortable saying I want use prayerwalking to help me become physically fit (even though that would definitely be a by-product of prayerwalking). The focus isn’t supposed to be on me, but on glorifying the Lord. McHenry doesn’t seem to focus on the physical so much, but there are times when she says something that doesn’t strike me right, such as referring to Jesus as our “Personal Trainer.”
Overall, “PrayerWalk” was encouraging and motivating to read. I recommend this book to anyone who not only wants to be physically fit, but also to those who want to strengthen their spiritual walk and change the lives around them.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Family-friendliness: 5/5
Theology: 4/5
Overall: 5/5
Read an excerpt from “PrayerWalk.”
