Stuff You Don't Have to Pray About by Susie Shellenberger

by Susie Shellenberger

Includes stories of contemporary teens as well as contemporary retelling of Bible stories and personal application. Each chapter lists suggestions for things for which to pray.

Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Susie Shellenberger is the editor of "Brio" magazine for teen girls, published by Focus on the Family. She's a former youth pastor and high school speech and drama teacher. Susie has written 36 books. She has a passion for MKs and has been on every continent of the world (yes, even Antarctica). Susie sometimes eats cereal for dinner and is led on a walk around the park every day by her 150-pound Saint Bernard, Bosco.

Reviews

[Natalie Shawver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's my confession: this book has been on my shelf since I was a teenager. There, I said it. And given I'm in my mid-30s, I know that's a long time.

I share this because I clearly missed the window for this book to affect me in a much more profound way than it did now, especially given it was targeted at teens. But, having said that, I still grabbed some nuggets (as always).

Stuff You Don't Have to Pray About took the typical look at your walk with God and added a twist: here's a ton of stuff you don't have to worry about praying for (should I ask the lonely kid to sit with me at lunch? do I need to help my elderly neighbor bring in her groceries? should I volunteer to help teach Sunday School next week?) because they are just things we, as Christians, should do freely. I like this approach. We don't need God to give us permission to be loving or kind to our neighbors. We just need to be that way ourselves—nothing earth-shattering.

On the other hand, the book lays out a long list of things we should be praying for—and most of them were tailored to teens, though some still apply to adults. Many of the examples of Biblical stories told were fashioned to be cute and quirky (one was even told as a rap) and that's probably where I got a little turned off (but again, only because I'm old now). I'll admit that the retellings (often quite creative) will probably stick for a long time and I won't forget the stories now (funny how that works, right?). And, I did appreciate the references given and memory verses to check out to drive everything home. It was cohesive in that regard and could make for a good devotional/study tool.

All in all, a positive read with lots of good lessons and life applications ... I'm just the wrong demographic (and it's my own fault for not reading it 15 years ago when I should have).

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Justin Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a teenager many years ago and it was an informative read with surprisingly interesting theological conclusions.