By María Camp for the FCT

A release party for Teri Lynne Underwood’s new book, “Praying for Girls,” was held at Calvary Baptist Church in Russellville July 29.

“My biggest prayer for this book,” said Underwood, “is that those who read it will be better equipped to pray with boldness and confidence for their daughters.”

Underwood’s first two books were self-published. “Praying for Girls” is her first book through a traditional publishing house.

Underwood said the book went to a second printing just nine days after it was released. “There’s always this wondering,” Underwood said, “whether your words will resonate – and it’s so exciting to find out that they do.”

What Underwood said enjoyed most about writing this book was the Bible study involved. She also identified this aspect as being the hardest and most rewarding part.

“It required a lot of researching to include 200 Scripture-based prayers,” she said.

Underwood said God reveals things to those who study Scripture. “It helps us to know how to pray better when we align our prayers with the Word of God,” she said. “When we allow Scripture to guide our prayers, it helps us align our hearts with God.”

Underwood identifies five main areas as key in every girl’s life:

• Her identity – finding her security and strength in God’s love and acceptance.
• Her heart – pursuing a life of purity and devotion to the Lord.
• Her mind – committing to growing in wisdom and discernment regardless of her circumstances.
• Her relationships – developing skills and attitudes to foster healthy relationships with others.
• Her purpose – trusting God with her life, gifts and passions.

Each chapter contains activities designed to foster discussion with daughters in these areas, with approaches included for both younger and older daughters.

“The one thing that has sustained me during parenting is prayer,” Underwood said.

Underwood said she wants people to realize that praying for their daughters might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

“I think the most important takeaway from my current book,” Underwood said, “is that we don’t have to be perfect pray-ers for our kids. God is always filling in the gaps.”

Underwood said she hopes her writing is most characterized by a passion for the Word of God. “My desire is that when people read what I have written, they’ll want to know more about the Bible and to cultivate a deeper relationship with the Lord,” she said.

Underwood said that she believes writing is what God has given her to do in this season of her life. “I have a terrific group of writer friends who encourage and challenge me,” said Underwood. “We push each other along through the hard days.”

“I am extremely proud of Teri,” said Scott Underwood, her husband. “She has worked hard for years. She is just as genuine of a person off paper as she is on paper.”

Beth Buster, sister-in-law, agreed with this sentiment. “I’ve known Teri Lynne for 22 years, and who you see on the blog and in the book and on social media is who she is in person. She has a heart for people and for God. This book is icing on the cake of years of hard work.”

“I’ve always loved books and words,” said Underwood. “My mom has pictures of me asleep in my crib with a book in my hand. Sometimes, I still fall asleep with a book in my hand.”

Friend Paula Pounders added, “Teri Lynne has captured in words our worries and concerns as we try to teach our girls to live daily in God’s steadfast love. “Praying for Girls” helps guide us as we try to empower our daughters.”

Underwood has another book proposal in process and has made contributions to a few books that will be released in 2018.