The Yada Yada Prayer Group

The first book of the series introduces twelve women whose lives would not normally cross. Each from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, they share few things in common. One is an ex-con who now works as counter help, one is an ex-drug addict who is struggling to reunite her family, one is a struggling college student, a few are professionals, and one is a married mother. The women attend a Christian women’s conference in Chicago where they are given a packet of information. The welcome packet contains a gold sticker with a number. During the opening night, they discover the number matches them to a prayer group. Told mainly through the eyes of the central character, Jodi Baxter, you hear bits and pieces of each woman’s story.

Facing multiple personality differences, the group is slow to bond until a crisis occurs to Delores, one of the twelve, on the final day. Ironically, it is Yo-Yo, the non-Christian in the group, who suggests the ladies stay in contact with each other in order to support Delores. They name themselves the Yada Yada Prayer Group, and agree to set-up a group distribution email so that they can continue to pray for one another. As the women become more comfortable with each other and begin to pray for each other’s needs, they slowly move from on-site prayer to real life meetings.

Throughout the course of the book, Jodi, the white middle-aged mom, discovers she holds many inappropriate views. Slowly, she learns from the other women. Modeling their method of prayer, she strengthens her own prayer life and watches her stereotypical views disappear. While her own life seemed perfect, God slowly works on Jodi and her family to change their attitudes and draw them closer.

By the end of the book, a great tragedy hits Jodi. When she questions her worthiness, it is the ladies of the Yada Yada prayer group that provide her with the biblical answers and tools that she needs to heal.

If you enjoy the Sisterchicks series by Robin Gunn, you will like the Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson as well. Both series are light and easy to read, but contain a good message. The characters in both are easy to relate to, and like the Sisterchicks series, the Yada Yada books contain questions for further discussion which make them appropriate for women’s groups to use for teachings and bookclubs.