Oh my least favorite time of the year is upon us. Every year in late November, I question whether my family and I should pack up and move somewhere South. Like bottom of the continental U.S. South. Somewhere you can still see the actual sky on a regular basis. I know, months of cold and gray, dismal weather is hardly a hardship given what people have endured historically and are currently facing all while I cozy up with a book and check the next day's forecast for sunshine. Even still, it would seem bright light and warmth are natural human longings.
This year there has been no such discussing or fantasizing about moving closer to the equator. The land behind our home is in the final planning stages before breaking ground on development. The plans include primitive walking paths, a natural playground, a coffee shop and wait for it... a library. Yes a library. Sorry crammed-in-fam, looks like we are staying put. Location, location, location right? Who says we can't make do in a three bedroom home with no basement ? Big families in small homes seem to have a way of building character. I agree with whomever said..."I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." Library behind our house? Let's just say you'll know where to find us.
Happy New Year! May whatever you read in 2023 lead you to the Author of life and the giver of all that is good. Here's my (adult) favorites from this past year.
I found the Collapse of Parenting to be incredibly fascinating. Written by a secular pediatrician. A good reminder of the importance of teaching humility, contentment and self-control. This book was filled with simple, practical wisdom.
A Theology book that will change your mind. Phylicia Masonheimmer is my home girl. I have learned so much from her. For the ladies obviously.
Alisa Childer's second book. Live Your Truth and Other Lies is fun, eye-opening and easy to understand.
Fix your minds on things above. If you don't want to delve into the Bible but want to investigate the plausibility of an afterlife with God, well Lee Strobel never is short on the research. There's a movie too that came out in 2022.
My favorite chapter is : You can't keep a good woman down. Author Dan Kimball says: "And I want people to know that the Bible is not a crazy book but a source for knowing and understanding an amazing God who cares deeply for us."
Not up to Christians to save the church but rather to remember our first love. Jesus should always be our first love. A good overview of how some dangerous ideologies have made their way into the American mind.
As a kid I remember laying in bed at night and asking my sister what she was thinking. She said nothing. What? How can you be thinking about nothing? I wish I could just stop thinking all the time. Get Out of Your Head is a really helpful resource. Jennie Allen gives some easy, practical disciplines to take your thoughts captive.
I was on the book launch team for Faithfully Different. Natasha Crain offers statistics, and insight on living biblically amidst a hostile culture.
Hilary Morgan Ferrer is smart, hilarious and writes in a way that makes the truth so apparent. She's a biologist after all. A great defense of the freedom of biblical sexuality.
I really want to read more fiction. It's just hard to find romance novels that aren't raunchy-trashy. This was my favorite out of the measly three fiction books I read. I absolutely still believe in the power of story to teach truth. My husband loves when I read fiction because I am often reminded what a good husband he is. Fun, romantic and entertaining. Ends happy for the most part. I couldn't put it down.
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