Category Archives: Book Lover

Hey friends! Just a quick note to let you know Sacred Mundane is available FREE on ebook today (6/4) and then just $1.99 the rest of the week (Thur-Sunday).  If you haven’t had a chance to read, go snag a copy now, and click SHARE to let your friends know!

Also, if you’re like me and really love to hold a paper copy in your hands, I still have discounted copies available here: https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane

Thanks, friends! I’ll write more soon, been busy growing a baby (8-months along!), planting a garden, and raising a couple big kids. I’ll write more soon, just wanted to share the love. Happy Monday!

Other than gathering with my church fam to worship, my favorite way to spend a day is curled up, under a blanket (or by a pool, depending on the season), with a good book. Friday afforded me a day of such luxury. We had finished all our school for the week, we had nowhere we had to be, and we all indulged in a day of sewing, Legos, and, of course, reading. I devoured a fabulous book called Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus and it got me considering what books were most impactful from 2017. I’ve shared my favorite reads from the last five years here –click the year to read the list. (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

My Top Seven from 2017:

1. If You Can Keep It:The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty by Eric Metaxes. FABULOUS! Metaxes talks about the great experiment of American democracy, and what must be in place in order for true freedom to flourish. He explains the Golden Triangle of Freedom, borrowed from Os Guinness. Basically, true freedom requires virtue, and virtue requires faith and faith requires freedom. He shares historical documents that reveal some of our forefathers’ roots of virtue, humility, seeking God’s guidance, and relying on His grace, and explains that if we depart from those roots, we will never be able to recover the true freedom we have lost. Metaxes doesn’t take sides, he encourages both conservatives and liberals to work together for the common good of our country.

2. Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey. This one felt like an answer to my heart’s cry. It’s a challenging read–it’s huge and I had to re-read a lot of portions of it to understand, but it’s so powerful, well-worth the work. Pearcey was a student of Francis Schaeffer, so her book is makes many of his ideas attainable for regular people like me. 🙂 I have tried to read Schaeffer and felt lost (Jeff loves him!). It’s basically a study of the history of secularism, darwinism, and how infiltrated our entire culture, education, and society has become as a result. I was reading this right as Dutch was engulfed in Is Genesis History study, so the timing was perfect. She argues that the gospel doesn’t begin in Matthew 1, but in Genesis 1, and how critical it is that we embrace God as our Creator. Highly recommend!

3. You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis Chan & Lisa Chan. This is a quick read, but probably my favorite marriage book. It’s simple and straightforward: wholeheartedly following Jesus with reckless abandon is the only way to be the best spouse. Ultimately, we love our spouse not because he or she is lovely, or because we feel like it, but because our marriage is a picture of God’s love for his people, and I have been given the responsibility of helping my spouse come to know, love, and follow Jesus fully. Great for engaged couples too!

4. Every Woman’s Battle: Discovering God’s Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment by Shannon Ethridge. I read this and was like, “Whoa. Why does no one talk about this??” I knew about the men’s book on sexual purity, Every Man’s Battle, but I never knew there was a women’s version. I came across it because someone recommended Preparing your daughter for every woman’s battle which is for moms to go through with daughters in the 9-13 age range. I have to say, I absolutely recommend women read this book. It is so eye-opening. So often, sexual purity is talked about from male perspective, and usually seen as a “male struggle”–but Shannon is an incredibly honest, straightforward, insightful voice for women, she has a powerful testimony, and she deals with the emotional and mental side of things. Excellent read, especially if you work with women in any kind of ministry setting.

5. Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxes. LOVE!!  I want to buy a copy of this book for every woman in our church, it’s so inspiring. Metaxes shares brief biographies of seven women: Joan of Arc, Susannah Wesley, Hannah More, Maria Skobtsova, Corrie Ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Theresa. So inspiring! If you love biographies, but have a hard time wading through looooong ones :), this is a great solution. He does a fabulous job summarizing each woman’s life and the essence of God’s work in and through their lives. Even though I was familiar with most of these women, I learned new things about each one, and gained an all-new level of respect for each one. Plus, they are each SO DIFFERENT from each other. It was very inspiring that God uses women from all different backgrounds, abilities, seasons, and classes in order to accomplish His purposes. And… I want to be Susannah Wesley when I grow up. 😉

6. How Children Fail by John Holt. The timing for reading this book could not have been more perfect. I was frustrated by our workbook-driven educational existence, and felt like we were expending a lot of energy without getting much of anywhere. It was like Holt was exactly answering my fears and frustrations with wisdom and research that confirmed exactly what I was suspecting. In short, Holt shows how simply stuffing children with content will never produce great thinkers. He opens our eyes to how fear cripples our ability to learn, and demonstrates how to cultivate a love of learning, rather than just a desire to get right answers.  It’s worth mentioning that I didn’t love Holt’s other books, but this one is a powerful! If you are attempting to educate your children (whether public, private, or at home), I highly recommend.

7. The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (4 books): Kind of cheating here, because this is four books, but this is a young-adult series that, if I can be so bold, ranks even higher than the Chronicles of Narnia in my book. I honestly think CS Lewis would say the same, I think he’d tip his hat to Peterson and congratulate him on a brilliantly-written saga that ties in fantasy, wit, virtue, and the gospel. At the end, I sobbed, so grateful for Jesus’ free gift of salvation. Dutch read these first and then I quickly became enraptured as well. A great read-aloud for kids in the 10-year-old and up age group. They are intense, but virtuous and inspiring. Would be a set worth buying.

Other great reads from 2017:

1. Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife by Kay Warren: This one almost made the top 7, but it’s for a pretty narrow audience, us pastor’s wives. It was a super encouraging read, and really helpful to get an insider’s glance into the life of Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren, perhaps the most influential pastor of our time. She’s raw, real, honest, and very hope-filled. I highly recommend to any pastor’s wife.

2. The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. To be honest, I have a hard time connecting with the way Ann writes, only because I prefer a more straightforward style, but of course Ann is amazing and any book that highlights the power of brokenness, choosing the low seat, and pursuing a path of humility is always going to be worth your time. Personally, this book helped me not be afraid of getting hurt in relationships, but to move toward people in love even when you feel hurt.

3. Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis. This is considered by many (and Lewis) his best novel. A bit disturbing, but fascinating too. It’s a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, and gives piercing insight into our own brokenness.

4. Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering your Burden of Control from Seven Women in the Bible by Shannon Popkin. This dear girl is a new friend of mine, and she’s NAILED this topic! She’s been speaking and writing on this topic for years, and this book totally gets to the heart of all our control-issues.This has a Bible study that goes with it and would be great for a small group Bible study.

5. Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says about Having Children by Nancy Campbell. I had to chuckle while I was reading this, because it’s SO FAR off the normal beaten path of what I read. But it was given to us, and honestly, I really enjoyed it and it was eye-opening. The author basically builds a case for how our society has lost our biblical understanding of what a blessing children are, from God. Instead we’ve come to see them as a hindrance, costing too much money, cramping our style and stealing our freedoms. She goes through the biblical evidence of how God feels about children, and some interesting evidence about the dangers of permanent forms of birth control (vasectomy & hysterectomy). Considering our recent journey, it served as much-needed encouragement to persevere.

6. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May. Well my oh my. Natural-childbirth proponents likely know about this book. It was … wow! Very informative, worth reading.

7. Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize. So glad I read this! I had heard bits and pieces about the “supernatural childbirth” movement, but most of them all revolved around having a pain-free childbirth experience. But this book is SO MUCH more than that! It’s about, again, seeing what God says about children and then believing His Word and His promises regarding our own conception, pregnancy, and delivery experiences. This might sound crazy, but I have this book to thank–by God’s generous power and leading–for the conception of our child. This isn’t the place to get into it, but this book fanned into flame the faith that had dwindled, and allowed me to re-approach God from a correct mind-set, resting on His Word.

8. Different: The story of an outside-the-box kid and the mom who loved him by Sally Clarkson. This is the story of Sally Clarkson and her son, Nathan, who has OCD and sensory disorders. Together they share about his childhood and the challenges of homeschooling, coming into adulthood, and the lessons they both learned as a result. I read it because Dutch is certainly an out-of-the-box child but honestly, my takeaway was that he’s not THAT out-of-the-box. Ha! We actually have things pretty easy compared to some of the challenges that Sally and Nathan had. In the end, it’s her encouragement to love our kids just as they are, and to be patient and gracious with their quirks.

9. French Woman Don’t Get Facelifts by Mireille Guiliano. Are you laughing yet? Right after a book on supernatural, miraculous childbirth is a book on facelifts? A few weeks after my miscarriage, we were spending the day at the river with my mother-in-law, and I just desperately wanted something light. Everything had been so heavy, and I wanted to laugh, so I borrowed this book from my MIL and enjoyed it while basking in the sun. Nothing earth-shattering, of course, but it’s just about aging gracefully and not trying to be something your not, vainly clinging to some 20-something image of yourself. It’s about being comfortable in your own skin (and taking care of that skin!), and eating to live, rather than focusing on diets and body-obsession. Of course, this is not written from a Christian perspective, I don’t endorse everything in it, but it was a quick enjoyable read.

10. Sacred Mundane: How to find freedom, purpose, and joy by Kari Patterson. Ha! Yes, I re-read my own book because it reads differently when it’s actually on paper. You can get get it here for cheaper than Amazon, with free shipping: https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane

Re-reads that I thoroughly re-enjoyed:

1. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (one of my all-time favs)

2. The Great Divorce by CS Lewis (hadn’t read since college–so good! Fascinating.)

3. Educating the Whole-hearted Child by Clay & Sally Clarkson (one of my favorite homeschool reference books)

4. High Call High Privilege by Gail MacDonald (LOVE THIS BOOK!!! A must-read for every pastor’s wife. I hadn’t read it since we first got married, so it was a completely new experience, almost 15 years later. Highly recommend.)

Whew! There you have it. Now, I would LOVE to hear your favorite books from 2017. Will you please share? Thanks so much for reading.

I looked down at Dutch, concerned:

“Is Kalmar going to die?”

He smiled but his eyes told me nothing. He’s a stickler for unspoiled endings.

Then I reminded my heavy heart, It’s just a book. 

Just as certain songs mark seasons of some people’s lives, so books do with mine, and this has most certainly been the Wingfeather month. Dutch devoured the 4-book series and was so completely enchanted by them I thought I’d join him on the journey.

I’m so glad I did. I was quickly swept along in this breathtaking story, and it carried me swiftly through the weeks of morning sickness and made my couch-ridden afternoons a glorious retreat.

They may not have the same effect on you. They’re kids’ books.  The main character is 12. But I’d venture to say even C.S. Lewis would tip his bowler to Andrew Peterson because this Narnia-esque series speaks to deeper places of my heart than any other book has in a long time.

In them I learned that I am the Cloven.

I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that the dark and evil enemy captures victims and drives them to desperation, then exploits that desperation by promising them power, beauty, glory. When they succumb, which they all inevitably do, they are melded with a wild beast to become a hybrid — the Cloven.

His army.

But in this clumsy diabolical process, many are warped, misshapen, left longing for wholeness but unable to go back, left forever bearing the image of their failure, their weakness, their shame.

This happened to Kalmar, the eleven-year-old boy we follow through the Wingfeather Saga. There are times his shame is so painful it is difficult to read. Strong people—unbroken people—can be so mercilessly cruel and the weight of our failure can lead us within a hairsbreadth of abandoning our calling altogether. But every day his mother reminds them,

“Remember who you are.”

Indeed, this remembering becomes the most critical battle plan. Rehearsing your name, your place, the truth of who you are.

But just when the shame seems unbearable, Kalmar meets Elder Cadwick, another Cloven, who reminds him:

“Being broken isn’t always a bad thing.”

And then.

The glorious redemption unfolds. Not just for Kalmar, but for the entire Kingdom. For all the poor and powerless, for all the lost and lonely — for every Cloven whose very appearance smacks of failure, weakness, shame.

Only a Cloven could reach the Cloven. 

All the whole and strong people, the unbroken people, they built their fences and set their guards and sharpened their weapons and rightly so, because the Cloven were … monsters. But only one who was also broken could hear the hearts that cried inside and recognize the evil done TO them.

With judgement gone then righteous revenge could be carried out against the source of evil.

And there’s only one. 

Now, as I curl up with the last few hours of 2017, I reflect on this year. There’s never been a year like this year. So much loss and struggle, not just for me but for those I love most. I’ve shed more tears this year than any other, hands down. I’ve struggled and stumbled, grasping for His grace. It’s been there, all along, but I end this year very different than I began.

I am the Cloven.

I’m broken a bit, many more lines adorn my face.

I’m no longer enamored with myself. 

But that isn’t the end. The story isn’t, “Let’s just celebrate our brokenness and learn to love ourselves.”

That isn’t it.

The story is Redemption. The story is a Savior. The story is the Innocent in place of the guilty. The spotless, perfect, righteous One, choosing death for love … for us.

I am the loved. 

You are too. 

So, broken friend—there may be a bit of Cloven in you too, eh?  There’s good news: The broken can hear the hearts that cry inside monsters.

You have a calling, Broken Friend. You have a world to love, Good News to share. You have wounds to heal, lost to find, foes to slay. You have little warriors to raise.  You must be brave. You must be fierce. You must be a fighter, a peace-maker, a dragon-slayer, a Jesus-Lover.

You are the Cloven, you are the Loved. 

Here’s to a 2018 unmarked by our own selfish achievements but shining brilliantly with the love and courage of Christ. What might your brokenness enable you to do? How might Christ be mighty in your weakness? How will you devote yourself completely to His cause, come what may? And how will you remind yourself, daily, who you really are? You are Loved. 

{Happy New Year. Looking forward to journeying with you into the great unknown. Thanks for reading.}

*I found a few more boxes of books in my garage! If you’re still looking for Sacred Mundane you can order here, cheaper than Amazon, with free shipping. https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane Happy reading!

This year I did something I’ve never done before: I quit reading. 

I shared HERE about my conviction, in early September, to set books aside for a season. It seemed strange, but it was a clear conviction, and I sensed that God wanted me to spend an undetermined length of time without reading any books. I was only to read the Scriptures, and life. There is plenty to read as we look around and LIVE!

I wasn’t sure how long this “book fast” would be, but I waited, and periodically just checked back in with the Father, and prayed that He’d show me when we were done. About mid-December, I was praying about this, and clearly heard/sensed: “CS Lewis.” As I continued to pray I had the impression that I had the freedom to read CS Lewis. Thankfully, he was fairly prolific so that should keep me busy for awhile! 🙂

Overall, I can see more clearly why God had me lay aside books for a season. It was so good to quiet down all the “other” voices in my head, and tune in to His alone. It also afforded me much more time to prayerfully follow along with current events, be engaged with my kids and read aloud to them. It also slow my pace, so that I wasn’t always caught up in some new idea that I’d read. I have a tendency to move along very quickly from thing to thing, idea to idea, and this helped me become more slow and steady, chewing on the Word rather than constantly entertaining new ideas. Overall, I’m very grateful.

So, my reading this for the new year is very simple: Read and re-read all of CS Lewis’s books. Of course, my own book will be coming out in late summer, so I’m hoping He gives me the go-ahead to read that. 😉 

I share all of this not to say that you shouldn’t read anymore. Not at all! Just to say that sometimes less is more, and reading more doesn’t always mean we’re living well. May God give you clear direction as to what to read this year, I do hope that it includes my book. I promises it points to Jesus! 

Anyway, here are the books I enjoyed from 2016, that I’d recommend, in no particular order. I read others as well, but these are the ones I recommend. 

1. Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. Oh my, LOVE THIS BOOK. The kindle edition is only 99cents–so worth it! It’s funny, refreshing. The author has Asperger’s, so I only read it because I thought it might help me understand my son, but I gained so much from this book! If you want to fun, impacting, easy-read that will make you smile and think, get this one!!
2. Do What Jesus Did by Robby Dawkins. Such a great book. It’s fabulous, can’t recommend enough. Great practical field guide on crazy stuff like healing the sick and casting out demons.
3. The Shattering by Jessica Smith. This was given to me by the author at a conference where I was speaking. It’s simply her story about discovering the truth behind yoga, and her VERY REAL encounter that forever changed her life. It’s a quick read but WORTH IT. I know it’s a controversial topic, but her testimony is powerful and I highly recommend.  It’s one you could read then pass on.
4. For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley. Oh my goodness, where has this book been all my life?? It’s an absolutely fabulous philosophy of education for homeschoolers or public schoolers. I love her insights. You can easily get this one from the library–I highly recommend!
5. The Jesus Fast by Lou Engle. I’ve already talked lots about this book here  and in the entire fasting series on my site this summer. It’s not so much a primer on fasting, but a call to lay aside comforts and life-as-usual to embrace an adventure of bringing about God’s kingdom here on earth through extended fasting. A faith-builder for sure!
6. The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. A friend loaned this to me and I devoured it on a vacation trip. It’s a long read, and you could spend countless hours here, planning and taking notes. You can get at the library, and then determine if you need your own copy. I love Charlotte Mason so this was right up my alley. If you’re a homeschooler, I highly recommend this book.
7. Give Your Child the World by Jamie Martin. I’ve already written HERE about this beloved book. A great resource for reading to your kids! Jamie has a new book club for the new year also. Check out www.simplehomeschool.net for more info!
8. The Daniel Prayer by Anne Graham Lotz. This is a great wake-up call for Americans. I don’t agree with every single thing in it, but I am grateful for her TRUTH, and especially her specific call to repentance, prayer, and fasting. Excellent!
9. Childwise by Gary Ezzo. All the —wise books go along with the Growing Kids God’s Way DVD curriculum which Jeff and I are doing right now, and I LOVE it. I have been so blessed by these books, and enjoyed Babywise and Toddlerwise as well. I read Childwise this summer, and it was really helpful for understanding some specific ways I needed to train and nuture our kids at the stage they’re at now. Along with this…
10. Preteen-wise by Gary Ezzo. Believe it or not, my kids are now in this stage! This book focuses on ages 8-12, and it is SO helpful in preparing for the teen years. However, a lot of this book is a repeat of Childwise, so you might not need to read both, if you’re short on time. If you had to choose, I’d say go with Childwise because it covers the critical core components of teaching and instilling moral reasoning. It’s excellent!

That’s it! Now, you’re turn: What was your favorite read of 2016? 

Thanks for reading. 

I’ve realized something about myself the last few years: I love connecting people. Just yesterday I have a new friend over, whom I’ve only seen in person once but whom I’ve become acquainted with via text for almost a year. As we chatted, I couldn’t get another friend out of my mind, I kept thinking, “Oh, they would love each other! I have to connect them!” I’m already making plans to have them both over, so they can meet and be blessed.

I feel a similar satisfaction when I can connect people via books. Some of my greatest mentors, comforters, wise counselors, and yes, friends, are people whom I have never met in person. They are authors. Many of them, most of them, have long since passed into eternity, but their timeless words linger on pages and I’m always excited to introduce them to my friends.

Naturally, then, one of my greatest joys in motherhood is connecting my children to fabulous men and women through fabulous books. I am beyond thrilled that they are both taking such a liking to John Bunyon. We now have 5 versions of his story, Pilgrim’s Progress, in our home, and his characters and insights are becoming part of the warp and woof  of our daily conversation.  As we were hiking up the steepest hill from the pond yesterday, Dutch announced, “This is surely the hill Difficulty!”

So, knowing this, imagine my delight in offering you something today that is all three of these types of introductions, all into one. Yes, that’s right. An introduction to one of my favorite people, to a fabulous book, and to an opportunity to connect your children with not just a few, but hundreds of fabulous books. Let me explain:

First, one of my favorite people. We have never met in person, but Jamie Martin is a kindred spirit and dear friend. Over the past six or seven years, she has been an invaluable source of encouragement, inspiration. We “met” when my sister-in-law gave me a copy of her book, Steady Days, and I knew I’d found a friend. I still remember sitting on my carpet, weary and overwhelmed as a mama of two tinies, and letting her comforting, encouraging, life-giving words wash over me.

Two years later, I took a huge leap of faith and with trembling hand typed out an article to submit to her, to see if she’d let me guest post on her blog, Simple Homeschool. To my everlasting amazement, she did, and invited me to join the team from then on. I’m most certainly out of my league amongst those homeschool giants, but I’m so grateful they let me be a part!

Well, this lovely lady has compiled a GOLD MINE of literature into an inspiring, encouraging, and supremely helpful book called, Give Your Child the World. In it, she shares her love for the world and her love for stories, giving personal examples of how both have shaped their own family. You cannot help but love her when you read her humble, gentle, life-giving words. She always makes me feel a sense of peace and rest, and a sense of excitement and inspiration.

Her book includes over 600 children’s book recommendation (seriously!) with stories from around the world, to give your child the gift of a love for the world, and the gift of a well-written story that encourages, inspires, instructions, shapes, nurtures, comforts.

It is impossible to overstate the power of a wholesome, well-written story for connecting with our children and teaching them every virtue. Having just read For the Children’s Sake (love!), I am convinced more than ever that whole-books are the path for an excellent education, and a rich life.

Plus, there’s a fun opportunity starting on Monday, to be part of a Summer Book Club, reading through some of Jamie’s recommendations.  There are lots of perks so you can read more about that here. For now, I urge you, for less than $10 you can give your child the greatest gift–a summer (and years to come!) filled with rich stories from around the world. You can click here to order the book today. This would also be a great thing to buy if you’re a grandparent, to read aloud to your grandchildren, or as a gift to a grown son or daughter who has children.

Again, here’s the link to buy the book.

Let the summer reading begin! Thanks for reading.

What have been the defining moments of your life? What experiences have forever altered the course of your life? What books, relationships, choices, events have changed your direction and brought you where you are?

I can think of several, and for me some of the most powerfully influencers over the years have been books. I can look back at key crossroads, at moments of decision that forever changed my life, and almost always I can recall the influence of a powerful book.

When I was a teen, a random person gave me a cassette tape that contained a scratchy audio book of I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Whatever strengths or weaknesses of that book, it completely changed my path … for good. Several years later, The Reflective Life opened my eyes to the presence of God in all things. The Pursuit of God helped birth the Sacred Mundane. The Hole in our Gospel destroyed our neat-and-tidy American Dream and sent us (literally) packing our bags and moving in an entirely different direction. The key books will be different for all of us, but I feel strongly impressed that there are three key books that would forever alter the course of your life, if you would take the time this summer to delve into their pages.

Could this be the summer you never forget? Could this summer not only be life-changing but world-changing? Everyone with a pulse knows this to be a critical time in our country, and in our world. It can be confusing to even know how to navigate the turmoil. No matter how you lean or vote, all Christ-followers can agree on our mission: To spread the good news of the gospel by word and deed, to shine as lights in a dark land by our generosity and love, to stand in the gap as intercessors who will, with unwavering faith, believe God at His Word and carry out His Great Commission.

There are three books, I believe, that will powerfully shake us out of status quo living, that will awake our hunger for God and give us HOPE for the future. I encourage you, I challenge you, I plead with you: Consider reading these three books this summer. What are they?

Rees Howells, Intercessor by Norman Grubb

Heavenly Man by Brother Yun

The Jesus Fast by Lou Engle

For just $30, you could invest in these three. That’s it! We could easily spend that much eating out one time, we’d spend four times that much on a concert or a conference. We’d think it was a steal to find jeans for that price. Just now I was at the garden store and almost spent that much on a hanging flower basket. (I really wanted to!)  How much better to take $30 and invest in the eternal course of your life, to invest in the eternal course of the world? 

Perhaps the Holy Spirit will lead you to something different, but I plead with you: Invest in eternity this summer. Do not seize the summer by (only) swimming and sun-bathing, as lovely as those things may be. Now, I’d love to hear from you: What books have been game-changers for you in life? I’d love to hear.

Plan now for a summer you’ll never forget. Thanks for reading.