Married to the Cloth

“Catch ideas like fireflies in a jar, and write what only YOU can write.” Coleen Paratore teaches writing workshops for kids and teens. Passionate about sharing the joy of writing,  Fireflies, coming out in 2014, is a book on that subject. This book is like a series of 'writing prompts' for kids. A wonderful gift for aspiring writers. This book will encourage and teach them to "see" without them even realizing it.  "In the Firefly fields of imagination, Ben learns the secret connection between his hands and his heart: his ideas. Disguised as an encounter between an author and a shy student, this charming lesson on the magic of inspiration will have children of all ages reaching for their notebooks and watching for the spark of "fireflies." Along with Coleen's "Read*Write*Dream*Speak" program, she is also partnered with other literacy programs as well to   to encourage aspiring writers through workshops and talks through

A sisterchicks devotional. What is a sisterchick? A sisterchick is: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat. This devotional is undated so you dont feel the "I missed a day" pressure, but can dive in when you want/need to. The book is full of scripture, stories and a swift kick in the pants, just like you would expect from a friend. I grew up on Robin's Christy Miller books. So I feel as if it really is getting advice from a friend. The authors bid you to press in further with journaling pages and key scriptures. Through out each devotion are "wit and wisdom" highlights as well. With Lessons like: Grace...it bids me fly and gives me wings.Don't let fear make the decisions for you. True friendship is that it can survive separation, both by time and distance. (Truth!23 yrs and separate coasts, but LeeAnn is still my best friend.) As with any

Christa Parrish's book "Home Another Way" is still one of my favourites. I was excited to be given this book to read.  With a past that has left her empty, Liesl strives to achieve perfection in bread. Making bread is a legacy passed down from her mother and grandmother, kneading their memories into the dough.   ( I wished my great grandmother had passed down the instruction for her dough along with the basic recipes.) Bread may not seem like a craft that artists would be drawn to but we all KNOW when we have bit into the perfect loaf. Christa brings into the story history of bread along with the history/depth of her character. The language of the book is specially crafted with poetry. "Modern home-cooks think nothing of tearing open a bag of silken flour and a package of active dry yeast, and pouring the dry ingredients into a machine with a couple measures of water and a tour hour wait for a fresh loaf. Breads dark history is unknown to them. And the sacrif

“Fatal Tide” Book Three in the East Salem series. Sadly I have not read the first 2 books, Waking Hours and Darkness Rising. With suspense and supernatural battles between angels and demons, a dark prophecy starts to come about in East Salem. Occultic leaders are in league with an East Salem pharmaceutical company in developing a drug, Provivilan, that is attacking  the brains of children, turning them into a violence-addicted murderous army. Even with the supernatural battles the characters seem rather realistic and relate-able. The characters have to decide who they can trust when faced with evil and find they must rely on God to see them through. Awesome book, thrilling and suspenseful story. Read the whole series! Book Description from the publisher: In East Salem, the elite St. Adrian’s Academy is at the nexus of a satanic apocalypse—and the fatal tide is rising. When Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is reunited with the pagans who commissioned it, a

A collection of Brennan Manning's devotions, meditations and his personal reflections are collected along with the NIV Bible. (As previously noted, NIV after 2011 although marked "NIV" on all packaging in a blend of NIV and TNIV.) There are several new Brennan Manning publications,  one which was reviewed previously in this post HERE . I have already stated how much I love Brennan Manning in that post. The Bible is for the lost and hurting, the ones who wonder if any one sees them. Maybe you have tried and failed...again and again. Instead of being filled with the historical and intellectual notes, this one is filled with notes to pierce through the callouses built up on your heart, getting to the flesh of the matter. Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/zHQGwCsQBI0 From the Back Cover:  Do you believe that God not only loves you, but that he also likes you? It's just one of the soul-searching questions posed by bestselling author Brennan Manning who confesses

Being married to a man who pastors 2 churches, sabbath rest is really bard to find. Saturday we are at the schul, Sunday at the church. We try to eek out lil bits here and there. Friday nights all the electronics turn off. They stay off til late Saturday afternoon. Dinner at home, together. But it can all change in a moment. Last minute dropins at the church office keep him late, dinner gets cold...dried out...or worse. Some one has an emergency and the only person who can help is the guy Iam married to. There are days I get a bit angry, even days I get really angry. I knew I would have to share him and his time. But does it have to be every month? Week? Day? This is when we decide we will have anannversary get away. Which is not easy with 8 people living on our income. A campervan, a few groceries and an off season camp spot, which means cold in these mountains. But there are no cell signals. And a sky full of stars. We have learned a nite away really is not worth the effort. I

Brennan Manning inspired music (Rich Mullins Ragamuffin Band). He wrote of G-d's love for imperfect  individuals, and spoke on issues such as shame, alcoholism, brokenness and more. There are 20 other books by Brennan Manning. This one was almost finished when he died earlier this spring. Thankfully Greg Garret both co-wrote and completed the work. I love reading Brennan's writings. Drawing on the stories of the ragamuffins, we find a broken man in need of the love of a mighty G-d. The book has the storyline that has become all too familiar in church settings, pastors and their affairs. Men in the limelight, and on the pedestals we as people have placed them on, and the down falls of humanity. The message of grace and forgiveness found in Brennan's works overflows into this one as well. Brennan summed up this message. He said that Jesus comes to each of us and says, "I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I kno

. Hurt and pain are universal. What we do with those hurts and the pain we carry, can shape us. It can cause us to hide away, to build fences, or it can cause us to live with abandon. Over the decades, I have experienced pain. I am guessing you have as well. We have often talked about how the worst bosses or those above us in our jobs, have always been the christian ones. We have left congregations never wanting to return to those building, or denominations, or any other ones. Dee Brestin has an analogy of roses and alligators. (in her book The Friendships of Women) There are people in our lives who are roses. There are thorns with roses, but for the most part, we are willing to over look the thorns because of the beauty they bring to our lives. Then there are alligators, they are the ones who are basically out to just get you in a death roll. Recognizing who is safe, and who isn't, having healthy boundaries is very important. However I had gotten to a point where I tr

Over 10 years ago, my husband and I read Love and Respect, together. We of course had a fight. As we read the book, we both were convicted over what we were reading and the emotions that were at the surface ignited. It has had a profound impact on how we respond to each other...after the initial fire works, of course. The book was and still is an excellent resource. When my friend Rhonda Stoppe shared a little about her book,  Moms Raising Sons to Be Men , in May of this year, I was struck by a comment. She brought up treating our boys with respect, the respect men desire. To treat them as men. It sounds simple, but this is a new stage in our lives with 14 and 15 yr old boys who are becoming men before my eyes. That wisdom is exactly what this new book is about. This newer book from the ministry of the Eggerichs, brings the elements of love and respect not just in to the marriage relationship but into the whole family dynamic. http://loveandrespect.com/ From the website:

This book comes on the coat tails of a wonderful weekend in San Francisco where I took a design and creativity class. It has had smatterings of the same insights such as the fork in the road anaology.  We often view a fork in the road in our creativity as "Choice A" or "Choice B". And one of those is the "wrong" choice, right? One leads to success and the other to failure. Failure is ofcourse BAD....or is it? Instead of viewing the forks in our paths this way, we should look at them as opportunities for exploration letting us see what could happen, and being able too take either fork or both. More than just using helpful tools such as blueprinting your business, and creating a mission statement. In thi sbook you will be encouraged to discover how to: ignite innovation accelerate innovation what sabotages innovation and leaving a legacy of innovation take chances, make mistakes...... http://www.youtube.com/v/NCFoQad1dYE?version=3&autohi

The perfect Movember book! Maybe it has grown to be more than just a western society's view, but men are viewed through failures. Seen unreliable, those who can not be trusted or those who will abandon their families.Men have become baby daddies rather than fathers. Stephen sets out to show a true man is honest, humble, compassionate, responsible, courageous, and faithful. He uses the true stories of some great men. He has some great research from having authored books such as: Lincoln's Battle with God, The Faith of Barack Obama, and Benedict XVI, Searching for God and Guinness, and Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill. This is a great book to give the man in your life. Reminder: It is not in the biceps!  In  Mansfield's Book of Manly Men , http://www.youtube.com/v/tCE9CdRonRQ?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=YI0NB8u5TbSXZtSKlIbAaw Masculinity is more t

Incredibly researched and an amazing story! Based on true stories, filled with drama scenes and  vivid details, make it not a book that you would label an "easy" read. But it is well worth the reading. A powerful work of historical fiction that will stir up your emotions.    The story of  Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic monk, being a calming force has always been a beautiful and inspiring story. I love the way the true event of his life was woven into the fictional story.How to not blame God for evil and stand for justice is a timeless lesson that we often need repeated to us. Shawn Hoffman presents a compelling story, and film, in Samson. (video link below) "Samson Abrams makes a life-or-death decision that lands him, and his entire family, in the notorious concentration camp Auschwitz. When Samson is recognized by Dr. Josef Mengele and Commandant Rudolf Hoss as a former boxing champion, he is ordered box for their entertainment. A win means extra rations, but the