Reading, Writing & Pondering

    I have done several Beth Moore Bible Studies and have learned so much from her. I was excited to see that she has a new one-- Walking with God . This one released from Tyndale House Publishers in January. It looks like a good study to do with Lent as it is about walking with God. It could be done any time though, of course. What does it really mean to walk with God–not just for a season, but for a lifetime? No two people in Scripture walked with God identically, and the same is true for all of us. Sometimes, a stretch of miles when God seems gloriously obvious can be followed by months of wondering where he’s gone. God has his own objectives for each season of our walks, and some of them will remain a mystery until we see his face. Join  New York Times  bestselling author of  All My Knotted-Up Life , Beth Moore, as she leads you on a five-week journey through Scripture to explore what walking with God looked like throughout the Biblical storyline: t...

  Mind, Body, Spirit, Food by Nicki Sizemore is a beautiful holistic cookbook.  As the cover states, the recipes are adaptable and there are grounding meditations and there is encouragement for preparing meals with joy and intention. This book encourages the reader to focus on the process as they cook. I love that. I also like how flexible these recipes are. The recipes offer advice for making each recipe in your own way with ingredients you have on hand and in such a way that your family's likes and food intolerances are taken into consideration.  I see our bodies as holistic so this book is especially meaningful to me in that way. There is encouragement to have an attitude of gratitude as you work with ingredients, prepare your food and eat with family. There is also a spirit of meditation included. This is definitely a book for my keeper cookbook shelf.   The recipes themselves look to be flavorful. The instructions are easy to follow. There are full color p...

    A King Washes Feet by Jessica Claire Bond releases on February 10. This book gives the reader 40 readings for a Lenten read or a Bible study. On the last night of Jesus’s life, He picked up a towel and washed His disciples’ feet–people who would soon betray, deny, and abandon Him–giving an example of what it really means to love and forgive like the King. He clothed Himself in humility, providing for us a picture of what it really means to follow Him. This book is an invitation to sit on the footwashing stool and let Jesus heal you, then kneel with the King and learn how to wash the feet of your friends  and  enemies. We need this picture–and this posture–more than ever. All around us are disappointed, disillusioned, and wounded people, covered with the grime of ambition, jealousy, self-protection, church hurt, broken relationships, and world-weary hearts. Jesus calls us to kneel before them, whether they are friend or foe, to perform acts of love, m...

  Meredith Harper has not really living life very well since her husband and two children died in a car crash four years earlier. This year, she has decided she is going to make her life count and start really living once again. With that in mind, she travels to Colorado Springs and spends a week considering an investment property there. Harlan Holcombe is an actor on a break who is also staying at the same resort in Colorado Springs. When he meets Meredith there, there are some sparks.  Soon, Meredith and Harlan are spending some time together. Can Meredith move on with her life? Can Harlan handle the hard stuff with Meredith? What about his struggles with his Ex and his little girl, Alex? I was so excited to read Even After This by Deborah Clack from Haven Publishing. Haven is a new clean reads imprint from Baker Publishing House. Sometimes I just want a clean read without spice and cussing so I am excited about the new imprint.  Even After This is also written by a n...

  I found myself back in Sheet Cake, Texas as I listened to the audiobook of The Bluff by Emma St. Clair. James is the typical grumpy boss character. . .I really didn't like him too much at first, but. . . I was surprised at how much I warmed up to this guy by the middle of the book.  Winnie sets out to be a good employee, even though she is temporary, for James Graham as he gets ready to open Dark Horse Brewery in Sheet Cake. I truly enjoyed getting to know both of these layered characters. There was definitely more than meets the eye to both of them. I was pulling for them more and more as the book went on. I also like the other characters in Sheet Cake. It was nice to catch up with all the characters from the first book. The narration in the audio book was well done and I found myself looking forward to listening whenever I could. Now, I am definitely looking forward to moving on to the next book as this one ends, so I can see how everything unfolds between Chevy and Val. ...

I am a white middle-aged woman. I don't have a brown son. HOWEVER, I have friends with brown children and I want to support them and all the brown people My Brown Boy is well-written. I also love the gorgeous full-color illustrations. This book shows how brown boys can be whoever they want to be. The author's brown son was followed by a policeman at a young teen even though he did nothing. I don't know what it is to be profiled based on my skin color but my heart goes out to this child. Also, I have son that is neurodivergent. He does things his own way and his skills unique to him. I like how the author shares how her son is unique with his own skill set. I also appreciate how she shares that he sometimes gets scared. I think this book does a good job of sharing how we sometimes judge by skin color when we need to look at everyone's heart.   I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine Program. All opinions are my own.