Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Stuff I'd Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery by Jennifer Dukes Lee is a journal that I would say definitely belongs between you and God if you are going to use it and be honest in it. I have some things in common with Jennifer Dukes Lee. I am from Iowa. She is from Iowa. I am a trained journalist who has worked as a reporter with newspapers and so has she. She likes to ask questions and learn about other people and things in the world. So do I. I have followed her on social media and read others books she has written. With all of those things in common and already liking her work, I had to get this guided journal. Oh, and I do like to journal so that also makes this book up my alley. Maybe Stuff I'd Only Tell God is up your alley too? Stuff I'd Only Tell God is a paper back guided journal with an introduction by the author and well-organized sections with titles like, Me and My People,...

  Are you a creative person but feel like it is hard to find the time to do "your thing" as a mom? Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd is a book that needs to be on your radar. Create Anyway is the book that I wish I had had when my son was little. I like how the book is written in bite-sized chunks, like busy moms need. It is full of encouraging stories and prompts for moms who want to incorporate creative pursuits into their lives while they work to be the best moms they can be. Gadd shares a lot about using bits of time here and there. I think that sounds realistic. I know I made a collage in a half hour one day and my creative bucket was full for a week. We all have those things we like to do and sometimes we need to squeeze in the time to do them.  Create Anyway has 19 chapters in it. Each chapter shares ideas and stories to encourage women to make time for their creative pursuits. Then at the end of each chapter th...

  I have often heard people say that they don't have a creative bone in their body. I heartily disagree with that statement. I believe we all use creativity in more ways than we realize. Mary Potter Kenyon's new book, Called to Be Creative inspires all sorts of creativity and reminds the reader that they are indeed creative in many ways. For me, reading Called to Be Creative was like sitting down with the author at the coffee shop and chatting about writing, artwork and all the things that we mutually enjoy that take a bit of creativity. I enjoyed her conversational tone. I also liked that each of the twelve chapters concludes with an inspiring real-life story from another creative person and an assignment to do something creative--for example, writing in a journal or making a vision board. For the purposes of this review, I read straight through the book and made some mental notes regarding the assignments. However, I plan to go back through and do the assignments and I am r...

Writing a story, a poem or a song is hard work. Yes, we may feel called to do one or more of those things but it is still work to answer that call. Andrew Peterson in Adorning the Dark presses in to the creative process and shares some of his insights and his personal life. Adorning the Dark is part memoir and part encouragement and invitation to the creative process for all of us. He tells about how he has struggled to write songs and music and poetry and even to creative beautiful gardens on his property. He pulls from musicians and writers in the past and present and shares advice and stories that leave you nodding, Um Hmm, yes, that is how it feels, at times. I would encourage anyone who is a writer or creator in some area to read Adorning the Dark . It is insightful and full of hope and beauty for those who wish to create. At the same time, he also tells it like it is and that it is work to create. As Peterson shares in this book, there are struggles and there are times yo...

Creative Journaling is one of my favorite things to do to relax. 30 Days to Joy is a 30 day creative journal designed for people who like to write, draw, photograph, or collage. You can personalize the journal however you would like. 3 0 Days to Joy starts out with a short introduction explaining the difference between joy and happiness.The journal then has Scripture verses and quotes about joy interspersed throughout the book. In-between are pages with prompts to make your own creative work. There are also pages in the back to list the songs that bring you joy to make your own playlist on Spotify. The concluding pages of the journal invite you to write about what you have learned about yourself and where do you want to go from here. You can end the journal with a short page about you and all of the people you want to thank in your life as the author of your own book. I know I will use and enjoy this 30 Days to Joy journal. I have read through all of the prompts and the quote...