Reading, Writing & Pondering

    If you are someone who likes to read stories of people learning to live with challenges, you may enjoy Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken by Sydney Anne Bennett. This book could be especially helpful to someone else who lives with a chronic illness or disability. Sydney doesn't learn to overcome her disability but she does learn to live her truth with God every day. This book reads autobiographically and is easy to read and understand. Are you battling chronic struggles—whether physical, mental, emotional, relational, or social? Are they eating away at your faith? Sydney Anne Bennett has been there. She knows what it is to live in a body that is unraveling, a world that doesn’t understand, and a church that doesn’t always know what to say. With compassion, wit, and quiet strength, Sydney invites you to remember that some of life’s fiercest battles are fought flat on your back—and not one of them is wasted. In  Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken , Sydney shares h...

  The Divine Counselor by Alex Seeley released from Thomas Nelson in April. This is a book that focuses on guidance from the Holy Spirit. I don't think many of us really think about the Holy Spirit much. Pastor Alex Seeley, co-founder of The Belonging Co., reveals how the Holy Spirit provides the deep healing, peace, and purpose beyond what therapy alone can provide. At a time when many feel anxious and discouraged, the idea of living whole, healed, and empowered sounds wonderful–but often out of reach. Counseling, self-help books, and podcasts seem to offer temporary relief, but what about life-changing transformation? In  The Divine Counselor ,  Pastor Alex Seeley introduces readers to the best therapist they’ll ever meet: the Holy Spirit. Drawing on biblical insights and personal stories, Alex endeavors to answer readers’ deepest questions and doubts, while showing how the Holy Spirit . . . advocates on their behalf, interceding when they don’t have the word...

    Do you know the Nicene Creed? When I was in Sunday School, this was one of the things I memorized. There is a new devotional out from Josh Nadeau called Heaven Meets Earth based on the Nicene Creed. This 40-day devotional breaks the creed down into short phrases to meditate on along with a devotional relating to that phrase. The full Nicene Creed is in the front of the book. This book is gorgeous to look at, along with the beautiful daily readings. It would make a nice gift book and has an inscription page in the front. From the publisher: Discover deeper faith as you explore the richness of Christian belief and tradition with a visually inspired journey through the Nicene Creed. “We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth….” And so the Nicene Creed begins with these powerful words of declaration and belief, words handed down through history for Christians across the centuries to affirm and to hold, to repeat and to remind. The Creed has bo...

  Not That Wheel, Jesus! by Mary Katherine Backstrom is a book that I could relate to in several ways as someone who was hurt by church people but still loved Jesus.  Not That Wheel, Jesus! is for people like me who have followed Jesus as an Evangelical and then deconstructed their faith. I did not walk away from Jesus but after watching three churches split and a whole lot of other stuff that wasn't pretty at those churches, I needed a break from church people. If you have had experiences like that too, then you may also enjoy this book. If you don't have any experience with that, than this book probably isn't for you. She does use a few minor cuss words sprinkled throughout the book too so if that bothers you, then this book isn't for you either. I pretty much read this book in a day. While I can't relate to all of the things that the author went through, I could relate to several of them. I also liked her writing style. She has a sense of humor that made me lau...

    Does the Christian life feel complicated to you?  Uncomplicate It by Hosanna Wong is a book that gives you permission to live your life in a less complicated way in your own uniqueness. This book is divided into four parts: This is Your Permission Slip, which encourages you to be your own person and to live your life in your own unique way, the way God made YOU. The second section covers roadblocks to living that way--busyness, distractions, grief, shame and more. The third section gives shortcuts to better living the Christian life through your own personality, playing, pruning and more. The fourth section is called The Great Uncomplicating: How do you live life as the real you and how do you make sure it lasts?  There is a lot to think about in Uncomplicate It . It is a thoughtful and easy to read book in that the author writes as if she were talking to you over a hot beverage at the kitchen table.  From the Publisher:   What if enjoying life w...

  How do you view Jesus? The Compassionate Christ by Sherri Hughes--Gragg released on November 4, 2025 from Thomas Nelson. This beautiful book is full of different viewpoints on Jesus.  Witness the abundant love of Jesus. Too often, Christians and non-Christians alike view Jesus as someone who is far off, aloof, judging their misdeeds, and unwilling to embrace them until they have sorted out their lives and figured out their faults. But that distorted perception could hardly be further from the truth. The beautiful reality is that Christ is kinder and gentler, more tender and more caring, more loving and more compassionate than we have ever hoped (or dared) to imagine. In  The Compassionate Christ  author Sherri Hughes-Gragg invites you to embark on a transformative journey to witness firsthand the abundant and welcoming love of Jesus. Through emotive storytelling, a form of fictional narrative that mixes biblical history with Scripture, Sherri transports ...

      Ready As You Are: Discovering a Life of Abundance When You Feel Inadequate, Uncertain, and Disqualified •  Publisher:  Thomas Nelson (February 4, 2025) •  Hardcover:  240 pages Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer, leaders of the online community Her True Worth, issue a liberating call to stop waiting for permission to pursue your God-given purpose and to step into your calling today with what you already have in hand. Are you eager to walk in the calling and purpose God has for your life but are feeling uncertain? Maybe you’re not sure if you’re educated enough, or if it’s the right time, or if you even have the authority to take a step forward. Perhaps you’re at a standstill and are holding out for ideal conditions, or even an invitation, before you act. Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer say it’s time to stop waiting to live on mission. God wants to use you now, right where you are, with the tools you already have. In this book, they...

  Mary's Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is a beautiful devotional book to read throughout Advent that focuses on Mary's thoughts about Jesus birth and life. Mary's Voice is unique because, as the author writes in the introduction, in our Christmas programs, Mary is often seen as a quiet woman with no voice. In the programs, she is usually seen as a passive bystander. However, as the Gospels unfold, Mary was anything but passive. Especially in the Gospel of Luke, Mary is at the heart of the Gospel passage as she is the Mother of Jesus, God's chosen son. She is a woman who pondered much, as the Scriptures said, and watched the life of Jesus unfold.  I think Mary's Voice is a unique book in looking at Advent from her perspective. There are 25 readings. Each begins with Scripture, lasts 3 or 4 pages, and ends with a prayer. This book also has beautiful antique painting/artwork photos throughout the book that are bea...

  When I am feeling a bit down or need a pick-me-up, I can always count on a Joel Osteen book to give me some encouragement. I like that. At the same time, I like to read books about improving our physical health and well-being. I expected, 15 Ways to Live Longer and Healthier by Joel Osteen to be a mix of those two things. However, I didn't find that in this book. 15 Ways to Live Longer and Healthier: Life-Changing strategies for greater energy, a more focused mind, and a calmer sou l is more of a mind improvement book than anything. I do think it offers alot of encouragement and ideas to improve your thinking, if that is what you are looking for. There are chapters that include: Unclutter your mind, live in the present, dealing with difficult people and taming the tongue. These are all good things and I think they can be helpful if that is what you are expecting. However, I was expecting something different from the title of this book. I thought Osteen may have a book that was a...

  I grew up listening to country music that my parents played both at home and in the car, so I was well familiar with who Loretta Lynn is before seeing this book. A Song and a Prayer: 30 Devotions Inspired by My Favorite Songs is an uplifting devotional inspired by a variety of song and hymns. A Song and a Prayer is a 31 day devotional written to remind everyone who reads it that God loves them. "You don't have to be something special in God's eyes, because you already are something special," according to Lynn. Each of these devotionals is based on a song such as Coal Miner's Daughter, one of Lynn's biggest hits, It is Well with my Soul, I'd Rather Have Jesus and a whole lot of other songs and hymns. Each reading starts with a Bible verse, includes a devotional reading, and ends with a song and a prayer. I didn't know all of the songs in the book, although certainly I could find them online and listen, but the words and the stories were all encourag...

  I have always enjoyed Sarah Young's books. Many times they make me think and we have also used her children's books when I was homeschooling my son. We went through Jesus Calling and another book following that one. The readings in those books are all from the perspective of Jesus talking to the reader. What I like about Jesus Listens is that it is from a prayerful perspective and Jesus listening to you. In the introduction, the author says that she hopes that the daily prayers to Jesus in this book would be just a starting point. She hopes that they will invite the reader to share their thoughts and feeling as well as other things happening in their lives. She says she hopes that the prayers in the book will be just the start of conversations with Him. I like that idea. Sometimes written prayers don't quite fit your own situation and this invites the reader to make it their own. There are 365 daily readings that all start with a Bible verse, then the prayer to Jesus and ...

  Joyce Meyer has a new devotional out, Daily Devotions from the Psalms . I always appreciate Meyer's books because they are so down-to-earth, easy to read and easy to relate to. Meyer always seems to put herself on the same level as her readers--she doesn't talk down to anyone.  Daily Devotions from the Psalms is a small book, measuring a little over 5 by 7 inches. That is a great size to stick in your purse, backpack or brief case for a quick read when you need some encouragement to keep living the Christian life. This book has 365 devotions in it and they cover a broad range of topics that most Christians deal with on a day to day basis--stress, worry, waiting, finding peace, anger, and so much more. Each reading starts with a Bible verse, then a short devotional written by Meyer and ending with a short prayer.  There is a short introduction in the beginning of Daily Devotions from the Psalms . You could read this book every day, you could pick and choose your reading...

A Gift of Joy and Hope by Pope Francis offers snippets of encouragement in walking with Jesus through life from the Pope. Pope Francis shares a mix of his wisdom, thoughts and snippets of faith thoughts throughout A Gift of Joy and Hope . I think there is encouragement for both Catholics and other Christians in this book--as I am not Catholic. I was interested to see what this Pope had to say though as I have read about him. However, it was more disjointed than I expected--I am thinking maybe that comes with the language translation. I think it is sort of like a collection of the Pope's thoughts and bits of wisdom related to the topics of Faith, Joy and Hope. He shares at the beginning that he wants people to smile and that is his wish in one word. I guess, I found the book to be more simplistic than I expected and it certainly isn't too deep for most people. Everyone should be able to come away with something positive to think about from this book. The nice thing about the wa...

In our modern society, it seems like so many voices around us are saying, "hurry, hurry." Yet, God often has us in a waiting period which can be so frustrating in our fast-paced world. When God Says Wait: A Devotional Thought Journal from Elizabeth Laing Thompson is designed to help put all of those thoughts and frustrations on paper and to continue to guide journalers to look to God. When God Says Wait starts out with a short but powerful 2-page introduction by Thompson. She talks about different types of waiting seasons and shares how journaling can help us through those times. The journal then has a short paragraph by the author followed by a question or two to answer as you write. A Bible verse is at the top of the second page of each two-page themed writing spread. I am finding When God Says Wait to be a helpful journal. I like how there is so much room to write but yet there are short paragraphs and verses to think about along with the writing prompt questions. ...