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5 on Friday: Best nonfiction I've read this year

June 7, 2013

I’m trying to read more nonfiction. I love stories and I can read fiction fast, but there’s a lot to learn and be challenged by in the nonfiction world, too.

Here are five nonfiction books I’ve read this year that top my list of best of 2013, so far.

1. 7 by Jen Hatmaker. Turned my world upside-down and introduced me to one of my favorite writers out in the book world and the Internet world. Great principles for simplifying your life.

2. Wrecked by Jeff Goins. My world was already wrecked when I read this, but it confirmed that God is up to something with us. If you’ve had a life-changing encounter with poverty or justice issues or on a mission trip, this is a good follow-up book for incorporating that experience into the whole of your life.

3. Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. It’s a book not just to be read but experienced. It’s a guide for establishing rhythms and disciplines into your spiritual practices and living a balanced life.

4. On Writing by Stephen King. I can’t believe it took me till now to read this book. His writing advice and experience is invaluable.

5. Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist. I know I just reviewed it this week, but her writing style is unique and I’ve never read a book that blends personal experiences, cooking and spirituality so well.

What’s on your list of favorites so far this year?

Do you know where your clothes come from?

June 6, 2013

Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought in the past, but when the news reports stories like this and this, then I have to wonder if the clothes I’m wearing are breaking someone else’s back.

It’s a complex problem without easy solutions, but that doesn’t mean we need to sit back and wring our hands.

Can I introduce you to a company that offers products that are good for the planet, for the people who make them and for you?

Imagine Goods is an organization I whole-heartedly support. And I think you should too.

Here’s why:

First, the clothes, bags, aprons, tablecloths and the like are GOR-geous. I don’t go gaga over new clothes or home furnishings too often, but these products are classy.

Second, the company offers a symbol on each of its products representing the worker who made the item. On their Website, you can learn a little bit about the person who made your dress or apron or tablecloth.

Third, the owners Michelle and Aiyana are dedicated, hard-working and hands-on. They’ll be taking their 13th trip to Cambodia this weekend to buy fabric at the local market and meet with the workers they employ. From start to finish, they know the ins and outs of their business.

Fourth, the work Imagine Goods offers gives marginalized people a fair wage which helps families, and a chance to learn a trade. On the Website, you’ll notice clothes labeled “second.” Those have been made by people who are learning to sew. Rather than throw out work that may not be perfect, Imagine Goods offers them at a reduced price.

Fifth, do you need more reasons? If so, then I dare you to visit Imagine Goods on the Web and not be inspired by the work they are doing. I’m planning to buy my next dress for a wedding from there. And next year, when my daughter needs an Easter dress, I’ll be heading to Imagine Goods.

It’s past time that we–shoppers, consumers, Americans–take responsibility for our part in the world’s problems. Imagine Goods makes it easy to feel good about the clothes you buy and to make a difference–a real, lasting difference–in the life of a real live person on the other side of the world.

Enough talking. Now go check out their Website!

When a book is good enough to eat: Review of Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

June 5, 2013

Shauna Niequist has written about two things I love: cooking and community. Her newest book, Bread & Wine, is part memoir, part cookbook, part travel journal, and it is a book you’ll want to savor, and read multiple times. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Bread & Wine from Zondervan through the Booksneeze program.)

From dinner parties, to family get togethers, to cooking clubs, to crisis and disappointment, Niequist writes about the role of food and life around the table in all of life. She loves food and people and the memories that surface of good times and sad and how food and community minister and comfort and heal. If I could eat the pages of this book, I would, but then I wouldn’t be able to try the recipes.

Bread & Wine left me hungry–for community and delicious food–and full–of my own memories of life around the table and hope that offering community around a table doesn’t have to be perfect or difficult. I dog-eared dozens of pages and found myself nodding in agreement with Niequist’s observations about life.

Here are some of my favorites.

On the role of food:

It’s no accident when a loved o ne dies, the family is deluged with food. The impulse to feed is innate. Food is a language of care, the thing we do when traditional language fails us, when we don’t know what to say, when there are no words to say. … It’s the thing that connects us, that bears our traditions, our sense of home and family, our deepest memories, and, on a practical level, our ability to live and breathe each day. Food matters. (14)

On hospitality:

But it isn’t about perfection, and it isn’t about performance. You’ll miss the richest moments in life–the sacred moments when we feel God’s grace and presence through the actual faces and hands of the people we love–if you’re too scared or too ashamed to open the door. (109)

And,

The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It’s about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment. (114)

Niequist’s stories of travel and cooking and experiences make her the kind of person I’d be tempted to envy, but she is brutally honest about her shortcomings (there’s a swimsuit chapter I will be referring to often this summer) and disappointments (infertility between her first son and her second) and in the end, she’s the sort of person I’d love to hang out with for a day. The writing is personal, like she’s telling you her stories around the table, and the recipes are accessible, like she’s standing with you in the kitchen walking you through each step.

If you’re a fan of food and community, this is a book you MUST have on your shelf. Inspiring and encouraging.

Niequist has written two other books, both of which I’m eager to read now.

For more about the author, visit her website: http://www.shaunaniequist.com/

A conversation about school choice

June 4, 2013

I was blessed this week to be part of the conversation over at Accidental Devotional about school choice. Abby’s running a series called Jesus at the Blackboard.

Here’s my input:

There’s a scene toward the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the ancient guardian of the Holy Grail advises the greedy Nazis and the archaeologist/adventurer to “choose wisely” when picking from a room full of possible cups.

In a way, deciding the education path for our kids has been like that scene: one wrong choice and we’re doomed.

Read the rest here.

Grace times infinity

June 3, 2013

I get a chuckle, okay sometimes a belly laugh, out of the At&T “It’s Not Complicated” commercials. (And I’m not even an AT&T user!)

Have you seen this one?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZh105_r2Qk]

Infinity times infinity.

Mind. Blown.

That’s the way I’m feeling about grace these days.

Grace leaves me with nothing to say.

I consider myself a law-abiding citizen, of this country and the Kingdom of God, for the most part.

But my obedience was based on fear. I have feared the law because the law makes sense. If I do something against the law, consequences result. If I sin, I deserve to be punished.

Like Detective Javert in Les Miserables, I have sought to live within the law to make sense of a world of chaos and pain.

By “[A]fter Brion” (meaning it was copied from a painting by Brion, which was common in the 19th century for illustrations. The ‘copy’ would have been a work for hire for the publishing company.) Gustave Brion (1824-1877) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

But now, I find myself fearing grace.

Because grace doesn’t make sense in a law-abiding world. The law is predictable, controllable almost. Grace, not at all.

Where the law offers punishment and retribution, grace offers absolution, deserved or not.

In The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning examines grace in the story found in John 8, where a woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus by a crowd who wants to know how He would punish her. Instead of answering their question, Jesus turns the tables and asks anyone without sin to cast the first stone. When He alone is left to condemn the woman, he lets her go. Manning writes:

Now, get the picture. Jesus didn’t ask her if she was sorry. He didn’t demand a firm purpose of amendment. He didn’t seem too concerned that she might dash back into the arms of her lover. She just stood there and Jesus gave her absolution before she asked for it. (166-167)

Grace was Javert’s undoing.

And it is mine.

When I am undeserving, grace lets me live.

When others are undeserving, grace gives compassion and second (and third and infinite) chances.

When I want to pull my own weight and do my part, grace sets me free to receive.

Grace says thank you and doesn’t try to repay. Grace passes on grace.

I’ve read the apostle Paul’s writings about law and grace in the book of Romans, but it never resonated. Sometimes I don’t understand. Maybe I still don’t.

But grace is changing me, giving me a new set of glasses by which I see the world.

Grace still doesn’t make sense to me.

But if it did, would I call it “amazing”?

5 on Friday: best fiction I've read this year

May 31, 2013

We’re nearly halfway through the year, and I’ve done a lot of reading already. And with summer on the horizon, maybe you’re looking for some good books to pick up for your free-er time in the next few months.

Here are five (in no particular order) I’ve read and would recommend without hesitation.

1. Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart. I read this book early in the year and still can’t get it out of my head. Nicole’s literary writing style will grab you and not let go. It’s not a happily-ever-after escapist read, but it is a realistic picture of life and hope.

2. A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund. For the historical romance reader, this book is swoon-worthy. So encouraging and uplifting. Jody is one of my favorite authors and she’s outdone herself on this one!

3. Invisible by Ginny Yttrup. This is the antidote to the false messages about body image in the media. This story of three women discovering who they really are despite what they appear to be is challenging and encouraging. Ginny writes from experience with compassion and grace.

4. Congo Dawn by Jeanette Windle. This one takes you into Africa to expose the effects of greed and corruption on a nation rich in natural resources. Jeanette’s books are well-researched and action-packed.

5. I couldn’t choose between So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley and Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall, so I’ll let you decide! Tracy’s is set in Ephesus during the time of the apostle Paul. The Bible stories we read and pass over come to life with her fictional touch. MaryLu’s book is also based in history, just after the Civil War, when Southerners fled to Brazil. A fascinating story, with two more books in the series to come.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of the great fiction out there, but it’s a place to start!

What are your recommended reads for the summer?

A rocky road to redemption: Review of Be Still My Soul and Though My Heart is Torn by Joanne Bischof

May 29, 2013

I’ve been reading a lot of buzz about Joanne Bischof’s books lately. Her first, Be Still My Soul, is up for several awards this year, and the second in the series, Though My Heart is Torn, recently released. So, I decided to check them out. I’ll review them both here. (Disclaimer: I received a copy of Be Still My Soul free through a promotion of Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, with no expectation of a review, and a digital copy of Though My Heart is Torn through the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my review.)

First, Be Still My Soul.

It’s the story of Lonnie Sawyer, a shy 17-year-old girl living in an abusive home in Appalachia, who lets womanizer Gideon O’Riley kiss her while walking her home one night. When Lonnie’s father finds out, he forces them into marriage. Lonnie is relieved to be out of her father’s home but reluctant to enter a loveless marriage. Gideon resents everything about the arrangement and seeks to start his life over. He and Lonnie leave their homes for the promise of work in another mountain town. They travel for days and Lonnie becomes weaker and weaker, unable to continue the journey at the pace Gideon has set. Pride and anger overcome Gideon and he takes it out on Lonnie. By Providence, they are rescued by a kind mountain man and taken in by him and his wife while Lonnie recovers. Gideon continues to feel trapped by his circumstances and has to decide whether he’s going to serve himself, as he has most of his life, or learn to serve his family.

Bischof artfully sets the scenes in this story. I have never walked through the Blue Ridge Mountains, but I can imagine the journey. The characters are full of emotion and flaws and the story held me from the start. I cried several times during the story, which isn’t my usual reaction to a story, but I felt so deeply for Lonnie and Gideon that I couldn’t help myself. I finished the book in less than day, a credit to Bischof’s storytelling. I didn’t want to put the book down. I had to know what would happen.

Two minor complaints: I couldn’t place the time setting of the book. In parts of Appalachia, I know time stands still, but I couldn’t tell you if this book was set in the 1800s, 1900s or present day. Maybe I missed something in my eagerness to read the story. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment, but I did wonder. I also didn’t know where in Appalachia they were until about two-thirds through the book. (The answer: Virginia.) Like I said, minor, but those were two things I wanted to know from the beginning.

Next, Though My Heart is Torn.

What an appropriate title! I felt like my heart was being ripped out of me while reading this book. I don’t want to give too much away, especially if you plan on reading the series, but let me just say that it was probably a mistake to read these books back to back over two days. I set myself up emotionally and I haven’t been this involved in fictional characters’ lives since Downton Abbey Season 3. (It’s almost that bad, let me tell you.)

BUT. This is book two of three, and the middle book of a series is sometimes forgettable without much plot of its own, a bridge between book one and the conclusion. Not so, here. As hard as it was to read, I enjoyed Though My Heart is Torn more than Be Still My Soul. It is one of the best middle books of a series I think I’ve ever read.

Just prepare yourself. I was reading it on my Kindle. If I had been reading a physical copy of the book, I might have thrown it across the room. (I did startle my husband when I yelled, “THAT’s how it ends!” when I was done. He thought I’d seen some critter in our living room.)

The road to redemption is rarely pretty but always worth it.

And now I am counting the days until the series conclusion releases this fall.

When I forget to remember

May 27, 2013

I don’t always know what to do with Memorial Day.

The kids aren’t in school yet and usually my husband has to work, so it’s not all that different than any other day for our family. We don’t have a personal connection to anyone who has died while serving in the military. And though my husband is a veteran, he downplays his active-duty service and cringes a little when someone wishes him a “Happy Memorial Day.” (A bit of contradiction there, maybe. Would we say Happy 9/11 Day? Happy D-Day? Happy Holocaust Remembrance Day? I don’t think so.)

So I’m torn. Do we celebrate? Do we mourn? Do we have a backyard barbecue with friends? Do we go about our business?

Yesterday, the kids and I went to a Memorial Day parade and service, both of which were in our neighborhood and required almost no effort on our part. It was a nice day. We needed something to do outside of the house. So, we went.

And the kids waved at fire trucks, picked up candy and let American flags flap in the wind. We listened to a high school band and a Highland bagpipe group and retired officers tell us why this day is important.

Later, we did the backyard cookout thing with friends who are missionaries to Spain and returning there soon, but we probably would have done that even if it hadn’t been Memorial Day.

I don’t know if we did right by the day, if we honored the dead or paid homage to the living.

But I know that I’m grateful for a day that reminds me to remember.

Because I am forgetful. In mind and spirit.

As Ann Voskamp writes in One Thousand Gifts, “I am beset by chronic soul amnesia.”

I forget history, who I am and where I’ve been. I forget the works of God in my life and I forget the events that brought our country to where it is today. I forget about people if they aren’t right in front of me. I forget prayer requests and pressing needs.

I forget. I forget.

So I need to be reminded to remember.

The other day I read these words in Deuteronomy, fitting words for a weekend to remember:

Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life, but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. (4:9)

The things which my eyes have seen …

On Memorial Day, I remember that freedom is costly, no matter what “side” you’re on. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have given themselves in service to the cause of freedom over the years. And sometimes others pay the price. In innocent lives. In infrastructure destroyed. In chaotic reign afterwards. Freedom isn’t free for anyone.

And not everyone is free. We need people who have seen bondage and slavery and tyranny firsthand to remind us that freedom is not universal yet. That our way of life is not the way for everyone. That even those living in a “free country” can be enslaved to addictions, attitudes, behaviors, other people. That slavery did not end when the Civil War ended.

And ultimately freedom comes, not from the flag of a country, however “great” or “blessed” it might be, but through Jesus, who said he came to “proclaim release to the captives … to set free those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

I need to be reminded to remember.

I need a spiritual memorial day. A personal memorial day. To remember the workings of God in my life and the life of those who have invested in my life. To remember who I am and where I’ve been and how God has seen me through impossible challenges.

It is good to remember.

It is good to tell the story.

Not just on Memorial Day.

But every day.

Saturday smiles: I've got the joy edition

May 25, 2013

There’s a little something bubbling up inside of me right now, and it’s got nothing to do with indigestion.

Call it hope. Joy. A little happy, happy, happy for the Duck Dynasty crowd. 🙂

I can’t pinpoint a reason and maybe I don’t need to.

But here’s what happy looks like in our house.

The only good thing about drinking hot chocolate because you’re cold after a walk in the last week of May is this amazing chocolate moustache.

Sadly, though, when you “drink” your hot chocolate with a spoon, you don’t get a moustache. But you’re still awesome. (Mom: Do you think we’ll fly away because it’s so windy? Izzy: No! We have bones, so we won’t fly away! Note: She must be learning this from PBS because I never really liked science.)

I love flowers, though my thumb is definitely black more than green. These beautiful roses greeted us on our way to the library, a lovely reminder that even though it was a gray and dreary day, colder than we expected, the weather early in the week made these pretties pop.

And this kid wanted to carry his books home from the library. There are moments, as a parent, when your kids seem older than they are and you get a vision of how they might be as older children, teenagers, maybe even adults. This was one of those moments. Big Man on Campus, anyone?

What’s got you happy this week?

5 on Friday: Words for marriage

May 24, 2013

On Sunday, Phil and I celebrate six years of marriage. Last year’s anniversary was a big deal for us, and you can read my reflections on that here. We don’t have anything extra special planned this weekend and though I believe every year of marriage is important, some years are more low-key than others.

This is one of those years.

I could probably write a book about what I’ve learned through marriage in six years, but in keeping with the low-key spirit of things, I’m focusing instead on five words I’ve found to be important to our marriage.

1. Grace. Lots of people will tell you that all you need for a successful marriage is love. I think love is important but it’s not always enough. We all need grace, married or not, and grace has been a key player in our marriage.

2. Yes. There’s a place for the word “no” in every relationship and “no” can be healthy. But “no” can also be a door slamming in your face. No, I won’t try that. No, we won’t do that. No, I’m not open to doing it differently. “Yes” is an open mind, a bridge, full of possibility.

Robert Proksa | Stock Exchange | www.sxc.hu

3. Today. We come into marriage with the baggage of yesterday and dreams for tomorrow. And sometimes today gets lost in between. We have to deal with the past but not live there. We have to hope for the future but we’re not there yet. Today is important and special. I don’t want to miss out on what today has to offer because I’m looking back or ahead all the time.

4. Us. That whole two-becoming-one thing is something I don’t fully understand, but what I do understand is that Phil and I are a team. And we’re on the same team. And while we still have individual personalities and goals and interests, we are part of something that’s bigger than either one of us separately. And the decisions we make are for the good of our family, the four of us living in the walls of this house, and for the good of our marriage. Maybe one time when an us-versus-them mentality is okay.

5. Help. We learned the hard way that we can’t do this on our own. We need God. And married friends who have been married longer than we have. We need teachers, pastors and counselors. (And babysitters; how could I forget babysitters?) Our marriage is personal, yes, but it’s also meant to be communal, as in part of a community. We need help to navigate the seas of marriage because otherwise, we are sunk.

What words have been helpful to your marriage journey?