A few weeks ago, I loaded up one of our vans with four young adults and their suitcases, all packed for a semester abroad. I had the honor of driving them to the closest international airport and sending them off on their grand adventure. I hugged them all, saving my oldest daughter for last. As we held each other a bit longer than usual, she leaned her forehead up, ready for one of our family’s oldest rhythms- the blessing. I traced the outline of the cross on her forehead and said our family’s traditional bedtime blessing (You are a gift sent straight from God, God loves you and so do we), and realized the power of family liturgies. The little things we do that keep us grounded in who we are as God’s people are astoundingly powerful. The power of building simple liturgies matter. When times become challenging, what we have in our core memories to fall back on matters. This is precisely why Glenys Nellist’s newest book, God’s Perfect Peace is not to be missed.

God’s Perfect Peace is a sweet picture book, told in simple rhyming cadence, is based on Isaiah 26:3. The soft illustrations feature woodland animals, all preparing to rest. The atmosphere is warm and the words wrap the reader like a lullabye. The gentle phrases assure families of God’s peace, and bring them together for a good night blessing to speak over each other. This book is the equivalent of tucking oneself into the coziest sleeping bag in front of the warmest campfire after sipping hot cocoa and enjoying times with loved ones- sure to leave every person content and cozy. 

There are many different ways you can use God’s Perfect Peace in your ministry. It’s perfect to pop into your family lending library. Pair it with a stuffy and a notebook for people to jot a blessing in for the next family to borrow. You could invite the children to bring a stuffy to church for a slumber party. Keep the stuffies in the sanctuary (or other place that is meaningful) and set up a Zoom meeting where you read God’s Perfect Peace to the stuffies and their humans at home. When they return to pick up the stuffies, send them home with one of the printable blessings from the activity pack. This book has been added to my list of resources to give to families for certain occasions (baptism anniversaries, birthdays, new members). I’m looking forward to using it to spur a tween service project- baptism bundles for babies in the congregation. They’ll read this and create blessing stickers for new parents to put onto packs of diaper wipes. And, of course, you could add this to your Bedtime Stories and Prayers ministry- wrapping up your session with a reading of the book. This resource is not to be missed!