Book Review Blog

Part-Time is Plenty by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, published by Westminster John Knox Press, addresses the problem of main-line Protestant congregations who can no longer afford full-time clergy. Due to declining membership and budget deficits, churches are switching to part-time clergy. This book provides a new model where congregations can flourish and thrive with part-time clergy.…

In my family, ‘a book’ is usually the answer to most questions. Where can I find information about Botswana? A book. I need something to do because I’m bored. Get a book. I don’t know what to do about this problem with my friend. Remember when we read about this character in a book and…

Faith formation with children is a sacred calling. We meet children where they are, help them learn the basics of our faith, equip them to go more deeply into who we are called to be, and remain as touchpoints for them to return to with questions, wonderings, and confusions. Sometimes we get bogged down in…

“Wait. THAT’S what this was about? I did NOT get that,” were the words out of my 21 year old daughter’s mouth when she and I were discussing my feelings about My Guncle and Me by Jonathan Merritt. She is an education major and regularly pores through my stacks to find something to use with…

Finding resources to use with teens is challenging. Finding resources that are theologically sound is tricky. Finding resources to use with leaders who don’t teach full time is a tall order. Finding resources that are engaging and meaty is not easy. Finding resources that you can use across generations and still maintain the integrity and…

I am probably not the intended audience of Hear Our Prayer; Prayers of the People for the Revised Common Lectionary by Jon White and Lisa Graves. I’m not someone who leads corporate worship. I’m not someone who gets called into rooms pregnant with conflict and in need of pastoral leadership. I’m not the one who…

I think everyone knows my deep affection for and constant use of Common Prayer for Children and Families. (TL;DR version: I found it when cleaning out my new office last summer. It’s from 2019 and couldn’t believe that I had never seen it before that day.) I get a little thrill when I am on…

I find it ironic that adults will often comment that they don’t know how to pray when just about every young child I know will pray with the most beautiful authenticity. I am always honored when I get to pray alongside them, because they enrich my prayer life immeasurably, just because they notice what I…

My big sister has Down Syndrome. My early years were immersed in the world of her therapies and classes through early intervention, which was a brand-new thing in the late 70s. I never knew that other families did NOT live lives regulated by bus schedules, push-in therapists, play therapies, and more. When we started public…

For the past twenty years, you will find me on a couch, in a kid’s bed, or even in a tent in my backyard reading with children before bedtime. We’ve cycled through so many wonderful stories, devotionals, and children’s Bibles that I have bookshelves in every room in our home stuffed with options. However, we’re…

I have hit that part of human development where stretching is a necessity for me to be able to maintain my posture, balance, and ability to keep up with my children. When I began this practice, I used the wonderful internet to get me started, but I needed extra help, especially when I had a…

Maybe it’s because I’m solidly in middle age, maybe it’s because I’m sandwiched between caretaking for my own young children and my aging relatives, maybe it’s because I see my oldest children launching into their adulthoods, or maybe I’m just broody lately. Whatever it is, my brain is consistently turning to thoughts about self improvement,…

Have you ever noticed how packaging can change the appeal of an item? Wrap it in sparkly paper, adorn it with a fun ribbon, and hand it to someone. I’m fairly certain they’re going to savor the item inside,even if it winds up being a box of aluminum foil. Or when you hand someone a…

My day started at 11:56 pm on the day before when my 3 year old woke from a bad dream related to a lion. It began again at 3:13 am when the door to the garage swung open in the wind and tripped the house alarm, and really got going at 6:43 am when people…

When I think back on my early years of life, what I remember most are the everyday rhythms. How our lunchtime sandwiches were sliced on the diagonal, what the plastic feet of our footie pajamas felt like, the sound of my grandparents’ dog walking across the kitchen linoleum. It’s the little stuff of everyday life…

I am known for changing around the furniture placement in my home or in my classrooms with regularity. I like how a small tweak causes my brain to rewire and refresh how we use the space. It’s akin to having a toy rotation for children; bring out a few toys from the closet, put a…

The longer I continue in life, the more I see that there are so many different responses to disagreements. Some people like to engage and reason, some like to yell and shut down, some like to ask where we can agree, some like to call in authorities, some like to talk about it with anyone…

I have learned that, despite all the research I do before choosing or writing curriculum, scheduling sessions, and creating materials to help carry faith formation into the home, if it isn’t presented properly, it’s not going to get used. If I’m going to sink human and financial resources into curriculum, I need it to be…

If you’ve ever been in a classroom, a meeting, or even around a dinner table with me, you will know that I’m a big fan of sitting in a different seat each time we come together. I like seeing how the regular experiences get changed up when you shift your position. Changing the side of…

Holy Week can be a tricky time to be in ministry with children and families. Worship services are usually at times that are challenging for young children. The content is graphic. The actions are, at best, harsh. We have a generation of parents that are not as comfortable with our sacred texts because they did…

By the time you get to my age, you’ve had the benefit of years to experience many different types of devotionals. So many of them are written from the point of view of the author, working with Scripture and research to help you see why they support their ways of viewing the topic. These types…

EDIT! The Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Hallie Spence! I have mentioned before how much my children enjoy Glenys Nellist’s books and it’s time to get one of these fabulous titles into your hands. This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, ZonderKidz, and is open to entrants living in the USA with a physical street…

I was listening to a sermon today where the pastor talked about getting star words on Epiphany. She had started this as a prayer practice and was a bit startled when her star word turned out to be LEADERSHIP. She found that, as the year went on, holding this word in prayer really helped her…

Most of the time, I use print curriculum as a springboard to help me plan alternate ways of getting at a lesson. I have ways that I like to supplement. I have trusted resources I bring in. I will drop everything if the lesson is bombing and run in a completely different direction. I can…

I am a curriculum snob. For me, curriculum is a tool, something I use to help me learn what the group I’m working with already knows and how to help them use that to understand the new concept we’re working with. Good curriculum is flexible for settings and people. Good curriculum is inclusive of all…

Congratulations to Jennifer Pierce! Check your email! James the WonderCollie sends his best fuzzy cuddles to everyone and thanks you for entering so he could snuffle through your names and get an extra treat today.

**Our winner is Jennifer Pierce! Congratulations! Check your email!** I have mentioned before how much my children enjoy Glenys Nellist’s books and it’s time to get one of these fabulous titles into your hands. This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, ZonderKidz, and is open to entrants living in the USA with a physical street address…

As a child, I had a fear of a tree in our backyard. It was gnarled and had a hollow in it that looked like gremlins would pour out of in the dark. The fear of this tree was at its height around the time I heard about God being everywhere. I had attended my…

I am a bit of an Advent snob. If something purports to be an Advent resource, it has to have the flexibility to stretch through the entirety of Advent. If it always starts on December 1 and ends on December 24, it’s a Christmas countdown, not Advent, thank you very much. I have no problem…

Around our home, the way to solving any problem is usually through some combination of hugs, books, and food. Is someone sad? Let’s have some hot cocoa and chat. Are people bickering? Let’s pop popcorn, listen to an audiobook, and hang out. Is someone out of sorts or sleepy? Let’s snuggle up together and read…