BOOK REVIEW BLOG

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…

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,…

One of the best pieces of parenting advice I ever received was to ‘fill the kid’s well’. It was shorthand for paying attention, interacting with, and spending time with children so they did not feel…

It’s no secret that I love books. I love old books, new books, even e-books. I have floor to ceiling bookcases in every room in my house, save for the kitchen, which can only fit…

I’ve been a fan of the original edition of All Creation Waits for a few years now. In fact, I like it so much that I used it as part of the parent/caregiver book club for our…

Anyone who has spent time with young children in the days leading up to Christmas knows the energy that they bring to the season. The wonder with all the lights, the charge as the decorations…

There is a handful of book series that my children adore; The Chronicles of Narnia, The Penderwicks, Harry Potter, and anything by Robert McCloskey and Virginia Lee Burton. They have created many impromptu plays around…

We all know the pithy saying from Benjamin Franklin about what is certain in life; death and taxes. I would add that pain is something else that is common to the human condition. There are…

Remember the television show, Cheers? Remember how a certain character would walk into the place and everyone would call out, “NORM!” That’s me when I walk into a library or our local bookstore. I rarely…

There was an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Penny accidentally shot Sheldon’s favorite couch cushion with a paintball. Penny winds up taking the cushion to the dry cleaner, and Sheldon has a hard…

I am not a person who lays down rules when teaching a class. I find them to be prescriptive, and not of the behaviors we desire in the classroom community, but of the ones we…

I have a lovely stack of what I refer to as ‘boosters’. These are resources that fill in gaps, go more deeply into topics, and are versatile enough to be the spines of lessons as…

I began a new position a week ago, and as is wont to happen when you walk into a new space, you find that you have closets, classrooms, and other areas to sift through and…

If you ever want a good laugh, you should gather my older three children and have them do a live action version of The Pilgrim’s Progress. We have read many different adaptations of this book over…

It gets tiring as a children’s minister and as a parent having to constantly check for proper representation of God’s children in books. Combing through curriculum, finding ways to supplement so that every child can…

For over two decades, I have had the honor of partnering with congregations across the country and in many denominations, helping them discern what they are called to be doing in ministry with youth. The…

One of the greatest honors of my life is being able to live among and learn from youth. Their clarity, their energy, and their strength regularly help me see the world through better lenses. I…

As you would expect in a place that houses 7 children and 2 adults, my home is strewn with papers, pencils, crayons, and markers. Under the table, under the couch, between the cushions, shoved into…

Eight years ago, my family and I moved from the New York City suburbs to a city in Pennsylvania. New Yorkers have a reputation for being loud, brash, and sometimes rude. My experience with them…

Last year, Picture The Bible by Stacy Johnson Myers landed on my desk and I was instantly enchanted by it. I have enjoyed it alongside many children, used it as inspiration for projects with families, and have…

This resource bridges two giant roles in my life; parenting my crew of seven and serving in the field of children’s and family ministries. It’s too hard to choose which perspective to use for this…

Except for one brief year when I had a class composed only of boys, I have found my life to hold a fairly even mix of the traditional gender identities. It would make sense that…

Everyday, around 1 pm, you’ll find me cuddled up on my bed with my toddler, reading some books and getting him down for a nap. Everyday, at multiple points in the day, you’ll find me…

One of the best pieces of advice I received as a new parent was, when a child was out of sorts, take them outside or pop them in water. Both environments have proven their magical…

There are floor to ceiling bookshelves in every room of my home and they are all filled with books that we love. We read a LOT and we quote a LOT and we dramatize scenes…

My kids are currently listening to Queen’s Greatest Hits album on repeat. They’re big fans of “You’re My Best Friend”, and we’ve had a bunch of conversations as we drive to field days and swimming…

Perhaps you, too, have your cell phone in use more than you would like? Perhaps you, too, continue to work on finding ways to leave it behind, only to find that you need to keep…

I’ve been working in children’s and family ministries for over two decades and have been parenting for an almost equal number of years. So many children’s Bibles have come across my desk in those years,…