Winter in Michigan can be loooong! While much of our winter has been fairly mild, the last few weeks have been snowy and cold. I took advantage of the days inside to start reading the stack of books next to my desk!
First, ‘Twas the Morning of Easter by Glenys Nellist. With the same rhyme as ‘Twas the Evening Of Christmas and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, this is a lovely book. The illustrations are beautiful and the I LOVE the focus on emotions around the death and resurrection of Jesus as well as the prominence of the Mary in the Easter story. The story includes the guards at the tomb, Mary, fear, sadness, hope, excitement, joy, and good news. The book would be a great addition to a children’s Easter basket, read during worship or with children/families, or used as a story walk to tell the story of Easter (learn more about the StoryWalk here – scroll down to the “Free Activity Pack”).
Second, The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress. I love, love, love, this book. Amelia’s writing is practical, authentic, transparent, and real. The book includes nine spiritual practices that can be used by families together or by a person on their own. A few of the pieces that I appreciated the most is the timeliness of the book given the pandemic – it’s so incredibly relevant. I appreciate the realness that people come to faith/spirituality in different ways. This book is also wonderful for parents/caregivers who have different understandings of faith/spirituality. Amelia gives practical prayers, blessings, ideas, and ways to dive deeper into different spiritual practices. The book includes questions that parents can discuss together or in a small group with several families. I learned much through this book – and really appreciated the chapters on forgiveness and gratitude. They were meaningful and relevant in a pandemic world and in my own life. If you want to dig into the book with other ministry leaders, check out the leadership book club in March!
Last Updated on September 20, 2022