The Mrs. & the Minister

Joan Chittister's Radical Spirit: 12 Ways to Live a Free and Authentic Life continues her literary tradition of making Benedictine spirituality accessible for new generations.  I read her Distilled from the Daily several years ago and found her spiritual wisdom deep and transformative.  In Radical Spirit Chittister focuses on the tough "spiritual hinge" of Benedict's Rule:  The 12 steps of humility. Through her judicious use of spiritual parables from around the world and events from her own life, Chittister engages readers with narrative and humor, drawing them down a path to self-revelation and spiritual grounding.  These thoughtfully choreographed chapters address the individual and offer an antidote to contemporary trends where "demagoguery is the new political brand, where narcissism is too often misunderstood to be leadership."  Chittister writes that humility is the corrective to dangerous grandiosity, which "in religion ... makes i...

Jennie Allen's Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard is a full encouragement to stop living life for God, and instead live life with God -- and I can't agree more. To quote Allen:  "I'm not saying we turn apathetic and lazy, but I am saying we get to stop trying to impress God.  God wants to be with us.  And that reality pressed deep into us producing anything but apathy". Allen's Nothing to Prove is a book for every woman who struggles with feeling "good enough" or "big enough" for a part in God's work in the world. If you -- like I -- have struggled with your place in ministry or whether you are serving God in your daily life, I believe this book will speak volumes to you as to how amazing of a job you are doing as well as give you freedom to step away from that which drains you. I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

Louise Miller's The City Baker's Guide to Country Living is a novel that satisfies, like grandma's pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.  It's about creating family where you find it and finding your place in the world.  And it does that by striking the right balance, never veering off into oversentimentality.  If there's room for just one novel on your holiday reading list, it should be this one. Olivia Rawlings is a legit baker (ahem, pastry chef), a culinary institute grad with 15 years under her belt.  Although baking is about precision and detail, her life is somewhat in chaos.  She's behind on her rent and sleeping with an older married guy and doesn't seem to have much guilt about it.  And then, one night a flaming baked Alaska sets fire to her career in Boston and she runs off to her bestie in Guthrie, Vermont.  All this in the first chapter -- this is a book that doesn't fear throwing its readers right into the action. Guthrie is a t...

Joni Eareckson Tada's A Spectacle of Glory:  God's Light Shining through Me Everyday is a new devotional that helps those suffering with daily pain find a way to live in God's presence in the midst of suffering. Tada has been a quadriplegic for more than 50 years now, deals with chronic pain on a daily basis, and is a breast cancer survivor.  She knows well the questions we ask when we don't understand God's path for us.  She is living proof that God can actually use our weakness, pain, struggle and disappointments to bring his love into sharper focus as we follow him in this dark world. I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

Nadia Bolz-Weber has become a voice to whom I listen when she preaches.  And her Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People is an amazing book that takes the reader through the intimacies of parish ministry, sharing story after beautiful/painful story about the weirdness that is running a church.  I'm not going to give any of them away in this review; but I can say as a pastor's wife, she's telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  So don't let the tattoos throw you off.  If you work on a church staff of any denominational variety, this is a must read. Her's is a pastoral voice about grace without strings.  I needed that voice to be grounded in scripture without apologies, not to shy away from Christ or his cross.  I needed it to be strong and articulate.  And, knowing me, I needed some honest, salty language thrown in. All of that is embodied in Nadia Bolz-Weber.  And her message in this book is simpl...

Art Wolfe's Photographs from the Edge: A Master Photographer's Insights on Capturing an Extraordinary World contains 280 pages filled with some of the most stunning nature and travel photography you could ever imagine by the famed photographer, Art Wolfe.  There are photographs of many different indigenous cultures and wildlife on its pages.  Right away, you learn about Art, his equipment for his craft, and his evolving style.  He's been a photographer for over 40 years and lets his photos tell stories.  This is a spectacular book that deserves a place on every coffee table! I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.

Leah Reena Goren's Besties is a beautiful, fully illustrated testament to the gift of female friendship.  Besties is a testament to what it means to be, well, "besties" -- friends who live life in the minutia, the rough patches, and your compatriot in all those "girls' night out" nights that require that plus-one.  Best friends are those with whom we can share our real lives, both the good and the bad, and Goren has given us a real gift that stands as a testament to those kinds of friends. I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.