“Think back to the times a kind word, sincere prayer, generous gift, or small encouragement from someone at just the right time has made a meaningful difference in your life.” Becky reminds us that we all need more small kindnesses in our lives. Maybe it’s time for you to give an encouraging word, offer to help with a project, send a care package, drop off dinner, or just sit and listen to a friend going through a hard time. It will make a difference.
An interesting look at what art, in the form of paintings, tells us about the pain and suffering of the artist. I enjoyed learning about a couple of artists that were unfamiliar to me.
My word for the year is ‘grace’ and I’ve never heard anyone speak of grace and live in grace quite like Brennan Manning. This book and its message encourage me every time I read it. It is a must-read for anyone struggling with shame, guilt, insecurity, or doubt.
If you’re feeling unloved, please read this book. It will leave tears running down your cheeks as you feel enveloped by love Himself.
Growing up in California, I heard and learned about the Donner Party from a young age, but I didn’t know, or remember, many of the details. True to his narrative style, Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat, follows one member of the Donner Party from her life as a young woman in Illinois through the sojourn west where she loses her father, husband, and other family members, and her attempt to find life again following the catastrophic journey.
A guided sugar detox with daily reminders that our dependence on, and addiction to, sugar is not actually about the sugar itself. I sincerely appreciated Wendy’s encouragement, willingness to share her own struggles, and wisdom to help us not only address the sugar itself but the challenges going on inside our hearts and heads that are causing us to reach for the sugar to begin with.
A fascinating and well-researched look at the ideologies and events that created the call-out and cancel culture, witch hunts, and dehumanization that we have seen become prevalent in the last decade.
An absolutely delightful memoir of the 30+ years that Julia and Paul Child spent in France. Her stories and recollections are funny and heartwarming, and her love for the country and its people is undeniable. As I shared in my Feb 14th Friday Faves, I loved the HBO Max show about her.
A very insightful history of art over the last five centuries, the ideologies behind the art, and its impact on culture and our lives. A fascinating read for all artists, especially those who are Christians.
As I shared in last week’s Friday Faves, Flannery’s famous collection of short stories will shock and bewilder you, and also make you laugh out loud from what some people describe as her “acid humor.”
2025 Book 11: Heaven by Randy Alcorn 2025 Book 12: Heaven by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson At the beginning of the year, I decided that I wanted to better understand Heaven, so I read these four books, and I am so glad that I did. I learned so much that I didn’t know and was encouraged in ways I didn’t expect to be. If you have questions about Heaven, start with book 11 – it covers practically everything you’ve ever wondered or wanted to know. Books 12 and 13 are rich theological deep dives. If you want to better understand hell, book 14 covers it well.
You can always find my previous reading lists here. 
