It’s that time of year again. Time for sending out the old and ringing in the new. Time for reviewing the past year. Time for making resolutions for the new year. Each January, I resolve to make the same changes in the new year; and each year, I forget about most of those resolutions before…
City of Tranquil Light, by Bo Caldwell [Henry Holt and Co. (September 28, 2010)], is the story of Will and Katherine Kiehn, Mennonite missionaries to China in the first half of the twentieth century. It is a fictional story based on the lives of the author’s maternal grandparents who served as missionaries to China during…
When my boys were little, we enjoyed the Baby Bible Storybook, a book of simple Bible stories paired with sweet finger plays, rhymes, and other activities that made the Bible stories come alive for the youngest listeners. And so, when I was given the opportunity to review the Baby Bible Christmas Storybook by Robin Currie…
I am not a baseball fan. I have not spent hours at the baseball field watching baseball. I didn’t play Little League. I don’t have a favorite baseball team. I can’t name more than a handful of “the legends.” And so, when I was given the opportunity to review A Season of Miracles by Rusty…
Joy to the World: Advent Activities for Your Family by Kathleen M. Basi [Liguori Publications (July 1, 2010)] is a book of advent readings, activities, and rituals. Published by Liguori Publications, a Catholic publishing company comprised of a “community of religious priests, brothers, lay people, and contemplative nuns,” Joy to the World: Advent Activities…
A walk through the mall or down a city street, a trip to them mailbox, a glance at the television: all will surely help to emphasize the fact that Christmas is coming! Store aisles are lined with Christmas trees, ornaments, stockings, and lights; mailboxes are filled with holiday catalogs, and television commercials are clearly the…
Politics are in the air this week. In just one week, Americans will head to the polls to cast their votes for their favored Congressional representative. Two years after the historical election of President Barack Obama, American voters remain disconcerted with the state of our nation. the economy, the fight against terrorism, and the certainty…
Just the other day, I caught myself saying to a friend, “I’m exhausted; I’m just waiting for the day when our schedule slows down a bit,” and as I said it, I realized that the only thing that is going to slow our schedule down is if I stop filing every free moment. But…
There was a time when I thought I’d have all girls. There was a time when I thought I’d have 5 girls and 1 boy. There was NEVER a time when I thought I’d have ALL BOYS! As a child, I was all-girl. I played with dolls, I hosted tea parties, I loved wearing dresses,…
Wednesday evening, I stared a new book: Judgment Day by Wanda L. Dyson. I was enjoying the book tremendously, sneaking time to read a chapter here and there throughout the week. Friday afternoon, however, found me setting the book aside to pack for a weekend of camping with the Cub Scout Pack. I gathered my…