Review: Kisses from Katie

By Andrea Andis

Kisses from Katie is an inspiring and challenging memoir of a four-year journey in the life of Katie Davis---a journey that took her from a life of comfort and privilege to the place that she now considers home in the red dirt of Uganda. Through the pages of this book, Katie honestly wrestles with her desire to follow God’s call for her after graduating high school and her duty to honor her mother and father, who had dreams of Katie going to college. Through her unwavering love for God and for the children in this area of Uganda, Katie intimately shares the struggles and joys of saying “Yes” to God despite her shortcomings. She also challenges readers (through multiple passages of scripture as well as her own experiences) to listen to God’s leading in helping and serving others, even when that service seems hopeless in the face of much desperation. In the end, this is a story of a modern-day Mother Theresa and an excellent example of a woman who is living wholeheartedly for God! 

Favorite Easter Books for Preschoolers

By Karen Brown

Sometimes the Easter story can be a hard one to share with preschoolers. The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a heavy topic for little ones. The following books explain the celebration of Easter through simple words and pictures and are well-loved this time of year.

Here are a few of our favorites:

The Story of Easter by Patricia Pingry - this book tells the story of the first Easter and why we celebrate it today. It has just enough words and is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

Tell Me the Easter Story by Joni Walker - this book does a wonderful job of marrying the Christian celebration of Easter with more secular traditions like dying eggs and Easter baskets.

My Easter Basket and the True Story of Easter by Mary Manz Simon - this Easter basket shaped book has a fun rhyming format and bright, glitter covered pages the kids love.

75 Books that Build Character

By Karen Brown

Our family reads together every night. Not a lot of things compare to snuggling up under a blanket with the kids and a book. It’s funny how they have favorites they insisting on reading over and over and over again. You know the ones where you skip a line and the kids correct you. Those are by far the most well loved.

I stumbled upon this blog post recently and found it too good not to share. It’s a list of 75 books that build a child’s character. This is an objective list, but we are always on the hunt for new suggestions and favorites. I kind of figure if I am going to be reading to them anyway, it should be something with some substance. Something that helps drive home the values and character traits we are already trying to instill in our children. Something that teaches them lessons about things like diversity, individuality, fairness, and being open-minded.

At our local library, you can reserve books online. I’m excited to grab this list and place some of these on hold. Then, the next time we go to check out books, these are added to the pile. (Brilliant for people like me know will never remember to bring the list along.)

Share with us. What are some of your favorite children’s books or authors? Do have ones you remember reading as a child?

No Time for Flashcards via Apartmenttherapy.com/family

Welcome Baby Jesus

By Katharine Grubb

In the spirit of keeping the Advent season simple and meaningful, I am delighted to share with you, Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families by Sarah Reinhard

The author says on the first page, "Advent is a season almost forgotten by the secular world. You’ll find Advent calendars, but they are simply an adornment for the “Christmas Season,” which begins sometime after Halloween and ends on Christmas Day."

This simple, whimsically illustrated book goes through the days of Advent with easy discussion, simple readings and practical application of what it means to worship Jesus in the Advent season. I found this book to be easy to follow and full of grace. It has the perfect combination of theology, practical living and excitement for my little ones. I find myself scrambling for Advent resources about December 5th, and what I like about this book is that I can pick it up at any point and still get a lot out of it. I want my Advent season to be full of meaning for my children, and I’m grateful for easy resources like this one.

The author continues, "After all your presents have been opened and the decorations put away, we still have a Baby who changed the world and who is, at the heart of it, the biggest reason for our celebration. Everything else is secondary to the arrival of our Messiah."

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus to my home this Advent Season!

advent conspiracy: the book

By Karen Brown

Image from Amazon

REUNION has been participating in Advent Conspiracy for three years now. Our community has been transformed by this movement - challenged, inspired and forever changed. We are trying to be intentional about keeping Christmas what it should be, a celebration of Jesus’ birth. We are embracing the concepts of worshipping fully, spending less, giving more and loving all. 

I recently read the book, Advent Conspiracy by Rick McKinley, Chris Sea and Greg Holder. It was a quick read and good refresher as we head into the holiday season. I love the way the book unpacks how Christmas can still change the world. It lays out how we can redeem Christmas from the consumerism that has come to define the holiday. How we can choose to not participate in all the excess, an excess of food, gifts, overspending...all of it. How the most important gifts we can give are relational gifts and the gift of our presence. We have an inherent need to be with each other that is often fractured in our hurried and overscheduled lives. It talks in depth about loving the poor and the marginalized. That is how Jesus lived his life and He calls us to do the same.

This year we conspire to celebrate Advent year round. To wrestle with how our worship can permeate all seasons and how love and generosity can define us. When you think about it, it really is so simple. Simple acts with profound impact.

Will you conspire with us? How has Advent Conspiracy changed your family?

The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family

By Karen Brown

I was at a conference a few years ago and the speaker happened to mention she had just grabbed this book to read on the plane. As soon as I heard the title, The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, I knew it was something I needed to check out. Frantic described my family to a T.

This book is a great tool for what the author Patrick Lencioni calls, “restoring sanity to the most important organization in your life.” It walks families through 3 questions to help them figure out what makes their family unique, what their priorities are, and how to come up with a strategic family plan. The ultimate goal of the exercises is to move families away from being reactive, chaotic, stressed out and frantic to a place where they are living life with intentionality and a sense of purpose.

The author sites many reasons why we need to look at our families as organizations and then lead them accordingly. It talks about the price we pay for living in uncontrolled chaos where the hope is to just survive. This book gives you the tools to make purposeful progress towards goals you decide upon as a family. A light bulb moment for me was that we, as a family, need to decide which chaos to tolerate and which we are going to squash.

I would highly recommend this book for families with children, but it would be equally valuable for anyone. Although I must confess that we haven’t put it all into practice, we have seen remarkable value in the changes we have chosen to make. It has helped us hone in on our family’s focus and purpose and given us a strategy for decision-making. Two thumbs up in my book!

Favorite Bibles for Kids

By Karen Brown

My two oldest kids may have finally graduated from baby Bibles to something with actual chapters and verses. I thought it would be an easy task to simply grab them a new Bible from the bookstore, but the selection is a bit daunting. After asking some other parents and doing a little research, here’s a short list of favorites.

For Infants & Toddlers

This is a really sweet Bible that covers some of the more popular stories. The stories rhyme (hence the name) and the kids really enjoy listening to it. The illustrations are really nice and pretty to look at. This Bible makes a great gift.

For Preschoolers

This Bible is great because it covers a wide range of stories from both the Old and New Testaments. The stories are typically a couple short pages long and are written with age-appropriate language and discretion. All the pages have colorful illustration.

For Young Readers 

I asked my daughter what she loves about this Bible and she mentioned that she really likes to read the introductions of the books that talk about who wrote it and what was happening during those Bible times. She is often sharing “did you know?” facts that I don’t even know. It is just a really fun Bible.


At what age did you first buy your child a Bible? What are some of your family favorites?

Book Review: Stupid Things Parents Do To Mess Up Their Kids

By Katharine Grubb

I’ve been down on myself lately and I picked up this book from the library thinking that perhaps it would encourage me in my parenting skills. I know a little about Dr. Laura Schlessinger, enough to trust her opinion.  

Some things included in her stupid list are: neglect, irresponsible conception, lack of discipline, indulgence, and distractions. Each thing gets its own chapter and all of them are consistent with Biblical beliefs. Even though Dr. Laura is Jewish, she firmly supports a Christian worldview, conservative thought, and the importance of faith in a family setting. She cites articles, gives statistics, and quotes callers from her radio show.  And she backs up the reasons why all of these things are, indeed, stupid. I found her data to be disturbing but not surprising.

I am glad I read this book. I found it to be a quick read and I came away from it feeling like my own intentions in parenting are not stupid at all. (They’re also not perfect, but I’m grateful that Dr. Laura would probably not find them toxic to my children.) I highly recommend this book specifically to new parents. Especially to new parents who were raised by parents who may have done some stupid things themselves.

treasuring God in our traditions

By Karen Brown 

I first came across the book Treasuring God in our Traditions on the blog Under the Sycamore. Since the blog always has such wonderful ideas and ways to make God real to kids, I thought the book would be worth checking out. (So is the blog, by the way.)

One of the things that really resonated with me when reading this book was the way the author hoped to instill traditions in her children that drew them closer to God. The ways they celebrated events and traditions as a family would remind them of God’s hand in their lives. The author, Noel Piper, used the word infiltrate; infiltrate our lives with God. It got me excited thinking about the ways our family can intentionally incorporate the Gospel into everyday routines and activities.

The book offers many practical suggestions for encompassing tradition into both everyday life and special occasions like Christmas and Easter. It also challenges the reader to evaluate traditions and customs we currently subscribe to. Some traditions are worth keeping and handing down to future generations, while others may need a little reworking in order to have Christ at the center. The purpose of traditions, in the author’s own words, is “remembering what God did for His people, giving glory to God for what He’s done and so our children and their children will know Him.” (pg. 103)

This book feels like one of those I will reread as my children continue to grow and mature. My hope is that our family traditions will be ones my children will look back on fondly as some of the ways they most grew in Christian growth and were nurtured. You can get your copy of the book here.

Under Three

By Anna Hamman

Recently I read a newly published book for families with children who are under three years old. It is beautiful in its simplicity. It is mostly black and white photographs exhibiting two children playing and experiencing all kinds of things. There are captions to go with the images that give you simple ideas of how to play and encourage learning with your young child. Most of its message, however, is told through images.

In a world of so much parenting advice and toys and gadgets that can sometimes be conflicting in advice or overwhelming, this is a really simple book that is a refreshing reminder of how important play and simple low-cost or no-cost experiences with your children can be. I really enjoyed reading this and taking in some new ideas for play and learning with my 14 month old. There are so many possibilities! Take a look at the preview and the reviews on the website.

What are some of your favorite play experiences or games with your one to three year old? 

 

Too Small To Ignore

By Anna Hamman 

One of my favorite books is Too Small To Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most, by Wes Stafford, the president and CEO of Compassion International.

Too Small to Ignore is a book that has challenged my perspective about children and poverty. It helped me see how God values children not just for who they will be as adults but for who they are now, and how it is our responsibility to care for them too. Because of Stafford’s unique upbringing in a remote community in Africa, he brings a fresh perspective from someone who has lived and worked in both third world and Western settings. Here is a quote I really love:

“When the wealthy and the poor get together, each ends up meeting the desperate needs of the other. Too often Satan achieves his wicked agenda by keeping them apart---geographically and philosophically. The result is that one tends to die in need and the other in greed. But when Jesus brings us together, the genuine needs of both are mysteriously and wonderfully satisfied. In God’s amazing economy, the rich and the poor need each other, the common message being, ‘Enough really is… enough’”

I really recommend this book for those who care for children. It offers a fresh perspective on how important children are in God’s equation but also a challenge on how we value those who have less than we do and how we can pass this perspective to our own children. In this book, Stafford shares his own experiences of growing up in an African village and also his perspective from working with children and families through Compassion International around the world. 

Compassion International is a Christian organization that helps people sponsor children and teenagers and their families in third world countries. My husband and I have sponsored and written letters to two children through Compassion for a few years now and we were privileged to go and visit them and their families with compassion staff in rural Uganda a few years back.

We were really impressed by how sponsorship through Compassion benefits a whole community and were so touched by how overwhelmingly grateful our sponsor children and their families were for the relatively small amount we sacrifice each month to sponsor them. It was a humbling experience to realize how such a small sacrifice each month from us could really make a huge difference when channeled in the right way. We were also touched when they brought out every letter and photo we had ever sent them and shared how much they loved getting them.

I do not write this in any way to glorify us, because I feel this is a small act on our part. I just want to emphasize that child sponsorship is just one of those things that seems so right in this world. It is around $40 dollars a month to sponsor a child and sometimes that can seem like a stretch, but when you see how grateful the children, their families and the community who benefit from sponsorship are, it seems well worth it. Really when you think about it, $40 for us is just a few meals out that we could save by eating at home a little more. In a third world setting, this money goes a long way. Many of you may already sponsor a child or give in other ways but if you are interested in finding more about it, I highly recommend it.

barnes & noble summer reading program

By Karen Brown

I was recently at our local Barnes & Noble and came across a flyer for their summer reading program. Kids can download a reading journal, read any eight books and then turn in their journal for a FREE book (off a selected list.)



Fostering a child’s love of reading and working towards a goal is a wonderful gift we can give our kids. Activities we encourage now as they are little can form lifelong habits. I know my daughter reads her Bible every night not only because we encourage her to, but mostly because she just loves reading.

We are certain to add this to our family summer get-to-do list!

organized simplicity

By Karen Brown 

From Organized Simplicity

One of my 2011 resolutions intentions is to simplify - simplify our home, our finances, our routines and schedules...all of it. For me, when things are orderly and neat, when they make sense and are intentional, I feel like I can function at my best. It creates a calm and peace in our home that we so desire.

The first thing I set out to tackle is the clutter in our home. The things we have that don't work, don't work for us, don't need, don't love, don't use, have too much of...you get the picture. I am going through the house room by room asking myself questions like: Do we love it? Do we use it? Does it belong here? If we were moving, would I pack it? Is it something I find beautiful to look at? Etc... I am trying to be ruthless, knowing that simplifying in this way will only make managing our home easier - less stuff to pick up, put away, dust, store, search through when looking for something I really need...just less things to fill my mind and available space in our home. It helps to visualize our preferred future and what we really want to surround ourselves with and how we want to spend our time...with those around us, not bogged down by our possessions.

Already it has felt quite freeing to pack up boxes to donate and bags to throw away. I want to surround my family with things we love and appreciate, things that remind of us God’s blessing in our lives, of memories shared and things that bring us joy. And if another person can use or benefit from what was just cluttering our home, that's even greater incentive to give it away.

I heard about the book Organized Simplicity and immediately ordered it to help me figure all this out. I felt like I needed a roadmap and a little bit of a pep talk. I devoured this book in no time. I highly recommend it if you are looking to simplify as well. It offers some great suggestions.

So to keep it real, I've still got a long way to go. The de-cluttering is about halfway done and the charity has been called to pick up our donations. Our hope is that by streamlining our home and routine, we will free up more time and energy for what is truly important.

From Organized Simplicity

“Anonymous. Jesus’ hidden years and yours” (A book by Alicia Britt Chole)

By Anna Hamman 




I recently finished reading the book,  Anonymous. Jesus’ hidden years and yours.

This book took me some time to read---not because it’s long, but because it is full of truth that I found I needed to mull over one piece at a time. It is the kind of book that I could read several times and still find it teaching me and reminding me of how to realign my focus. I found it particularly applicable to me as a new mum, having moved from a busy working life, to now full-time parenthood, where most of my time is spent at home and sometimes wondering about my identity and what I should be doing next.

Essentially it is about the seasons in our life when we are not in the public eye or as “ successful,” where we find ourselves in a quieter less “celebrated” season---and what we can learn during these times. The author suggests that these can be rich seasons in which we grow closer to God and stronger in character.

Alicia Britt Chole looks at Jesus’ “hidden years” and how he handled temptations, challenges and trials over many years of anonymity, which helped him be obedient even unto death in order to save us and to please God.

She uses the analogy of the iceberg.

“Through chattering teeth, arctic scientists inform us that only one-eighth of an iceberg is visible. As much as 90 percent is submerged in the unseen. Because of their enormous mass, with that proportion, icebergs are virtually indestructible.

10% visible + 90% unseen = indestructible life

The most influential life in all of history reflected the iceberg equation. Ninety percent of his life on earth was spent in obscurity. Ten percent of his earthly life was spent in the public eye. And all of his life was and still is absolutely indestructible”

Alicia discusses in depth the temptation of Jesus in the desert and how he responds to it. She refers to Deuteronomy 8:2-5, taking ideas straight from that scripture. She says that God sometimes leads us into deserts:

• To humble us 
• To test us 
• To know what is in our hearts 
• To see if we will keep his commands 
• To teach us to depend on him, and 
• To discipline us as children

This is not a gripping novel or a “make you laugh” read, which is why I usually never choose to read a book like this. I usually run from titles like this and others such as “ Celebration of Discipline” etc. Most often I like to escape from my life rather than face it and be challenged to work on areas, however something drew me to this book and I found truth in it. It isn’t written in a judgmental or condescending way but rather a reflection on Jesus’ character and how we can learn from him. I feel like I have a long way to go in learning and growing the patience, self control and trust in God that Jesus has, but this book helped me look at my more anonymous season as a time to work on these things. And for that I am strangely thankful.

Growing a Spiritually Strong Family

By Julie Wilson

I highly recommend the book I just read, Growing A Spiritually Strong Family, by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. I initially picked it up because I felt like I needed some fresh advice and wisdom from other parents. It exceeded my expectations and gave many, practical suggestions.

One idea that I immediately put into practice is making Scripture more easily accessible to the children. I have begun to write a Scripture verse on a blank piece of paper and post it on our fridge. Throughout the day we practice reciting the verse. By the end of the week, we have seen it and said it so many times, that the kids have it memorized. We are on week five of memorizing new Scripture verses, and now the kids get excited about helping choose the new one we will learn for the week.

As a Christian mother I want my children to know and love God. I also want them to have God’s word as the driving force behind their thoughts and actions. God’s Word is a guide for our children to live by. Posting Scripture on our fridge is one small way I am trying to reinforce the importance of Scripture in all our lives.