Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

On learning and following Jesus together

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As a 40-year-old woman, I really love reading devotions. I like hearing stories that help bring scriptures to life. I like themes that apply to my life.

But gathering my family for devotion time often seems stressful to me, especially after we’ve had full days and are spending time together after dinner.

We talk about Jesus often. We serve together. We are involved in church together. Yet my momma ears totally perked up when I heard about a new family devotional: “The Very Best, Hands-On Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions: 52 Activities Your Kids Will Never Forget” by Tim Shoemaker.

After flipping through the book without my kids present, I get excited about the word “activities.” Doing something with my kids comes more naturally than sitting around the table trying to teach and lecture them.

I immediately noticed a few things about the table of contents: The activities are titled, but the themes are also noted immediately after. Some activities that may require extra supervision and precaution – like one involving a potato gun, chemistry experiment, or make-shift balance beam – are noted with one symbol while themes more appropriate for children 12 years and older are marked with another.

Like Shoemaker says in the introduction, parents are supposed to protect their children, provide for them, and prepare them for their futures. All of that is best built on a spiritual foundation and resources like this creative family devotional book are wonderful guides.

I appreciate how Shoemaker offers fourteen tips to making devotions work for your family. It’s good to be reminded these are object lessons, not drawn out lectures that bore the kids. He encourages parents to focus on doing weekly devotions and creating a habit that works best for their schedules.

Stay tuned because I’ll be back with more glimpses as my family moves into our backyard and living room to learn more about what following Jesus is about together.

About the book

The remedy to ho-hum, not-again, “Do we have to?” family devotions. Regular family devotions are important. Unfortunately, they’re often . . . boring. But what if devotions looked less like sitting still and listening to someone read and more like, say, electrocuting a pickle? Or converting a leaf blower into a toilet paper launcher? Or lighting toothpaste on fire?

“The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions” is a 304-page paperback book published by Revell (May 21, 2019).

About the author

Tim Shoemaker is the author of fourteen books. He has worked as a volunteer with youth at his local church for more than twenty-five years and speaks to thousands of students at public schools. He’s a popular workshop speaker at Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conferences, Moody Pastor’s Conference, Focus on the Family, and GREAT Homeschool Conventions. He lives in Illinois. Learn more about him and his books at his website.

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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review as part of the Revell Reads program. These opinions are my own.

Why the middle matters

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I’m not sure when being middle-aged happens, but I think I’m there – and it’s nothing like I expected. I turned 40 last month, am getting ready to celebrate 17 years of marriage to my college sweetheart husband, mother three kids from 3 to 12 years old, and have been out of high school for more than two decades.

“The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You” by Lisa-Jo Baker was good for me in this season. I started reading it one morning in early May – about a week after I turned 40, a couple of days after my dad died unexpectedly, the week before my kids’ last week of school that involved a field trip two hours away, a program, and an out-of-town vacation.

Obviously, I was in the middle of a lot of things at once in what’s my favorite month right in the middle of the year.

Anyway, I started “The Middle Matters” while eating banana bread I made the previous night because my husband and kids didn’t want those mushy bananas to go to waste. My son and youngest daughter left crumbs and I just kept reading. I don’t drink coffee, but pass the Diet Dr Pepper. I needed that quiet morning at the kitchen table to take some deep breaths and remember why the middle matters.

“The middle is the place where our lives really live. This is the place where we have grown into the shape of our souls even as we might have outgrown the shape of our jeans. The middle is the marrow. The glorious ordinary of your life that utterly exhausts you but that you might have finally started to understand in ways you didn’t at the beginning. … We are living the memories that will be passed down to the ones who are still living their beginning.” – Lisa-Jo Baker in “The Middle Matters“

Weary moms and women who are hoping for children and friends who also turned 40 this year and all you who might feel like you’re drowning in ordinary life, this book is for you. As I read, I felt cheered for and seen and understood.

About the book

Do you ever wonder how you woke up one day with all the responsibilities of a grown-up who secretly enjoys going to Costco, can no longer recognize the tween celebrities on the magazines at checkout, but is still surprised when a Starbucks Barista calls you “ma’am” – because your inside self is frozen in time from about twenty years ago? So does Lisa-Jo Baker. Welcome to the middle!

In these intimate reflections on midlife, Lisa-Jo Baker invites women to get a good look at their middles and gives permission to embrace them – beyond what the media, the mirror, the magazines, or our teenagers say. Through gutsy, beautiful storytelling, she admits out loud what most women are thinking about marriage, parenting, failure, and how badly we all want to buy those matching Magnolia Market mugs. Lisa-Jo knows that the middle might be the best part of the love story of life, muffin top included.

This book is published by WaterBrook and officially releases July 23, 2019. But you can preorder now and get extra goodies: $10 Gift Card to DaySpring.com (+ free U.S. shipping), an audiobook excerpt (read by Lisa-Jo), behind-the-scenes photo album, eight secret podcast sessions that are Confessions of a Carb-Loving Author (from Lisa-Jo). Learn more at its website and on Amazon.

About the author

Lisa-Jo Baker wants to help you stop trying to escape your ordinary life, but to lean into it instead. She is the best-selling author of “Never Unfriended” and “Surprised by Motherhood.” She is the co-host of the popular Out of the Ordinary podcast and lives just outside Washington, D.C. with her husband of more than 20 years and their three very loud kids.

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I did get a free copy of this book in exchange for helping promote it as part of the launch team, but I truly recommend the book and will likely spend money on gifting copies to friends. As always, if you need other book recommendations, check out my list. I previous reviewed Lisa-Jo Baker’s “Surprised by Motherhood” and wrote about “Never Unfriended” a few times, which you can see here.

Five stars for Britfield

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When I was asked to write a review about “Britfield & the Lost Crown,” a book geared toward kids in late elementary and middle school grades, I knew exactly to whom I wanted to pass the task. My daughter Cate, 12, is going into seventh grade and is one of the fastest readers I know. She comprehends words, stories, and details more quickly than seems possible. She’d been looking for a new book to love after devouring all the Harry Potter books – and movies – more than once.

So, here’s my girl’s take on “Britfield & the Lost Crown” by C.R. Stewart:

“Britfield & the Lost Crown” was one of the most surprising books I’ve ever read. It took many unpredictable turns that kept me on my toes and made me not want to stop reading. In fact, I read it in less than a day, some of the time while my mom was dragging me on a bunch of errands.

C.R. Stewart wrote very well, creating a very clear image appear in my head. The main characters visited many places, and each time they stopped at one, there was a brief description of the location. I especially liked when they were at Oxford because it provided a lot of information about a place I didn’t know very well.

This book is now one of my favorites, so much so I’m reading it for the third time. Each time I read it, I discover something new. I am very eager for the next book in the series to come out.

About the book

“Britfield & the Lost Crown” transports the reader from the smoldering crags of Yorkshire, through the heart of England, and finally to the magnificent shores of Dover. Creating an interactive world of mystery and fast-paced adventure, “Britfield” is about friendship, family, loyalty, and courage. It’s the first in a five-part series.

With help from his best friend, Sarah, and a hot air balloon, Tom flees Yorkshire, escaping from Weatherly Orphanage and the clutches of a relentless detective, in pursuit of the truth about himself and his heritage: Are his parents still alive? Is he the true heir to the British throne? As Tom and a memorable cast of both heroic and dastardly characters unravel a royal mystery that could change the course of history, readers are taken on a breathless journey to a surprise ending that will leave them clamoring for more.

Built on more than seven years of extensive research and development, the Britfield series integrates historical and cultural landscapes with stimulating language and active writing that engages the reader from the first pages.

Creativity expert and educator C. R. Stewart has twenty years of experience in writing fiction, nonfiction, and movie screenplays and wants elementary and middle school readers not to experience the decline in creativity that sometimes happens as they grow older. Creativity is one of the top skills needed in leaders and professionals today.

Meet the character, explore the places from the book, and read about the author at the book’s website. Hardback, paperback, and electronic versions of the book are also available for purchase there. “Britfield” is published by Devonfield Publishing.

About the author

C. R. Stewart is a writer, producer, creativity specialist, international consultant, and speaker. He received a Bachelor of Arts in British Literature and European History from Brown University; earned an M.B.A. from Boston College; and is pursuing a Master of Science in Advanced Management and a Ph.D. in Technology and Strategy at Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, T Claremont Graduate University.

Stewart plans for “Britfield & the Lost Crown” to begin an innovative educational movement that will include four more Britfield books and plans for an accompanying major motion picture series, all created with the goal of helping children and young adults learn and grow through creativity and leadership.

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I received a free advanced copy of this book to review. I was happy to share it with my kids and these opinions are ours.