The September Book Reviews

Today's post is the first of a new monthly series on my blog. At the end of each month, I will write a short review of the books I read during the month. I read a wide array of fiction and nonfiction and I'm sure you'll find a new book recommendation through the series. I also hope you will interact with the monthly book review posts by leaving comments on what you have read recently, both the good and bad books. It's a simple way for us to connect each month!

In September, I read 7 books which is a high number for a month of reading. But the high number is due to the number of shorter works I read this month. Before I tell you about the books, I recommend you check out Goodreads.  I use Goodreads to track my reading, find new books, and review books. It's a wonderful site and I've discovered many new authors through its recommendations.

1. Uprising by Erwin McManus - McManus is the lead pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. He has written many books and I've read many of them. I picked this one up off my husband's bookshelf in his office at church. This book wasn't my favorite McManus book, but it's a solid read on building your character with Jesus as a model.

2. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich - This is the 16th book in the very popular Stephanie Plum series. I've read all fifteen earlier novels over the past several years. I enjoy reading the Plum books as a break from some of the heavier reading I do whether it's literary fiction or nonfiction books. If you are looking for a funny, enjoyable and quick read, I recommend starting from the beginning with One for the Money.

3 & 4. A Study in Scarlet & The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle - Brian and I discovered the BBC series Sherlock on Netflix a few weeks ago and we were hooked. It's a great series and lots of fun to watch so it inspired me to read the Sherlock Holmes series. I read the first two short novels in the series. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed, but I hear the next book in the series, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which is a collection of short stories, is better. I'll tell you my thoughts next month!

5. Missional Youth Ministry by Brian Kirk - Brian and his friend Jacob run the popular blog, Rethinking Youth Ministry.  This book was released awhile ago, but I finally picked it up. For my youth ministry friends, it's a great book on doing youth ministry differently than the traditional model of programs, games, and pizza. It's a combination of blog posts and new material so even as a blog follower, there was fresh material. For my friends in ministry, pick it up. For my friends who go to church, pick up a copy for your youth pastor!

6. Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman - I'm writing a young adult novel, so I'm intentionally reading more young adult literature, especially contemporary young adult. I found this book through my Goodreads recommendations. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I especially liked the mystery aspect of the novel which the protagonist's nightmares. Overall, it's a solid contemporary young adult novel and I'm looking to read more by Warman in the future.

7. Living with Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness by Joshua Becker - Living with Less is an easy, but great read. It's geared for students, and as a youth pastor, it's a great book to read in a small group setting. I love the message of living with less and it's a message that needs to be taught in our consumer society. Highly recommended for teachers, youth pastors, students, parents, and all others who work with teens.

That's what I read this month, but I want to know what you have read lately. So start talking (or commenting)!!

What have you been reading?

Have you read any of the books above and what were your thoughts?

What are you looking forward to reading this month or in the near future?

The Moral of the Milk Bone Story

Our pug, Zelda, is stinkin' adorable. If you don't believe me, check out this post. Her cuteness has won over many people, including my parents, Brian's parents, our sisters, and most importantly to Zelda, our mail lady.

Every day our mail lady delivers our mail to the slot in our coat closet. On the way, she walks by the living room window and greets Zelda. She calls her cutie and says hello while Zelda barks back. The mail lady puts our mail in the slot, but first, she slides a milk bone in the slot for Zelda. She has given Zelda a milk bone every day without fail for months.

Zelda has learned over time that the person who calls her cutie gives her a milk bone. She hears the mail lady come and runs to the coat closet door. If it's open, she walks into the closet and grabs the bone out of the slot, sometimes destroying our mail in the process. If the door is shut, she waits until we get home and then begs by the door for us to open it so she can get her daily milk bone.

Not only does Zelda retrieve her milk bone every day from the mail slot, but she also has developed a funny habit. Some days when she isn't hungry, she will hide or bury the bone somewhere, usually under blankets in our bed, on the couch or the spare bedroom. The picture above is a bone she hid in our bed. Later in the day, Zelda will uncover the bone and eat it. Zelda's adventures with milk bones are fun to observe and make us laugh.

Brian and I agree it's very nice of the mail lady to give our dog a milk bone every day. Although it may be a small act of kindness, it's unnecessary and we are grateful for a mail lady who loves our dog. Because of this, we have casually mentioned picking up a gift card to Starbucks or somewhere for our mail lady as a sign of our appreciation. Unfortunately, Brian and I never remember our idea at the right moment and so far we have failed to follow through on our idea.

This week Zelda and I noticed our mail slot was missing something important - the milk bones! And then I saw we had a different mail person this week. Zelda and I hope our regular mail lady is simply on vacation. But, at the moment, we have no idea if her route was switched or if she is taking time off.

Why am I telling you this ridiculous story? Because if our regular mail lady doesn't return, Zelda and I will be upset. Zelda will be upset at the lack of milk bones. But, I will be upset at myself for never learning my mail lady's name. I will be upset for not following through and showing her appreciation for treating my dog so well.

The truth is I don't know my mail lady's story or much about her. But, I do know small acts of kindness can go a long way. They did for Zelda and I. And I know I could have made her day pretty easily, but I might have missed the opportunity to make someone smile. And that's sad.

So today I encourage you to remember the moral of the milk bone story:

Do Something Nice Before Time Runs Out

The Workshop, Basketball, and Writing Update

After a very slow August, September is moving along nicely. I'm happy to report I'm making progress after resetting my priorities last month and wanted to share my progress with you.

On October 3rd, I am presenting the Discover Your Story workshop.

The free workshop runs from 7:00pm to 8:30pm at Forest Hill Church and all are welcome to attend. During the workshop, we explore our stories, find meaning in our stories and understand the greater purpose of our stories in an interactive and intergenerational setting.

For the next year, I am focusing on extending my reach through speaking and workshops. I am really excited to lead this workshop and hope this is the first of many Discover Your Story workshops.

On October 13, I running a 5k in Cleveland. My fitness and running regime slipped over the summer, but I am back in gear. Last Saturday, I cranked out a 5 mile run and I'm consistently running 3-4 times a week and balancing my off days with strength and cross training. It feels great, especially with the cooler fall temperatures.

I received official word I am returning to Laurel School to coach the seventh and eighth grade girls' basketball team this winter. I knew I was returning to Laurel, but I was waiting to see if a coaching spot at the high school opened up. But, the coaching staff is returning and I'll be back with the middle school girls. I love basketball. I love coaching. The season starts in the first week of November and I can't wait!

Youth Ministry at Forest Hill Church is going well. I wrote about the great start to the program year last week.

Last, but not least, I wanted to give a real update on my writing progress.

The bulk of my writing time goes to editing my first draft of my novel. The first draft edits of my novel will be complete by the end of September. After my first draft edits, the next step is a first reader. I'm looking for a volunteer to read my book and give me general feedback on plot, characters, etc. The first reader is not a copyeditor, but an avid reader who can tell me if my novel is any good (seriously!). That's where I stand with my novel. It's been a huge project- much bigger than I imagined or expected. But, I'm making progress.

My other writing project is my next nonfiction work on living a radical Christian life based on Jesus's life and ministry in the Gospels. This project is mapped out and outlined. The next step is writing and I know writing this book will go much faster than my novel. But, the project is at a standstill while I finish first draft novel edits. I realized working on two writing projects, a blog and youth ministry simultaneously was too much for my brain. When I finish first draft edits of my novel and send it to a first reader, I'll continue work on this book. This book will be a great companion to When Light Hits the Path.

Whew. I think that's it for the update. In case you are wondering, Brian and Zelda the Pug are doing well. I'm hoping one of both will guest post in the future.

Thanks for following my journey and supporting my adventures in writing!

Peace & Love,

Kristen

Doubt, Uncertainty And Moments of Renewal

I go through stretches of my life where questions and doubts seep into my heart and mind. The stretch can be a day, a week or a couple months. I doubt my vocational choices. I question my future goals. I am unsure of my direction and calling. These stretches of doubt plagued me for years, but gradually I realized these times of doubt and uncertainty were normal. We all live in a grey area from time to time. We wrestle with the mundane routine of our lives and we are unsure of the future.

So when I find myself in the midst of these rough patches, I learned to search for hints of God’s presence. I hope for a moment of transcendence. And only when I begin looking, will the moment appear.

With the end of summer and the transition to a new season, the uncertainty arose again. Am I ready for another year of youth ministry? Is this still my calling? Am I in the right place? The questions circled and I began to look for a moment to guide me.

Amidst the uncertainty, Forest Hill Church kicked off the program year on Sunday morning with the return of the children’s, youth, and adult education programs on Sunday mornings before worship.

For the first six weeks, I lead Sunday morning youth with the sixth and seventh graders. I start the year off with the youngest of the youth group because sixth grade is the first year of youth group. I want to begin a good relationship with the youth from the start. Across the hall, two fabulous adults lead the older youth class.

Eleven youth were present for my class and we had a great morning. We played some games, learned about God’s creation and got to know one another better. Across the hall, seven youth began a study of the Gospel of John.

Eighteen youth were present Sunday morning- the highest number I’ve seen on a Sunday morning since I started at Forest Hill. When I left church after worship, the feelings of doubt were fleeing from my heart.

Sunday evening marked the start of Converge’s second year. Last summer, an idea was placed in my head. It was a little crazy, tons of work, but had the potential to be amazing. The idea was a monthly ecumenical worship service for teens- a time and place for youth to gather together as one body to worship God together. The idea turned into what is now known as Converge which meets monthly on the second Sunday at 7pm in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Some of the denominations represented at Converge are Presbyterian, United Methodist, Baptist, and Lutheran.

After taking the summer off, we hoped Converge would start the year with good attendance and energy. The spring was rough for Converge attendance and I was concerned for it’s future. But, on Sunday night, over ninety youth and adults came to Converge. The energy and excitement in the room was palpable. God was moving. Any uncertainty left in my heart disappeared.

Tuesday evening, I drove over to Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights. Church of the Saviour opens it’s doors on Tuesday nights for basketball open gyms, hosted by First Baptist. It’s a little confusing, but these two churches are working together (as they do with Converge) to provide a safe and fun place for teens to play basketball on Tuesday evenings.

I went to the basketball open gym to check out the ministry and to play some hoops. I love playing basketball, so I jumped in the games. It was so much fun to play. More importantly, I witnessed relationships develop with the teens and adults present. I can’t wait to see where the ministry goes and how God works through a ball and a hoop.

After these few days, I am reminded life is ironic. A week ago, my motivation was fading. This week, I am excited and enthusiastic about the youth ministry opportunities ahead.

I know doubt and uncertainty is normal and sometimes it can be beneficial. Doubt may lead us to a new path, a greater calling. But, doubt can also be our minds getting the best of us. Our uncertainty can be an excuse to be selfish, to be lazy or to give up. Those moments of doubt are not beneficial.

Through my life, I learned to keep my eyes and ears open when I find myself lost. I seek God’s presence in big and small moments to remind, refresh, and renew. God is present. But, if you aren’t looking, you may miss the moment to erase your doubts.

Did you like this post? If so, I encourage you to share it with a friend, post it on Facebook or Twitter.

If you want to read more about transformational moments, check out my book When Light Hits the Path.

It's Good to Be Home - A Return to Normalcy

The nights are cooler and longer. The school busses are roaring through the neighborhood. Pumpkin beer is on the shelf  in the grocery store because the summer season is transitioning into fall. But, after a hectic summer schedule, I am grateful for the transition to fall and into a regular routine.

I love my summer of mission work, camp, and vacation. It’s always fun to visit new places and have new experiences with youth, friends, and family. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. But, there is also something to be said about returning home and falling back into a regular routine.

Brian and I returned home from our last trip this summer about two weeks ago on August 11. In two short weeks, I’ve caught up many areas that took back seat to the summer craziness.

At work, I am almost ready for the start of the program year on September 9. We resume regular youth meetings along with fun outings throughout the month. I feel confident and am excited for the year to start.

At home, Brian and I are organizing, simplifying and cleaning the house. On Sunday, we rearranged and cleaned our spare bedroom. In the process, we gave an old futon away, trashed some junk, and made a pile of books and dvds to sell or trade. We also bought a new queen size mattress and frame after a few months of saving up. And in the next week or two, I plan on tackling the project of a kitchen reorganization. I love organizing and simplifying, especially when there is free time to do it.

Along with house projects, Brian and I are enjoying a regular schedule where we have free time to spend with each other, our friends, and our family. For two straight weekends, we have spent time with good friends. That doesn’t sound like an incredible feat, but we haven’t had two back to back weekends free in months. The other day, Brian and I walked to the nearby park and finally used the tennis rackets I bought for Brian’s birthday in June. Of course, we are spending lots of time playing and walking with the pug as well.

Finally, I am back into a weekly routine of writing and editing. After several months away from blogging, inspiration and motivation returned for me to blog on a once a week schedule. I also am working through first draft edits of a novel. Honestly, I haven’t decided next steps yet after first draft edits, but I’ll figure it out when I get there. I also am writing my next nonfiction book which examines the radical life of Jesus and the implications for our lives as Christians. After little progress for a couple of months, it feels great to move forward in my writing projects.

I am a person of routine and schedule and so, I am excited for the fall season. I am excited to be back in a normal life rhythm.

What about you? Are you excited for the beginning of a new season? Why or why not?

Pug Love - Four Life Lessons from Zelda the Pug

Roughly six months ago, Brian and I adopted a two-year old pug Zelda. Brian is a dog guy. He wanted a dog since we moved into our house a year ago. I love dogs, but wasn’t ready to adopt until spring of 2012 when life calmed down a bit. By that time, we were pretty set on finding a Boston Terrier. But, we got an email from Brian’s mom who knew of a pug that needed a new home in late February. We drove to London, Ohio and immediately fell in love with Princess. We took her home that day and renamed her Zelda. (We couldn’t have a pug named princess!) Six months later, I’m so glad we adopted Zelda. She has brought joy, laughter and smiles into our home. And Zelda reminds me daily of some important life lessons.

1. Take Daily Walks - Zelda takes at least two twenty-minute walks every day in our neighborhood. She loves getting outside, stretching her legs, barking at other dogs, and chasing squirrels. Zelda’s walks have forced us to get moving every day and to meet our neighbors.

2. We Need Play Time - Zelda loves to play with balls, frisbee, angry birds and other stuffed animals. Sometimes Zelda gets so excited during play time she does pug sprints throughout our house. If Zelda doesn’t get her play time, she becomes a pain in the butt and annoys us until we play with her. It’s not unlike me. When I get busy and stressed, my play time disappears. Without time to play and have fun, I become more irritable.

3. Cuddle More - Zelda is a great cuddler. When it’s naptime, she cuddles with you on the couch or in the bed. She will sleep under the covers next to you if you let her. Zelda knows that cuddling and showing affection is important for any relationship. She reminds to give lots of hugs and to tell my family and friends I love them.

4. Enjoy Life - Zelda loves her life of playing, sleeping, eating, and walking. She takes pleasure in simple things. With Zelda in the house, I smile more because she’s adorable and lots of fun. I remember to enjoy life every day, especially the simple things like a walk to the park or a meal with Brian.

It’s funny how much a twelve pound pug changed my life and routine. But it’s for the better and I can’t imagine life without the little monster.

What has changed your outlook lately?

Have you learned anything new from a surprising source?