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With All Her Heart–disabilities in the Amish world
With All Her Heart
by Kelly Irvin
Amish romances tend to follow the usual path of all gentle, clean romances. Romance is in the air for a couple or perhaps several. There is some type of conflict that will keep the couple apart. The problems are solved and the couples are united. That is, of course, a simplified summary and most have some serious issues that have to be resolved. In Kelly Irvin’s An Amish Calling trilogy, the author explores “the impact of the founder effect on Amish communities.” To try to obey Scripture, the Amish only marry within their faith. This small population of choices for marriage can result in rare, sometimes debilitating, diseases. Examples are Down Syndrome, spina bifida, and dwarfism. The Amish, or Plain folks as they call themselves, love “their children with physical and mental developmental disabilities with a fierceness that couldn’t be denied.” They are called “special,” integrated into family life, and ensured of care throughout their lives.
The main character in this story is Bonnie who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which despite treatment causes her muscles to progressively weaken. For an Amish woman, her life goal is to marry and have children. Bonnie can physically give birth, but caring for a home and children is not something she can do on her own. Bonnie joins with two other women with disabilities to found Homespun Handicrafts to support themselves and others with disabilities who make items for sale in the store. Their Amish crafts are especially popular with English tourists.
Several other characters in the book have disabilities from a variety of causes, not just the founder effect. Elijah is very shy which is a problem for his auctioneer family. He is deathly afraid of having to “call an auction.” He would rather spend his time and talents creating toys and furniture for sale. His love for Bonnie, however, loosens his tongue and emboldens him.
The plot and characters in this story will grab your heart as the characters deal with real, unremitting problems. This book is a page turner, partly to see what will happen next, but just as much because of empathy for the characters. They struggle with the age old questions of “why me?” and faith and trust in God in a fallen world where bad things do happen to good people. There is even an important thread dealing with a widow and widower and their obligations to their children. All of these are good characters and the reader will want God’s best for them.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Romance, Religion
Notes: 1. This series has three novels that all deal with disabilities. The author, herself, has a disability and she says that “each book took me deeper into self-examination of my own life as a person living with disability and disease, while delving into how others perceive these issues—both Amish and non-Amish folks.” She tries to do this with sensitivity to the many issues encompassed in the book. This is the third book, but they can all be standalones. I read the first one and now this one. Do not be intimidated by the list of characters at the beginning. I used the glossary of Pennsylvania Dutch terms more than I did the list of characters.
2. There are discussion questions at the end of the book.
Publication: January 28, 2025—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
The shop gave Plain folks like herself, with disabilities, a way to earn their keep when traditional Plain tasks couldn’t be accomplished. More importantly it gave them a sense of self-worth, a sense that they contributed just as their abled family members did.
“Everybody has disabilities. Some show. Some don’t. I think Gott allows them so we don’t get too uppity for our own gut. Like the verse says, so no one can boast. In our weakness Gott is strong.”
“Sometimes there are disabilities more limiting than the physical. They’re disabilities we create ourselves by doubting that we can have the full lives others around us have.”
The Harmony Series (audio version)
I don’t listen to audio books very often, but I think I have found a comfortable niche that works for me—Philip Gulley’s Harmony Series. It’s an easy series to come back to when walking my dogs. If my thumb hits the wrong place on my phone and I’m suddenly back a few chapters, it is not a problem. I can just enjoy that portion again. So, when I listen to a book from the series, I will share it here, but only with a brief reflection because the books are like reading short stories or collected anecdotes. The members of the Harmony Friends Meeting show up in all the books, and the setting is always the fictional small town of Harmony, Indiana. The tone of the book is generally light-hearted, containing some sarcasm and some thoughts about the ways people get along with each other. Think of Harmony as a Mayberry come to life with characters that will make you chuckle, and sometimes reach out with empathy.
Just Shy of Harmony
By Philip Gulley
The second book in the Harmony Series is Just Shy of Harmony. It has a lot of humor in its tales. Dale Hinshaw’s new outreach is his “scripture eggs” project inspired by an article about a chicken that supposedly laid an egg that had a message inside because the chicken ate a piece of paper. He’s off to evangelize the world, but he has trouble getting others excited about his idea!
The whole town “knows” about Jessie and Asa’s marital problems because the editor of the local paper writes weekly about what he sees out his window and he saw Jessie going into the building that houses the counselor’s office. You can see where that one is going, but poor Jessie and Asa don’t know why everyone is asking how they are doing.
Framing the humor, however, are two deeper subjects. Sam, the Quaker pastor, is depressed and feels like he has lost his faith. The whole town knows about it; word of mouth is as good as the local newspaper in Harmony. He is experiencing burn-out, for sure, but doesn’t know what to do about it. Avoiding spoiler details, a member of the congregation has leukemia and we see a different side of the Quaker Friends as the church rallies around in prayer and fund raising.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Fiction, Religion, Inspiration
Notes: Read by Norman Dietz who had a lot of different voices to employ and did it well.
Publication: 2002—Harper One
Memorable Lines:
After all, life is so fleeting, so tenuous, that if you can do someone even the smallest good, you ought to do it.
The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know
The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know
by O. S. Hawkins
Have you ever felt like you should have more Bible verses committed to memory than you already have? That thought was the impetus for me to purchase and read this book. The goal is to memorize one verse each week. At first that seemed doable, but as life brought some ups and downs, I found myself unable to remember, over the long haul, all the Scripture references that went with each verse. So, about half way through the book, I switched to using it solely as a devotional and that worked well for me in that season.
My first reaction to The Joshua Code was to question the author’s choice of Scriptures. Many of my “favorites” were not included, and I wasn’t sure I saw the importance of those that were selected. As I stayed with it for a few weeks, I began to understand the process. With each verse there is a devotional, a short homily. As I read each chapter I could see why the verse was important. Since then, I have been surprised at how these verses come up in various contexts and provide an “Ah, ha” moment or a “God wink,” a term used by some for seeming “coincidences.”
According to the author, the title Joshua Code refers to Joshua 1:8 and is a “challenge to keep God’s Word in our mouths through memorization and keep it in our hearts through meditation ‘day and night.’ ” In the Introduction, Hawkins gives his practical method for committing verses to memory. He also explains what meditation is for Christians and how valuable meditation can be when applied to these verses.
I recommend this book for Christians and also for those seeking a relationship with Jesus. This book will show readers how to find Jesus in the Scriptures despite the chaos of daily life and digital content that constantly bombards us.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction
Notes: 1. 52 Scriptures and devotionals to encourage memorization
2. A note at the end of the book states that all of the author’s royalties and any other proceeds from the book go to Mission Dignity which “enables thousands of retired ministers (and, in most cases, their widows) who are living below the poverty level, to live out their days with dignity and security.” Small churches are often unable to contribute to a pastor’s retirement, and Hawkins is using his book to financially fill that need.
Publication: 2012—Thomas Nelson
Tame Your Thoughts–substitute good thoughts for bad
Tame Your Thoughts
by Max Lucado
Our inner thought life—we all have one. Often our thoughts bubble out into actions. Max Lucado, in Tame Your Thoughts, shares how to control our thoughts, turning the negative ones into positive ones.
Lucado shares three tools to help you manage your thoughts. He reviews the neuroscience that confirms the Biblical truths that God can change your brain. One of the most important truths is that just because you have a thought doesn’t mean you have to dwell on it.
There are many thoughts we have that we wish we didn’t, but God gives us the helmet of salvation to protect us from the evil of the devil. In his typical anecdotal style, Lucado shares examples of the types of thoughts we should ask God to protect us from. The 70,000 thoughts we have each day include plenty of negative ones like anxiety, guilt, lust (craving for anything you can’t have), and anger. Where is the joy in your life? Do you fear rejection? Are you trying to understand the circumstances that are overwhelming you or your inability be satisfied with your life? Are you plagued with pain?
Thinking negative thoughts leads to untruths which we need to “uproot and replant” with positive truths. Tame Your Thoughts is a book that will focus your mind on Biblical truths that will help you reshape your thinking. God has a lot to say about what we think. Pertinent Scriptures are found throughout this book and many are gathered for reference at the end, compiled into a helpful Scripture Database that correlates with each chapter.
Max Lucado is a prolific writer. The “voice” in his writing is one of a pastor, counselor, and friend rolled into one. He is both wise and humorous. He has researched his subject well, but he is also a great storyteller and a creative and talented wordsmith who will always point the reader away from himself and towards God.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Religion and Spirituality, Self-Help
Notes: 1. Includes discussion questions and a Scripture Database.
2. Other items are available for purchase to accompany this book: Bible Study Guide including access to a streaming Bible Study led by Max Lucado and Audio version read by Lucado.
3. The same streaming 6 session Bible Study is available free online. It starts on September 22.
Publication: August 12, 2025—Thomas Nelson Books
Memorable Lines:
Practice Picky Thinking whenever you’re tempted to grumble. Choose gratitude. Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes he calms the child.
Remember, joy is more than a good mood. It is a deep-seated confidence in God’s presence, power, and promises.
Being a disciple comes down to letting God change the way we live by changing the way we think. Good actions follow good thoughts, Behavior takes its cue from beliefs. If our belief is wrong, our behavior will be wrong. But, if our belief is godly, our behavior will be godly.
Just in Case You Ever Feel Alone–the nearness of God
Just in Case You Ever Feel Alone
by Max Lucado
Illustrated by Eve Tharlet
Max Lucado has created a very sweet book to help children through the low times in their lives, to reassure them that parents and God are there to support them when that is what they need. The parent uses rhymes to tell the child all the things they love about them from giggles to humming. He or she—you really can’t tell if it’s a mom or dad from the pictures—reassures the child that when he feels alone, he’s not. When it seems she is alone because she can’t accomplish a goal, she isn’t and everything will be alright. When emotions are tough or time is tight, the child can know that the parent is still there. Then the author relates the same things to God’s care. “He’s just a prayer away.”
This book would be a fun picture book to read with a child and would make an awesome present. It might even become a bedtime favorite, so be prepared for multiple readings. The illustrations are cute, delicate, and fun. Max Lucado has a gentle “voice” for adults and children, reaching out with understanding and the love of God. The calming touch of God is there on every page.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Children’s Nonfiction
Notes: Ages 2-5
Publication: February 27, 2024—Thomas Nelson
Even if He Doesn’t–suffering and trust
Even if He Doesn’t: What We Believe about God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
By Kristen LaValley
Life is not easy and it certainly can be messy. Just ask Kristen LaValley who with her husband suffered a miscarriage, loss of position in their church, income, and home through what certainly felt like betrayal by friends who turned their backs on the couple. They were faced with the necessity of deciding who should live—twin 1, twin 2, and/or mom. Along with traumatic events over the years, add in the changes that accompany situations like this—finding new friends and trusting them, moving, knowing what to say to well-meaning friends and family, anxiety attacks, health issues, and reconciling their life complications with what they know about a good God.
LaValley does not compare her sufferings with anyone else’s—suffering is suffering. She shares what it meant in her life and describes God’s faithfulness as she made her way through her life journey. Her story is not a comfortable one, but it is valuable to see how she relied on God through the high and low points. It is important to see how God is with us even when He doesn’t answer prayers the way we think He should. He is good because that is His character.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Spiritual Growth
Notes: 1. For some reason, my digital copy of this book disappeared so I checked out an audio version from my library. I’m glad I did. The author did a great job of reading her own book. We all suffer in different ways, and we all know others who are suffering. We need to know how to react to those in pain. Even if you don’t agree with every detail in the book, you can benefit from it. Life is a journey, and we are all involved in discerning the best way to trust in God and move forward with Him as our guide. You are not necessarily at the same place in your trip as LaValley is, but we share a common struggle.
2. Even if He Doesn’t includes a lot of Scripture references that LaValley uses to support her thoughts on suffering.
Publication: February 20, 2024—Tyndale Momentum
Memorable Lines:
The comfort of “even if he doesn’t” isn’t just that one day he will, which I fully believe. It’s that he’s good anyway. He’s faithful anyway. He’s loving anyway. Even when he doesn’t.
When our image of God is dependent on things going the way we believe they should, our image of him is centered on us, not on him. But true faith isn’t believing God is good just because we have proof of it. Faith is believing that he’s good even when we don’t have proof.
The idea that God wants us to suffer (for any reason) stands in direct contradiction to the life, testimony, and work of Christ. Jesus came to take our suffering on himself, not to have us prove something by our own suffering.
Practicing the Way–becoming more like Jesus
Practicing the Way
By John Mark Comer
The founder of Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer, brings his skills as a pastor, writer, podcaster, and teacher to this nonprofit that “develops spiritual formation resources for churches and small groups learning how to become apprentices in the Way of Jesus.” These are free resources. I was not surprised to learn that this book is a teaching resource. Comer is a highly organized thinker who develops his materials around lists, lists, and more lists.
Learning about the teaching methods of the many rabbis during the time of Christ was eye opening to me. Disciples of a rabbi answered a call by the rabbi to follow him and learn by observation and doing. The emphasis of this book for followers of Jesus today is on being apprenticed to Jesus, learning to be like him, not following a bunch of rules.
In a section on finding peace in this digital age, I identified with the author’s response to the stress and frustration most people feel in our society. I think he nailed it with: “The most powerful companies in the history of the world are working around the clock with the most sophisticated algorithms ever devised to stoke your fear and feed your anger, by any means necessary.”
This book is not going to miraculously turn you into “Super Christian,” but will help you think through what being a follower of Jesus means. It is full of quotes by a variety of authors. The purpose of the quotes seems to be to show that others think the way Comer thinks or to expand on what he is saying.
The thesis of the book encourages the reader to:
Be with Jesus
Become like him
Do as he did
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christianity, Religion and Spirituality
Notes: This book is appropriate for all—from individuals who are just beginning to think about possibly wanting to learn more about Jesus to those who have been following Him for years but realize that they need to continue a fellowship with God that will lead them to be more like Him.
Publication: January 16, 2024—Waterbrook
Memorable Lines:
Apprenticeship to Jesus—that is, following Jesus—is a whole-life process of being with Jesus for the purpose of becoming like him and carrying on his work in the world. It’s a lifelong journey in which we gradually learn to say and do the kinds of things Jesus said and did as we apprentice under him in every facet of our lives.
…the reward for following Jesus is, well, Jesus. It’s the sheer joy of friendship with him.
God has a part, and we have a part. Our part is to slow down, make space, and surrender to God; his part is to transform us—we simply do not have that power.
The Divine Proverb of Streusel–family roots
The Divine Proverb of Streusel
By Sara Brunsvold
My first reaction to the title of this book is “What an odd title for a book! What will it be about?” Amazingly, it is about negotiating the river rapids of dysfunctional families and relationships. It is about trusting God to bring something good out of bad things that happen. It is about love and forgiveness.
When the school year ends, high school literature teacher Nicki Werner should be riding on a high. Instead she finds herself emotionally overcome by actions of her father who leaves his family with no regard for anyone else. When Nicki finds herself driving aimlessly to escape her pain, she ends up across the state at her father’s family homestead, now occupied by his brother Wes. This uncle takes Nikki in giving her space and time to process the chaos in her life.
As she seeks distance from her father, she finds herself immersed in learning about her heritage from the people of the town and from a handwritten notebook she finds that contains proverbs and other thoughts, each section followed by a recipe reflecting her German ancestry. For example, the recipe for Scalloped Cabbage (Kohl jus Eddner) begins with “You can either look at what you don’t have and yearn, or you can look at what you do have and give thanks.” Working through the recipes, attending church, talking to her uncle, and getting acquainted with her grandmother’s sister through emails all shed light on her father’s background and gives her some understanding of why he is the way he is.
There are other subplots along the way. Nikki’s sister and mom are hurting too. Nikki’s inability to open up to her boyfriend and her sudden departure cause a rift almost as big as the Grand Canyon. Uncle Wes may be a retired soldier, but fear seems to overtake him when he gets near a certain woman from his younger years. They are clearly attracted to each other, but this is one conflict Wes wants to avoid.
The Divine Proverb of Streusel is a good book to read if you enjoy a Christian book that deals with the problems people have and throws in some romance. Along the way, you get some good advice, read some Scriptures, fantasize about some great cooking, and perhaps find that you are a better person for having internalized some of the proverbs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Christian, Women’s Fiction
Publication: January 16, 2024—Revell
Memorable Lines:
“There’s a big fat zero percent chance that her showing up at your door was a coincidence. What’s that Bible verse about God comforting us in our pain so that we can comfort others? You have been specially selected for an important role in this season of her life precisely because you understand.”
This world gives enough reasons to fret. Be not one of them. Be the help. Smile to coax a smile from others. Laugh to stoke hope. Extend a gift of butter baked in sugar to invite friendship to grab hold. As the sun melts away the storm, so shall your help bring life into the vale of grief, and warmth into the shivering sounds of the weak.
No joy could be brighter than that of forgiveness received—and given.
Being Elisabeth Elliot: Elisabeth’s Later Years
Being Elisabeth Elliot: Elisabeth’s Later Years
By Ellen Vaughn
Because Elisabeth Elliot was among many things a writer at heart, she left behind a lot of correspondence and journals along with the many articles and books she authored. Her biographer, Ellen Vaughn, had a treasure trove of resources available to her as she documented the life of Elisabeth Elliot. This book follows up on the earlier years of Elliot’s life which Vaughn also wrote about in Becoming Elisabeth Elliot. In this book the reader not only learns the rest of Elliot’s story, but also takes a deep dive into the challenges of being a biographer as experienced by both Elliot and Vaughn. In that role, as in all of her writings for a Christian audience, Elliot faced pressures from her readers, her editors, and her publishers to end each book with a happy ending in which someone came to salvation in Jesus. Her struggle as a missionary and then as a writer is that not every situation will end in such a way. She felt an imperative to share the truth even if it went against the wishes of her readers.
Elisabeth had a number of crossroad moments because she desired so passionately to make choices that aligned with the will of God and at the same time she wanted to be loved and cared for by a man, a husband. She wanted to “matter to someone.” Although she didn’t see herself as a very social person, she actually had a number of friends. The selection of male friends in her circle was limited—by age, availability, and suitability. Yet she continued to make decisions as she kept her eyes open for the man who could make her feel loved. Meanwhile, she traveled a lot as a speaker, continued to write, moved a few times, raised her daughter, took in boarders, and even considered returning to Ecuador as a missionary.
If you don’t know about her two marriages after she returned to the U.S., I won’t include spoilers except to say that she experienced the “best of times and the worst of times.” There is not a lot of documentation about her third marriage because that husband burned her journals from those years. Perhaps it is just as well. Elisabeth gradually lost her “voice” to Alzheimer’s passing away in 2015, but her message continues to impact new generations via her writing, recordings of her speeches, and through the Elisabeth Elliot Foundation.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Biography, Nonfiction, Christian
Notes: Authorized Biography
Publication: 2023—B&H Publishing
Memorable Lines:
Few loved the Bible more than Elisabeth Elliot. But she was appalled when Christians used it as a weapon to clobber or distance themselves from people who were different from them. Or to distance themselves from suffering, mysteries, and difficult questions.
“My observations, it turned out, were ‘controversial,’ not because I had taken sides but because I had not taken sides.”… Again, as so many times in the past, she felt squelched by religious and commercial institutions that wanted her voice, but only if she parroted the party line.
Here in the core of her hideous loss, Elisabeth looked back again to the fundamental losses of her life. It was not hard—they were always, it seems, present in her mind, part of that which shaped her experience and her understanding of the mystery of faith in an inscrutable God.
Who was she? I would say she was a woman who lived imperfectly, as we all do, loved God and sought to serve Him with everything she had.
What Happens Next: A Traveler’s Guide through the End of this Age
What Happens Next
by Max Lucado
Are you one of the many people tired of the chaos in our times? Are you wondering if we are about to experience the end of this age on Earth? Max Lucado has some answers as he provides a timeline in What Happens Next. His timeline is taken from Biblical prophecies and teachings. He is not going to give you a date for when the world as we know it is going to end because Jesus says in the Bible that only God the Father knows when that will be. Nevertheless, there are many Scriptures that spell out the events of the end times and their sequence. Max shares these to give you a hope, something to look forward to if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior.
Max literally uses a timeline graphic, however, to take you through the steps, clearly and one at a time. Futuristic prophecies are not just found in the book of Revelation where much of the end times is described, but are also in books such as Daniel and Isaiah. About this time last year, I did a study of the book of Revelation using several sources, but I did not come away with as clear an understanding as I did from reading What Happens Next.
Max Lucado has been in the ministry since 1978, and is a prolific author with a very relatable style. His goal is not to scare anyone into Heaven, but he doesn’t shy away from talking about Hell either. There are some controversies among scholars related to end time prophecies. Max explains the various viewpoints on the timing of the rapture, for example. Then he states which he believes is accurate and why. As is typical of Lucado’s writing, he includes anecdotes to tie into the spiritual point he is making, sometimes lightening the lessons and always clarifying them.
If you are a believer in Jesus, this book will give you a fresh appreciation of how much God loves you and certainty about your future. If you are not, you will find answers to questions you have about the end times, God, and how you can have a personal relationship with Him. I strongly recommend What Happens Next.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality, Christian, Theology
Notes: 1. The book ends with “Questions for Reflection” for each chapter including the Big Idea, Application, and a prayer.
2. There is also a six-session Bible study on the end times, with the same title, that can be bought to accompany this book. It is appropriate for group or individual study. It has a workbook and streaming access to professionally created videos with talks presented by Max Lucado who is an excellent speaker. He is not speaking from a pulpit so it feels like a heart to heart conversation.
3. If you want a taste of Max Lucado and this book, I recommend going to YouTube where Max is currently posting on his channel a series called “Fresh Hope.” He has just added the third video.
Publication: 2024—Thomas Nelson (Harper Christian)
Memorable Lines:
God is the God of divine interruptions. Holy surprises. Who could have imagined God living on earth? But he came. Who could’ve imagined God hanging on a cross? But he died. Who could have imagined the empty tomb? But he rose from the dead. He intervenes in mighty and miraculous ways.
He has before.
He will again.
In the meantime keep an eye toward the sky. Live in such a way that Christ will find you faithfully looking for him.
That day is coming. God will put a crown on your head and a hand on your shoulder and bless you…Each child you hugged, he will praise you for it. Every time you forgave, he will praise you for it. Every penny you offered, truth you taught, prayer you prayed, he will praise you for it. He’ll praise you for the day you refused to give in and the season you refused to give up. But most of all, he’ll praise you for saying yes to Jesus.
education pathways 