The Saturday Six

One.

Listen here

I know fall just got here, but Christmas is less than 100 days away! (Don't throw things at me!) This week I caught up with Natalie Ard, who created "Star from Afar." It's a fun family tradition you can implement with your kids that allows them to enjoy a treasure hunt each day, but it points them back to the birth of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas! Natalie was just a delight, and I think you'll enjoy her story and hearing more about Star from Afar!


Two.

I posted about this a while back when I saw a tentative, rumor-ish post, but this looks a little more real AND EXCITING! Any fellow Trading Spaces fans out there excited to see it come back WITH some of its original members? Ahhhhhh....Paige, Laurie and Carter, I'm lookin' at you!

Three.

I know most of you who read here probably also read Kelly Stamps' blog, but if you don't, or if you missed this post, check it out. This was a great reminder for me about giving grace to others especially in a store. (I'm not known for much wiggle room when pushing a cart, sadly.) I appreciate her words, because it's true: we don't know what others might be experiencing that day!

Four.

I always mix and match my planner pages (and I'm going to be creating my 2018 planner in October!!!) so I thought I'd share my latest find with you. A whole beautiful mess of options for a paper planner, right here! 

Five.

Shut the front door. Drop cloth pumpkins? Adorable.

Six.

Source

I'm busting at the seams with pride for the book I get to tell you about today! This book baby officially delivers to the world in one week (October 1), and I'm just going to tell you straight off the top: buy a stack of them, because this book is the gift idea you need.


Prayers for Hope and Healing is my friend Sarah Forgrave's debut book, and I'm crazy proud of her for it. (NOTE: I know, I know. No one ever believes it when a friend brags on a friend. I mean after all, isn't that what friends are required to do? Just keep reading. I think you'll see that I'm truly not just saying that because she's my friend.)

Sarah and I went to college together, but other than seeing each other in passing during our student worker hours, we didn't really get to know each other. Then about a decade ago, our paths crossed at a writing conference down in Indianapolis. Then, because of the blessing of social media, we stayed connected and our friendship has actually grown and developed the most in that time. In fact, it was Sarah who invited me to the speaking/writing conference I attended this summer! We carpooled and roomed together there. (All that was just free information. You're welcome.)

Sarah actually started out as a fiction writer, but the Lord moved her away from fiction, at least for this season, and her debut book is a little gift/devotional/prayer book for those facing health challenges. That's a tall order from a little book, but it delivers! So let me break down that part for you. This book is first of all, beautiful. It's smaller in size, hardback, and has a pretty bookmark ribbon in it. This wins you extra points when giving it for a gift. :) It's a devotional book, because each chapter has a short Scripture passage to open it and then a devotional reading. It's a prayer book, because each chapter ends with a specific prayer (and not a two sentence one) that ties to the chapter's theme.

For reasons I don't know but am grateful for, I'm not currently battling health challenges, but I read this book cover to cover, and I want to tell you what raced through my mind as I read.

I thought of my mom's hip replacement earlier this year. I thought of Ryan's gallbladder surgery in January. I thought of my mother-in-law's ongoing battle with debilitating asthma. I thought of dozens of patients that pass through Ryan's hospital every week, both inpatient and outpatient, who are fighting huge battles to gain mobility and normalcy. (And I thought of a handful of others, but you get the point.)

As I read from the perspective of those people, this book was spot-on. Even though we're roughly the same age, Sarah has faced some pretty big health issues, and so has her sister. From her own journey and walking alongside her sister, Sarah knows the frustration, discouragement, helplessness, hopelessness, and exhaustion that can come from long and short term illnesses. That shines through in her writing. She offers such compassion, sympathy, and hope in her words.

I also know (from the few times my health has caused problems) that you can know all the truths in the world, but to call them to mind proves difficult when you're overwhelmed by illness. Praying sometimes feels impossible. So Sarah's words, especially the prayers, are such a gift to those who might be out of words and in need of someone to stand in the spiritual gap for prayer and encouragement.

The chapters are short, so they aren't cumbersome to get through, and the topics are quite varied. Here is just a short sample of some chapter topics:

When You Feel Self-Conscious
When You Get Bad News
When You're Confused by Medical Jargon
When You're Scared of the Unknown

(There are 44 chapters in all.)

If you are battling a long or short term illness, you need this book. If you know someone in that boat, they need this book. It's a perfectly sized and priced gift. Get a box of them and hang onto them for that moment when you need something in a hurry and don't know what to possibly give that could be helpful.

I'm so proud of Sarah for her work on this book. I'm excited that she's agreed to be a Conversation Cafe guest next month so you can hear her words for yourself. And this book is definitely one to keep and one to give! (Also perfect for church libraries, counselors, pastors, you name it!)

* Sarah provided a copy of the book to me, but all opinions are my own! *