One.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing author Sarah Beckman about her new book, Alongside. Sarah is back for a second Conversation Café visit, not because she has another new book, but because she has some insights on using your talents for God! I know Christmas is looming, but right behind it is a brand new year, and I know many of us will be working on figuring out how we can best serve the Lord in 2018. Listen to Sarah's wisdom on resisting the urge to bury your talents, and instead, digging them out for HIS glory!
Two.
Since we visited the Biltmore last week, I found myself a bit curious about how you actually go about decorating a home of that size. I found this little behind-the-scenes article that was totally fascinating. Even if you've never seen the Biltmore, I think you'll find this interesting!
Three.
I wrote this piece for the Annesley site and wanted to share it with you, too! Just a few thoughts about Christmas lights. (Oh, how I love them!)
Four.
Three.
Four.
I don't know whether or not you like Little House on the Prairie, but if you do, you should read this article. If you don't, you should still read the article, because it gives a glimpse into what it was like to be a television writer years ago. And if anyone else has ever seen a yearbook writing excerpt with as much depth as the one mentioned within, please tell me! Our high school yearbooks definitely weren't so polished!
Ryan and I have toured a few fun factories on our trips around the state of Indiana. I found this site that lists factories around the nation you might want to visit as you travel through. Whether you're homeschooling or just marking fun items off your bucket list, see what you can find from this list!
http://factorytoursusa.com/Six.
This week, my fiction reading took a bit of a different turn, and I have to say, I think it was successful! I enjoy fiction and try to read many different types in my quest to be well-rounded, so when I saw a new book called The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck and read that the main character was a novelist herself, I thought it might be a fun read.
Fun indeed! I actually laughed until I snorted several times and even read snippets to Ryan. (I will occasionally read snippets of non-fiction to him if I find them particularly powerful, but I don't think I've ever subjected him to fiction scenes before.
Here's the basis of the story. Sarah Hollenbeck is a girl very much like any of us. She's trying to find her footing in the world again after her marriage ended. She had spent so many years trying to be the woman and wife his world/career demanded that she honestly isn't even sure who she is or how to behave. In an attempt to make friends, Sarah joins a book club, and secretly, she tries her hand at writing.
When her words are discovered, she's delighted at the positive feedback, but she hides behind a pen name, because her novels are a bit on the (ahem) steamy side.
And then Sarah Hollenbeck finds Jesus. A brand new born-again Christian, she has no idea how to navigate the book contracts that demand more of Raine de Bourgh's edge, find a place in church, or manage her feelings for the ridiculously handsome pastor of said church.
What I appreciated about Bethany Turner's novel was the raw truth of its pages. Honestly, if you're accustomed to traditional Christian fiction, this book might be a bit prickly for you. It touches on subjects most authors won't address in any kind of depth. But these are real problems that face real people today. (Okay, so maybe most regular people aren't NYT bestselling authors sporting a pen name, but the broader sticky situations are common.)
How do we welcome people into our church if they have a past that doesn't match their present? Do we try at all to see them for who they can become rather than who they have chosen to be? I really appreciated some of the supporting characters in this book and their grace balanced with accountability.
This book is also just flat out funny. Sarah Hollenbeck is hilarious, and since the book is told in first-person, you get to enjoy not just her funny spoken zingers, but her stream-of-consciousness too!
I was entertained, for sure, but I was also challenged to be a friend like Piper (Sarah's BFF) to my baby Christian friends!
* Revell sent me a copy of this book, but all opinions are my own! *
1 comment:
I would LOVE to see the Biltmore!!!
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