tending.
Books by meg marie wallace
Faith-rooted, practical writing for mothers — on raising children with intention, meeting God in all seasons, and the Biblical framework beneath it all. Four are in print today. Two are on the way, and you can be first to know.
A few titles i return to, the ones that have shaped how I think, what i believe how I mother, and how I live before the face of God.
THE BOOKS THAT HAVE FORMED ME
FROM MY SHELF
For the little ones
iii
We love this action Bible! The pictures, the stories most kids' Bibles skip over, the easy to read captions. I love reading this one with my kids, and I am still learning of different stories after reading a chapter here and then feeling prompted to go to the original test to read the rest of what happpened. It is colorful and fun to read, and as your kids get older they are able to read it on their own. This is a great example of entertainment meeting the gospel.
The action bible
sergio cariello
ii
I love this book because it gives children a language for identifying and naming the feelings they have. So much of parenting is teaching emotional regulation and communication. When children are not taught how to feel, we miss a critical part of their inner lives. When it comes to relating well and developing lifelong connection with our children, tending to their interior world is what builds trust and closeness for years to come. This book matches up perfectly with much of what I teach in my signature course and what's written in my Signature Method textbook.
How Are You Feeling Today?
chip-dodd
i
I am always drawn toward books for my children that go beyond the typical Sunday school Bible story and help tie each individual into the whole. We tell our children often that God is a good God, who made a good world for us to enjoy with Him. The whole arc of Scripture is humanity trying to find meaning and purpose apart from God, and discovering it is impossible. Every story in this book ties back into the heart, the passion, and the redemptive love of the Lord to seek and save those who keep walking away from Him.
The jesus storybook bible
sally llyod-jones
vii
I love anything and everything by C.S. Lewis, and truth be told, this is one we have just started together this summer as a family book club, My teens are all reading it with me so we can have discussions and conversations as we travel, eat, and live together. I will keep you posted on my thoughts, but so far, even after reading only the introduction, I am convinced I will love it.
Mere christianity
c.s. lewis
vi
Chapter 3 i my favorite. It's about the Father's nearness. Some of the deepest wounds we carry come from our fathers, and there is a reason for that. As we grow, many of us have to come to terms with the ways we have taken the undesirable traits of our earthly fathers and quietly handed them our perfect heavenly father. Untangling those two images is holy work, and it is often painful. Over the past few years I have gone deep into Scripture and teaching on the fatherhood of God, letting it heal me and reorder where I place my hope, my confidence, and my indentity. If you have ever struggled to separate who your earthly father was from who God is as Father, you are not alone, and there is healing waiting for you. He is the One who will always care about you and your life. He has never once gotten it wrong.
The father's heart
mick r murray
This is the first fiction book i have ever read all in one night. It is a retelling of the book of Hosea set in the California Gold Rush, and the main character is a woman who was sold into a life of exploitation as a child.
I saw myself in so much of this story, in how easy it is to believe life can be found in things other than the Lord. His jealousy for us woon us, invites us, and compels us back into His arms. What a beautiful heart the Lord has for his people. I wept at the end, realizing just a glimpse of the depth of his love for me.
This is the first fiction book i have ever read all in one night. It is a retelling of the book of Hosea set in the California Gold Rush, and the main character is a woman who was sold into a life of exploitation as a child.
I saw myself in so much of this story, in how easy it is to believe life can be found in things other than the Lord. His jealousy for us woos us, invites us, and compels us back into His arms. What a beautiful heart the Lord has for his people. I wept at the end, realizing just a glimpse of the depth of his love for me.
A gentle word before you begin: the opening chapters deal honestly with that abuse, so it may be tender reading for some. Stay with it. The redemption on the other side is worth every hard page.
v
Redeeming love
francine rivers
iv
Atomic Habits helps me really think through what my days, and the minutes that fill those days, are spent on. If we never pull out to work "on" our lives and only try to survive within them, we lose perspective, and the mundane and routine become meaningless. A book like this helps me create space and patterns in my routines that are life giving. I hate wasting time, and his words have encouraged me to begin new habits that hold up to the test of time, and also the test of my actual life.
Atomic habits
james clear
iii
the ruthless elimination of hurry
This book frustrates me in all of the best ways. My actual life is busy, fast paced, and there is always someone or something needing my attention. This book is maddening when you first feel like there is just no way to slow down, or to create the stillness needed to hear from and connect with the Lord. Then you realize how desperately you need it, and it becomes the discipline you always knew you needed but never followed through on. It is convicting for allt he right reasons. If we are not abiding, listening for that settled, low voice, what power or strength are we drawing from? Creating rythms of rest and time in the presence of the Lord fills us up so we can pour out more.
john mark comer
ii
The world will tell you to be loud, to be heard, to make a name for yourself and to put people in their place. This book has been so impactful for me, teaching me how to respond for those who have been unkind and hurtful, and also how to respond to myself when i am tempted to believe the lies that I am failing, not enough, or too broken.
A gentle answer
scott Sauls
i
This is the book I credit the phrase "Mattering Things". Zack has been so influential to me, not only as a writer and a follower of Christ, but as a friend. His heart for pastoral work and his willingness to be vulnerable about his own story is endearing and refreshing.
Written for pastors, this book translates beautifully into the life of a mother. As a pastor's wife, I found so much of it applicable to m own world, and i think anyone in ministry, or anyone simply trying to do the small and faithful work in front of them, will find the same.
The Imperfect Pastor
Zack Eswine
Forget the junk mail. Every Friday, I'm bringing something real straight to your inbox. Encouragement, a question worth sitting with, stories that make you laugh and think, and resources actually worth your time, all to help you build a home that's Christ-centered, full of joy, and just a little bit magical. You in?