My friend and writing mentor, Dorcas Smucker, gave me a copy of her new book, Coming Home to Roost, when it released and said I could review it if I wanted to, but no pressure. That’s a nice kind of review to do and goes along with something I’ve appreciated about Dorcas in the years I’ve followed her blog and gotten to know her–she doesn’t pressure anyone to fit a certain mold or follow a certain pattern. I am okay being me, and you are okay being you.

Acceptance is a wonderful gift, especially when parents give it to their children. I always love hearing how excited and proud Dorcas is of the accomplishments and adventures of her six. Coming Home to Roost is the seventh and final of her books of family life essays. In this book, her children are flying the coop, but in an in-and-out-we-still-like-to-come-home sort of way. (At one point, Dorcas calls herself the keeper of the sleeping bags.) I found Coming Home to Roost, like all her books, easy to pick up and read. The short, often humorous essays were perfect for the flight home from Holland, when my brain didn’t want to tackle anything that required intense thought or follow-through.

Dorcas’s essays capture my attention, make me smile, and deftly slip in–like a last-minute addition to an envelope–practical yet deeply wise insights that help me approach and tackle issues in my own life.

I bought another copy of Coming Home to Roost so I could offer my readers a Mother’s Day giveaway. I’ve bundled the book with a pretty journal and a packet of zinnia seeds. I thought about gifting dahlia seeds, since dahlias are a theme in the book but–since it’s already late-ish in the season and dahlias are more typically grown from tubers instead of seeds–I decided this packet of dahlia-shaped zinnias will do just fine. Even moms with purple thumbs can grow a zinnia, so this packet of seeds guarantees her some colorful bouquets. (And BTW, the purple flowers in the photo are not part of the giveaway.)

If you would like to win this giveaway for your mother or a woman who has mentored you in some way, enter their name in the comments below. Then, share this post via social media or email. I won’t check to see if all those who entered have shared the post, but I would really appreciate your help in getting the word out! The winner of the giveaway will be announced Saturday morning, which gives me time to ship this gift in a timely way so that hopefully the woman you entered can receive her gift by May 14th. U.S. addresses only.

You can also order a copy of your own from the Muddy Creek Books website.

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How do you teach an almost 2-year-old about Jesus? A little book I bought recently called Tell Me About Jesus is a great start. I love reading this book to Annalise. The pictures hold her attention so well, and the words are so simple and engaging, I have the feeling it must have been read to the author’s own children many times to get every word just right.

My favorite page is the one with the mirror, that asks, “Who does Jesus love?” How sweet, fun, and wonderful to give my daughter the answer: “Annalise!”

You can order Tell Me About Jesus from Christian Light Publications.

If your child is past toddler age, you might want to order Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, also written by Caleb Crider and illustrated by Alex Brover. We will probably want to buy this book for Annalise when she gets a little older. Incidentally, Alex Brover is the artist for my children’s book, The Arrowhead. I think his fine oil paintings bring life and emotion to the stories of Jesus in a wonderful way.

You can order Tell Me the Stories of Jesus from Christian Light Publications or from Amazon.

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I was recently given a newly released devotional for sexual abuse survivors, No Shame, by Melissa Heiland, in exchange for publishing an excerpt.

I want to share the devotional from Day 21, titled “Committed No Sin.” The scripture passage that goes with this devotional is Deuteronomy 22:25-26:

But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor.

Heiland writes: “The Old Testament contains many rules and laws. I am including this law to remind you of something important. People who abuse others are never coerced into doing so. The Bible says they are like someone who attacks and murders a neighbor. Other people may judge you and you might even blame yourself, but these things are all lies and confusion that come from the enemy. You are in no way responsible for the crimes committed against you. When these thoughts come to your mind, recognize that they are lies and speak truth to yourself. It is not your fault.”

Each simple, succinctly worded devotional in No Shame comes with a prayer and a writing or drawing prompt, such as this one from Day 10:

“Draw a picture of a bottle. Write words inside the bottle that represent your pain and tears. Remember that God see all of them and cares about them.”

This is a book I would have loved to have while doing jail ministry. I had many discussions with women who were hurting from past abuse, and No Shame would be simple and engaging for someone with limited Bible knowledge. This is also a book I would love to give to friends or acquaintances with extensive Bible knowledge who are abuse survivors. Simplicity aids truth, I believe.

No Shame is not intended to replace the guidance of a mental health professional, but is a helpful and easily accessible aid for anyone walking a journey of healing.

*Feature photo credit to Kathy Zimmerman.

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If you are interested in history or interested in Mennonites, you may be interested in Melodie Davis’s new memoir: Memoir of an Unimagined Career: 43 Years Inside Mennonite Media.

Melodie Davis was my managing editor during the production of Anything But Simple, and I greatly enjoyed working with her and staying in contact with her in the ensuing years. We met during my Anything But Simple book tour, and when Turtle Heart came out several years later, Melodie wrote a review in her newspaper column Another Way.

Here’s a photo of us in Harrisonburg, Virginia, soon after we first met.

When Masthoff Press contacted me asking if I would consider writing a review of her new memoir, I quickly agreed. Of course I would be interested in reading my former editor’s memoir.

The memoir gave me a chance to peek behind the scenes into the working of Mennonite Media which later combined with Herald Press to become the publisher of my first book. Menno Media/Herald Press gave me such a royal carpet treatment during the writing and publication of Anything But Simple, I would very positively consider the possibility of publishing with them again. And Melodie Davis was right in the thick of it.

I found it interesting to hear about Melodie’s career journey along with the projects and changes in Menno Media over the years. Because I grew up in conservative Mennonite circles, many of the media projects mentioned were unfamiliar to me but would probably be familiar to someone who has longstanding ties with the Mennonite Church or the General Conference Mennonite Church (now combined into Mennonite Church USA).

A few things I found interesting:

• Learning more about the organization and behind-the-scenes work of The Mennonite Hour, a name I knew vaguely as an old-time Mennonite singing radio group. The organization that formed The Mennonite Hour, as well as other radio programs, was Mennonite Broadcasts, Inc, later called Mennonite Media.
• Mennonite Broadcasts put together all sorts of radio spots, including rewritten proverbs like this one: “It’s better to eat soup with someone you love, than steak with someone you hate.” Imagine how fun that would be to hear coming over the radio waves, followed by a resounding and deep-voiced: “A proverb for today, from the Mennonite churches.”
• Mennonite Media once launched a media campaign to clear up misconceptions about Mennonites. One ad, for example, featured a horse tied to an Amish buggy backward, with the words “Ask Some Mennonites To Hitch Up A Horse And Buggy, And You’ll Either Have A Confused Horse, Or A Very Strange Ride.”
• Mennonite Media produced award-winning documentaries for national television, using real people’s stories to explore topics like forgiveness, suicide, poverty, mental illness, aging, the difficult journey of ex-offenders, and peace alternative for Christians and Muslims. I would love to watch some of these documentaries myself.

Memoir of an Unimagined Career is what I would call a factual memoir, containing many names and dates along with anecdotes. It could almost be said to be the biography of an organization as much as a memoir about Melodie. The book wouldn’t have interested me if I hadn’t known Melodie personally and had some contact with Menno Media. With that being said, if you are interested in the history and doings of Mennonites in the 1900’s, you will probably enjoy this book.

You can pick up your copy on Amazon.

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If you work with children, whether as a parent, caregiver, or Bible teacher, you may be interested in Sedrick and the Shepherd, a delightfully told parable that imparts deep spiritual truths in words a child can understand.

A small wild sheep named Sedrick looks into the eyes of the Shepherd one day and knows that he wants to be a part of the Shepherd’s flock. But how can he get there? Trying to sneak over the wall into the fold, taking his own trail to get to the sweet meadows, and washing his wool to make himself attractive to the Shepherd all yield disastrous results. At long last, Sedrick knows what he must do.

Soft watercolor illustrations by Hannah Lehigh capture the emotion of the story in a beautiful way, and a small mouse companion on every page adds a touch of whimsy to Sedrick’s narrative. Children will love to look for that mouse.

I went to a week of missions training done by Northern Youth Programs with Samantha Bender, the author of Sedrick and the Shepherd, and got to know her as a person full of life and with a passion to share the gospel.  “Many children’s books talk about being ‘good,’ with little of the actual Gospel intertwined,” Samantha said when she reached out to me through email. “I desired to share a simple word picture of salvation to help children better understand the Gospel and to better know the Shepherd of our souls.”

Sedrick and the Shepherd makes an excellent read-aloud books for parents or grandparents–the words roll off the tongue in a very storytelling kind way. It would make a nice addition to Sunday School or Bible class for elementary children or be used in kids’ ministry for children who may not receive a clear understanding of the gospel at home.

You will be interested to know that 100% of the profits from every purchase will go to Gospel-centered ministries and missions. Visit www.lulu.com/shop to order your own copy (or many copies!) of Sedrick and the Shepherd and to support the spread of the gospel in more ways than one. You can also order directly from Samantha at writesamanthabender@gmail.com.

And here’s a strange fact that might also interest you: when I was walking down the street of Kalona, Iowa, the other week during a visit to Grandma Dorothy’s house, Samanth messaged me: Odd question, but where are you? I just saw a lady walk down the sidewalk that I almost hollered at because she looks just like you! You may or may not have a twin in Kalona, IA.

Turns out Samantha lives in Kalona, and the next evening Annalise and I sat on the floor with Samantha and her bright-eyed, auburn-haired, ten-month-old daughter Susan, chatting and playing. (The experience was enjoyable for me and harrowing for Annalise because she was NOT impressed with Susan and did NOT want to share toys.)

Ah well. When she gets older, she may change her mind. When she gets older, she may even think it’s cool that Susan’s mom wrote a book that she loves.

Such things take time.

P.S. Samantha gave me a copy of Sedrick and the Shepherd to review, but the opinions expressed here are my own.

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