On my reading list this year

Well, welcome back and a Happy New Year from Laundry in the Temple!

I took a slightly longer than planned break this year, mainly as I contemplated the many changes our family will go through this year, but have lots of great ideas for posts this year. Many will be a bit shorter as my blogging time is being squeezed by new commitments but I want to keep on with my mission to encourage and resource you as you share your faith with the kids in your life.

I love lists and I’m also a big reader so I thought I’d share with you some of my best reads of 2014 and some I’m looking forward to in 2015. All links are to Amazon but for reference only. I’m hoping to change over to linking to other book suppliers soon.

My best reads last year:

I got a fair amount read last year, not all of which is relevant here (did anyone else read “The Help” and love it?) but here are a few, not all from Christian authors, which played into my thoughts on creating a faith-filled home (or being a faith-filled parent).

The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ’s Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children by Sally Clarkson.

I’m a huge Sally Clarkson fan and this was a reread for me. It very practically shows how we can model the way we disciple our children on the way Jesus taught and trained his disciples. It’s warm and compassionate and Sally never makes you feel less as a Mum. You feel her caring heart towards all mothers as she writes. It’s truly inspiring. I also love The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity.

The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It

This was a really intriguing read. Self-discipline has been one of my biggest areas of spiritual battle over the years; with food, money, my temper, my time….the list is shamefully long. This book goes into the science behind willpower and it’s a funny and engaging read. Using the lessons in it to help strengthen my willpower hasn’t negated my need to pray for the “Why” but has helped greatly with the “How”. We live in a tempting world – knowing how our psyches function is helpful!

My reading list for 2015

I was encouraged when writing this post to see how much I’d read last year so this list seems doable. I mainly listen to fiction on audio from the library (a recent, cool discovery – bye bye Audible!) but here are the choice you might be interested in.

Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

I’ve heard podcasts with Sally about the content. It’s not about wrestling control of our lives back from God, rather about making decisions to turning to Him for help and guidance in a deliberate way.

10 Gifts of Wisdom: What Every Child Must Know Before They Leave Home by Sally Clarkson

Another by Sally. An older Mum who has four grown-up children all following Jesus has to be worth listening to. Pigwig is 5 now and I’m so conscious of the rapid passage of time. Sally wrote this book in consultation with her children who fed back what they’d learnt at home which had served them well. It sounds great!

Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker

Everything Jen Hatmaker writes on social media is both funny to the bone and interspersed by great truths. I’m interested to see what her writing style is like in her books. I got this cheap on kindle.  It’s Jen’s personal account of how God shook up her & her husband’s faith and started steering them to interact with and befriend “the lost, the least, and the last” in this broken world. That really fits with our sense of God’s calling on our own family’s life.

Caught Up in a Story: Fostering a Storyformed Life of Great Books & Imagination with Your Children by Sarah Clarkson

Would that be Sally Clarkson’s daughter? Er hem, yes! This book is about a subject dear to my heart – getting children to read, reading to them and fostering a love of reading great books. Much more, it’s about guiding children towards book choices which will help mould their character in great ways. I can’t wait to listen to her podcast with Sarah MacKenzie on the Read Aloud Revival. This book is close to the top of my list this year and has great reviews!

Miraculous Movements This is all about how Muslims are discovering a faith in Jesus across the world in startling numbers. Given the recent events in Paris and friends I have who are missionaries in the Muslim world and given the international nature of our city, this is one I have to read.

Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission  by Anna France Williams and Joy French

This book is about how we don’t have to give up a sense of mission in the early years of motherhood when we can feel so isolated and maxed out that anything more than survival can seem impossible. It ahs great reviews from some impressive names. I’m looking forward to this one. Plus, it’s written by Brits. Hooray!

Parenting Children for a life of faith by Rachel Turner

This will actually be a reread for me. I read it when Pigwig was a baby and it inspired me hugely then and has driven a lot of what we’ve done as a family since then, as well as on this blog! I think it’s time to think about the next stage and to review it. It basically does what it says on the tin. Really well! Also written in Britain.

So, what’s on your must-read list this year? And which books have most impacted your journey as a parent? I’d love to know!