Porch #42 * Co-Mingling Life & Books

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Dear Friends ~

It's been almost a month since we got 'the call.'  And since then, we've been totally immersed in being with Mom, giving ourselves a break for a few hours mid-afternoon to grab some kind of meal and a nap before heading back to sit with her.  Hoping our presence will be a steady calming solace for her as she continues to move Heavenward.  Allowing grief to do its steady work in our own weary hearts.

Tim and I talk often and pray much about how to fully sustain this daily rhythm well.  Life as we knew it has been shelved because there's no place we'd rather be than sitting quietly with her.  Caring for her.  Mourning her decline.  Advocating for her.  Praying her Home.  And supporting each other in the process.  

We've become joined at the hip as well as the heart.

Each day we mull over the endless questions that keep us focused and moving forward with no regrets ... the what ifs and how 'bouts and should we's and can you believe's.

God knows.  And as ever, that is enough.  He whispers peace.

'Just after her fortieth birthday, author Shauna Niequist found herself in a season of chaos, change, and loss unlike anything she'd ever faced. She discovered that many of the beliefs and practices that she usually turned to were no longer serving her.

After trying--and failing--to pull herself back up using the same old strategies and systems, she realized she required new ones: courage, curiosity, and compassion. She discovered the way through was more about questions than answers, more about forgiveness than force, more about tenderness than trying hard.'

Shauna's brand new I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working has been such excellent bibliotherapy this week.  Short essays on making her way through a season of awful losses and drastic upheaval have been truly cathartic for me.  Her writing has never been more deeply reflective and richly nuanced than this.  It will make my 2022's Top Books List.  Maybe yours, too.

Kindle - $13.99

Hardcover - $17.92

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'In a world that’s both more connected and more isolating than ever before, we’re often tempted to do life alone, whether because we’re so busy or because relationships feel risky and hard. But science confirms that consistent, meaningful connection with others has a powerful impact on our well-being. We are meant to live known and loved. But so many are hiding behind emotional walls that we’re experiencing an epidemic of loneliness.

You were created to play, engage, adventure, and explore—with others ... discover exactly how to dive into the deep end and experience the full wonder of community. Because while the ache of loneliness is real, it doesn’t have to be your reality.'

Here's another one for 2022's Top Books List.  Jennie Allen's Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World was our long-awaited Spring Book Club pick around here ... until I postponed it.  All I can tell you is that we will be exploring this outstanding book together when the time is right.  I never dreamed that her story would be the catalyst for me to get real and send this note to my people last week.  Your response of lovingkindness was like a frosty cold glass of water on the hottest summer day.

Kindle - $12.99

Hardcover - $15.53

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Jennie's Made for This: 40 Days to Living Your Purpose

Kindle - $2.99 SALE!

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'Adam McHugh shows how introverts can live and minister in ways consistent with their personalities. He explains how introverts and extroverts process information and approach relationships differently and how introverts can practice Christian spirituality in ways that fit who they are. With practical illustrations from church and parachurch contexts, McHugh offers ways for introverts to serve, lead, worship, and even evangelize effectively ... essential reading for any introvert who has ever felt out of place, as well as for church leaders who want to make their churches more welcoming to introverts.'

 

One of my all-time favorite reads is Adam McHugh's Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture.  It was like the lights went on and I finally began to understand and embrace myself as an introvert ... as well as a leader.  This is one of those spread-your-wings kind of volumes if you need permission to live and serve with freedom and joy simply by being who God shaped you to be.

Kindle - $2.99 SALE!

Paperback - $20.00 

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The book of Psalms has always been my go-to refuge during those neediest and desperate of times.  Like now.  I'm immersing myself in God's Word, listening and reading along on the Her.BIBLE app.  It's a nurturing, comforting experience listening to women reading the Bible out loud.  Love this.

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Finally, please take 30 seconds to scroll down my E-book Deals Page ... all kinds of titles specially selected for this community.  Feel free to bookmark, share with your people, and check in often 'cause these bargains sometimes come and go in the blink of an eye!  As an Amazon Associate, I receive a financial benefit when you make an Amazon purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you!  Thank you for supporting my work.

What books have grounded or comforted you during those upended times of life?

Linda

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