In her follow-up volume to So God Made a Mother, author Leslie Means shares her personal experiences of her grandmother and invites numerous other women to relate theirs, too. Some of the contributing authors are grandmothers, others are granddaughters writing about their grandmothers, and still oth
The Bible has many places teaching children about taking responsibilities, including how we act toward others (Luke 10:30-37), how we treat our families (1 Tim. 5:8), and how we pursue justice (Micah 6:8). In reality, a child’s daily encounters also present lessons to speak up or to care about fairn
When I was a kid we didn’t watch sitcoms, though I have early memories of my dad watching Cheers for a while. It wasn’t until I was out of college that I explored the big three TV comedies of the 1990s: Friends, Seinfeld, and Frasier. Of the three, the trials of tribulations of Dr. Frasier Crane (Ke
Author Russell W. Joyce was born Nov. 17, 1988, with a rare craniofacial disorder called Goldenhar syndrome. Joyce describes his condition this way: “Put bluntly, the left side of my face and parts of my body were badly broken.” Joyce’s childhood was punctuated by countless visits to doctors, hospit
So God Made a Grandma: Caring, Faithful, Creative, Devoted, Wise, Generous, Resilient—Just Like YouBy Leslie MeansReviewed by Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaIn her follow-up to So God Made a Mother, author Leslie Means shares her experiences of her grandmother and invites other women to relate theirs, too.
Sidewalk Prophets’ signature lyrics feature storytelling, relationships, and life matters, and their fifth full-length album, “Looking Up,” beautifully fits their objectives. The album features high-energy pop with a couple of ballads and a hip hop selection welcoming Mr. Talkbox. Themes include fol
Based on the author’s and her family’s experiences after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, this sorrowful, yet hopeful book narrates for young children the upheaval and displacement caused by war. In an author note, Desnitskaya explains that she was on holiday with her children outside Russia
Janette Oke is one of the early Christian fiction writers of the modern era, often credited with helping launch the wealth of Christian fiction we have today with novels such as Love Comes Softly back in 1979. The book and its sequels were made into popular movies, while Oke went on to win just abou
In Hawthorne, Calif., 1961, brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, along with their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine formed the band the Beach Boys.Inspired by vocal pop groups of the 1950s that specialized in tight harmonies, the Beach Boys first gathered around a piano in the Wilson’s liv
In this new book, author, parenting advocate, and professional mom Sally Clarkson teams with her son Nathan to discuss God’s divine design in creating each person with his or her own DNA and characteristics. Their premise is that each person within the traditional family structure deserves to be acc
A heads up: You will find new heroines to admire in the pages of Becoming the Pastor’s Wife. Beth Allison Barr, who wrote The Making of Biblical Womanhood, is back with another gust of freedom, clarity, and hope.Barr shows us “the glint of light on broken glass,” as Anton Chekhov once said, by showi
When I finished watching the poignant Small Things Like These, I was clear. “Small things” is a worthy application of literary irony. Why? Because this movie is about everything—except small things. This movie is about what truly matters in the everyday ordinariness of our lives: love.Character Bill
With candor and wisdom, author Kristin Couch weaves together stories from her life with Scripture passages to reflect on how the Holy Spirit grows good fruit in believers’ lives.In introductory notes, Couch explains that when people become Christians, their entire beings—body, soul, mind, and spirit
Natalie Layne invites listeners to sing, dance, and feel good in her debut album, “All Joy.” “I believe the enemy has been trying to steal joy from people, and I just want these songs to be a shot of joy,” Layne said in a release. “I picture these songs being played in the car in the school drop-off
In the introduction to his astute and challenging Lent and Easter devotional, renowned theologian and author N. T. Wright explains that the early Christians were different from people in the culture around them because they kept what is now called Lent: “a time to abstain, to fast, to clear the ment
While there are times when we dance alone, everyone eventually needs a partner. Wicked, the highly anticipated film adaptation of the longstanding musical, hit theaters last November. For this first-time viewer of either, experiencing its magic was the movie highlight of the year.With a star-studded
In this exquisitely illustrated and poignantly narrated children’s picture book based on her family history from the last century until the present day, Patricia Polacco expresses her love and admiration for the country of her ancestors and their traditions and religious beliefs.As she relates the s
If Yukon Cornelius from the old Rudolph Christmas special came to life and grew his hair out like a hippy, he’d look a lot like Torry Martin. But although old Yukon is full of bluster, Torry is more like the snow monster after his teeth are pulled, “A mighty humble Bumble.” To say that going from Ca
Monica A. Coleman’s family experienced slavery, racism, war, sharecropping, poverty, and alcoholism. Trauma and mental illnesses ran through generations. In this candid autobiography, Coleman shares her own ever-evolving journey of finding comfort in God through these crises. This spiritual memoir b
NOVA: Lost Tombs of Notre DameReviewed by Sam GuitierrezIn 2019, the world watched in horror as the 800-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris burned. The moment its iconic spire collapsed into the massive flames below is an image seared into our collective memory. Thankfully, firefighters could ext