Department: Author: Cynthia BeachThe Two Popes is a spiritually keen marvel. It wades into the deep: the difficulties of being merely human while navigating a spiritual journey.As the title suggests, the film concerns itself with the relationship—initially tense—between Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (P
Department: Author: Ann ByleRobin W. Pearson’s debut novel is a multi-faceted tale that will have readers turning it one way and another to get the best glimpses of its many lessons and messages. There are the mother-daughter relationships throughout as three generations of women struggle to come t
Department: Author: Micah Van DijkI will live, and not die I will win with tears in my eyes I'll be judged and criticized Only by those too afraid to try - F.A.V.O.R. Kirk Franklin is a gospel artist from Fort Worth Texas who became a church music director at the age of 11. Over the course of his
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema Born in 1955 to Christian parents, Alice Marie Johnson was raised knowing right from wrong. As her African-American family struggled against discrimination and poverty, Alice—a child with a fighting spirit—witnessed how her parents helped other familie
Department: Author: Lorilee CrakerI have been a devoted fan of Little Women—the abiding 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott—for decades. It is, next to Anne of Green Gables, my very favorite book, a book I revisit every few years and from which I draw much comfort and inspiration. I loved the 1994 movi
Department: Author: Jenny deGrootFredrick Buechner takes up more shelf space in our home than any other author. And when you love and immerse yourself in the original works of any author, why would you pick up a book that is about that author and his or her writing?Jeffrey Munroe’s recent book Read
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema Ever since leaving Oklahoma, 12-year-old Hallie Turner longs for a place to call home. But it’s 1933, and the Great Depression and drought-induced dust storms have converged to create a crisis for many Americans. Now that Hallie’s mother has died and h
Department: Author: Micah Van DijkI’ve waited all this time to speak my mind. You pushed me down so far I thought I’d died. Because of you, the thought of you. But now I’m here to prove that I’m still alive. —“Breaking Down” Eventually, we will grow tired of surface-y commercial music, meant to n
Department: Author: Ann ByleDo you know what it feels like to be “overextended, overburdened, and overwrought,” desperately trying to regain control and a measure of success? Licensed professional counselor Aundi Kobler does, and she knows to push harder isn’t the answer. She offers a new way of be
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema In this informative, spirited picture book, children will encounter Gyo Fujikawa, an artist and illustrator who helped break the color barrier in children’s publishing. Born in 1909 in Berkeley, California, the child of first-generation Japanese Americ
Department: Author: Trevor DenningAt the end of every year, we shift from exciting summertime movie spectaculars and onto thoughtful, often dull, award hopefuls. In director James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari we have a perfect transition, a premium blend of high octane fun that knows when to ease into
Department: Author: Lorilee CrakerWhether out and about in my car, puttering around my house or yard, or listening at night with the covers pulled tight, I plunged into audiobooks last year. We as a species are hardwired to hearken our ears to stories, and I found this to be true as I tuned in to s
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema Much has been written about the influence of C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, and numerous other books. Author Gary Selby approaches Lewis’s life and works from a unique and refreshing perspective
Department: Author: Paul DelgerAfter more than 20 years in the music industry, Christian trio Selah has ventured into a new direction with the recording “Firm Foundation.” The music is stylistically different incorporating bluegrass and world music and was produced on a new label—Integrity Music. “
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema In this subtly humorous children’s picture book, Adolfo Serra delightfully captures the diversity and commonality of a rhinoceros and a rhinoceros beetle. One is large, the other small; one is imposing, the other easy to miss; one is a mammal, the othe
Department: Author: Trevor DenningImagine taking Indiana Jones, but substituting the sarcophagus of Cleopatra for the Ark of the Covenant. Then add a dash of The Da Vinci Code, with its secret societies and answers found in musty old books. Now place the whole thing in present-day with two absurdly
Department: Author: Cynthia BeachA spot of blood. Shoeprints in the mud. A broken lattice. Clues point a finger at the very one we don’t want guilty. In other words, Knives Out, a Rian Johnson film, is a delightful bit of movie fun.This old-fashioned Agatha Christie-type of whodunit serves up the u
Department: Author: Robert J. KeeleyThe recent documentary, The Sound of My Voice, gives us a glimpse into the life and career of Linda Ronstadt, the singer who took the music world by storm in the mid-1970s. She was the first artist to have songs topping the pop, country, and R&B charts at the sam
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen Feddema After experiencing a shocking, life-altering event, 12-year-old Dulcie Dixon is brought to Shepherdsville, Ohio, to live with her aunt Bernie. As if Dulcie’s sorrow isn’t enough to bear, she’s also lost her voice as a result of the trauma. She feels di
Department: Author: Robert J. KeeleySandra McCracken has been writing and singing thoughtful songs that speak to the Christian life and can be used in worship for over 20 years. With her first Christmas album, titled simply “Christmas.” she gives us just what we’d expect: a mix of gentle, carefully