I was fishing three pieces of eggshell out of the mixture when out of the corner of my eye I saw him slip. Rather than washing in the bathroom, he tried to step onto the adjacent stool in attempt to wash his hands from the back of the kitchen sink. He missed his step and tumbled down to the ground with an loud thud. The cry that erupted was more than startled, it was one of deep pain. I scooped him up onto my shoulder and headed for the couch where we sat.

I held him as he told me about all the things that were hurting him. He sat in the comfort of my arms while we waited for his pain to subside.

We haven't always shared moments like this together. 

The authors graciously guide readers through many tensions that we have tried to simplify to either/or when they’re really both/and. Tensions like fear and faith, temporary and eternal, the details and the big picture, the infinite and the finite, God’s trustworthiness and our present difficulties, and how everything and nothing simultaneously matter.

"Sometimes it takes everything moving to notice the thing that doesn't move. Sometimes it takes telling two very different stories to notice how the Truth was exactly the same in both of them."

Any book has the potential to be a good book. But a powerful book, one that has you highlighting and talking incessantly about, is one that is well-timed.

As we gathered around the table, our leader read one question aloud, "What would you say to a young mom who says she doesn't have time to be in the Word?" All eyes shifted to me, a young mom who has often thought, when in the world am I going to have a quiet time when there isn't even any quiet?

Do you love getting wrapped up in a good book?

I always have! Shortly after I had my second baby, I realized that it had been quite some time (possibly a few years) since I had picked up a good book. I set a very un-SMART New Year's Resolution to "read more books" in 2014. I started using my fringe hours more purposefully... 

To celebrate the kick off of "She Reads Book,"  I want to give you.... a BOOK! Which book you may ask? Any Christian book you've been dying to read that I can order on Amazon Prime for $25 or less!

I hold up his hoodie and suggest that he puts it on. I know that sweaters have the ability to keep one warm while still allowing the use of your arms. His response is always the same: "Noooooooooo!! I don't want to weaw that! I want a "wawm blanket" or a "wawm hug" instead."

And I'm thinking about powerful, effective prayer. And I have to wonder, are our hearts positioned to receive the answers God is willing to provide? I'm reminded of some answers to prayers I have prayed that came in unexpected and unlikely packaging. 

My dad was the king of not giving me a straight, simple answer about life matters. When I would ask him what he thought I should do in or about a given situation, he would smile, like he was holding onto a secret, and then say, what does the Word of God say? Or he would point a question back at me. (Unless it was about basketball, in which case he was happy to share his expert opinions whether or not I, any of my teammates, or the men's team, or the coaches asked.)

Out of frustration I would usually say something like, I don't know, just tell me what to do! To which he would say, Turn to....  or ask me another question. It was downright maddening.

But today I am thankful because today my dad isn't here.