A Fresh Batch of Book Reviews #9

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If you want to learn about simple hospitality or how to teach your little ones about Jesus, I have two books to recommend today.

The Turquoise Table will inspire you to reach out to your neighbors in fellowship, without all the hassle of a house party. Author Kristin Schell was inspired by the story of Ludmilla, an elderly woman in Prague, who opens her home to anyone who wants to talk. Kristin placed an ordinary picnic table in her Texas front yard, painted it turquoise, and neighbors began showing up. She’s built a ministry from this table, and in this book she shares lots of ideas for building community.

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Five Minute Friday: Worth

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When I was a teen, I used the bathroom as a hiding place when things got too intense.

I hid there on dates. I hid there at prom. I hid there almost every night family stuff got too heavy.

In the bathroom, I struggled with my identity. My head knowledge told me I was a child of God. But my broken heart told me I wasn’t worth very much.

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Portrait of a Shamed Woman

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Portrait of a Shamed Woman: A fictional retelling of the woman caught in adultery in John 8

He had stayed too long. She had told him to leave last night, like he usually did, under the cover of darkness. It was too dangerous, staying until morning. This man she loved belonged to someone else. He came to her at night, and their embrace was the only source of joy in her lonely life. In the dark midnight hours he took a secret route back home to his wife and children.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

Every time he visited he put his job at risk. He was a supplier of utensils for temple sacrifice. She knew his employers would kill him if they knew he was sleeping with her. The Jewish laws said as much.

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