Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff

Summary:
Sometimes, we fall in love on mission trips even though we know we’ll break up when we get back. Sometimes, you have to shot block a friend’s prayer because she’s asking God to bless an obviously bad dating relationship. Sometimes, you think, “I wish I had a t-shirt that said ‘I direct deposit my tithe’ so people wouldn’t judge me.”

Sometimes, the stuff that comes with faith is funny.

This is that stuff.

Jonathan Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like is your field guide to all things Christian. In it you’ll learn the culinary magic of the crock-pot. Think you’ve got a Metro worship leader-Use Acuff’s checklist. Want to avoid a prayer handholding faux pas? Acuff has you covered.

Like a satirical grenade, Acuff brings us the humor and honesty that galvanized more than a million online readers from more than 200 countries in a new portable version. Welcome to the funny side of faith.

About the Author:

Jonathan Acuff

For the last ten years, Jonathan Acuff has written advertising for clients ranging from the Home Depot to Chick-fil-A. In addition to his many day jobs, he also writes a blog called www.stuffchristianslike.net. He and his wife live with their two daughters outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Learn more about Jonathan at http://stuffchristianslike.net.

Jonathan Acuff’s Facebook Profile

Follow Jonathan Acuff on Twitter

My thoughts:
Our worship pastor is a big fan of the website, so when the opportunity to snag a review copy came up, I took it. I loved it. Every word. Even then stuff that was written specifically about me and the Christianese things I do was funny! Somehow Acuff manages to shed satirical light on the Christian subculture without crossing the line into offensive or sacrilegious -- which makes this book pure art.

Also, being a church-staff wife and married to The Sound Guy, I loved the sound guy illustration. It's painfully funny. Nobody notices all the good work he does, all the times things don't go wrong because he's running up and down from sound booth to stage for five hours on Sunday morning. But when there's feedback, or a mic switched three seconds after someone starts talking? OHHHHHH RIIIIIIITTTTTE we have a sound guy.

(Myhusbandisawesome)
also
(Mychurchisawesome).

I was reluctant to let this book go to church, though. I mean, all our tech guys and girls have GREAT senses of humor and I just KNEW one of them would abscond with it. But they proved Good and True, and it was returned. They didn't even read all the words off the pages!

Anyway, TOTALLY AWESOME, especially for anyone in ministry who isn't easily offended. And really, I don't know how can be in ministry for any length of time without developing a thick skin and a good sense of humor. Fun stuff here, but it makes you think more fully about our rituals and expectations of the church.

Buy STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE on Amazon



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wandering, wonderings of a whacked-out woman

A Slow Burn by Mary E. DeMuth

The follow-up to Mary DeMuth's Daisy Chain is here! Here's a summary and quick Q&A with Mary about the book.

She touched Daisy’s shoulder. So cold. So hard. So unlike Daisy.

Yet so much like herself it made Emory shudder.

Burying her grief, Emory Chance is determined to find her daughter Daisy’s murderer-a man she saw in a flicker of a vision. But when the investigation hits every dead end, her despair escalates. As questions surrounding Daisy’s death continue to mount, Emory’s safety is shattered by the pursuit of a stranger, and she can’t shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy’s disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for?

The second book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, this suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.

Where did you get the idea for the book?
I wrote the series of stories based on hearing friends of mine talk about their Christian homes that appeared great on the outside, only to hide abuse on the inside. This really bothered me. Daisy became the inciting incident to explore three people’s stories relating to authenticity and hiding. In book one, Daisy Chain, I explore a teenage boy’s perspective to a family in crisis. In book two, A Slow Burn, I examine what would it be like to have deep, deep mommy regrets enough to want to be free from them. In book three, Life in Defiance, I tell the conclusion of the story through a battered wife’s perspective.

I am not a teenage boy. Nor am I a neglectful mother. And I’m not a battered wife. But I’ve interacted with folks who are. It’s for them that I wrote these stories.

What are the major themes of the book?
You’re never too far from God’s grace and love and forgiveness. That God is a pursuing, redemptive, relentless God. He loves His children, even when they run far, far away. That Jesus comes to us in surprising packages, and sometimes we’re so bothered by appearances that we miss Him.

What kind of research did you have to do for the book?
I had to figure out how a drug addict acted and thought. I had to research what drugs do to a person, particularly the lure and the trips they take folks on. I had to get into the mind of a drug addict, which wasn’t easy for me, someone who is terrified of drugs. I created Defiance from my head and my two-year stint in East Texas.

With which character do you, personally, identify most and why?
That’s really hard. I see myself in all of them. When I feel guilty about my parenting, I relate to Emory. When I feel like an outcast, trying to do the right thing, I understand Hixon and Muriel better.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
That God is bigger than our sin, our regret, our hopelessness. He takes delight in intersecting the darkest of circumstances. He is there, available.

About the Author:

Mary DeMuth is an expert in the field of Pioneer Parenting. She helps Christian parents plow fresh spiritual ground, especially those seeking to break destructive family patterns. Her message guides parents who don’t want to duplicate the home where they were raised or didn’t have positive parenting role models growing up.

An accomplished writer, Mary’s parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Her real-to-life novels inspire people to turn trials into triumphs: Watching the Tree Limbs (2007 Christy Award finalist, ACFW Book of the Year 2nd Place) and Wishing on Dandelions (2007 Retailer’s Choice Award finalist).

Mary is a frequent speaker at women’s retreats and parenting seminars, addressing audiences in both Europe and the United States. National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, and U.S.A. Radio network. She also has articles published in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, and HomeLife.

As pioneer parents, Mary and her husband Patrick live in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France where they planted a church.

Learn more about Mary at http://marydemuth.com.

A Slow Burn
Release: October 2009
Soft cover, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0310278376

Buy it on Amazon!
A Slow Burn Tour Stops

A Surrendered Heart by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

Escape into the history, opulence, and elegance of the Thousand Islands.

When cholera strikes Rochester, New York, in the spring of 1899, the members of the Broadmoor family flee to their castle home in the Thousand Islands. But Amanda Broadmoor, who has always held a special compassion for the less fortunate, resolves to remain in Rochester with Dr. Blake Carstead, working to help control the spread of the dreaded disease.

However, much more than Amanda's health hangs in the balance. Mishandling of the family fortune threatens to leave the Broadmoor family penniless--and even willing to sacrifice Amanda's future. Will she be forced to marry a man she disdains in order to save the Broadmoor legacy?

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo

This Wild West adventure just might be the life she was meant to live.

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest, the thieving Stranders of the East Bend, and the dreaded Fork Factory.

But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart, and Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.


1. All possessing very sharp teeth.
2. Murderous scoundrels, the lot.
3. Woe!

Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner

Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.

She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.

What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.

A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo

Once a month, the six women of the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society gather to discuss books and share their knitting projects. Inspired by her recently-wedded bliss, group leader Eugenie chooses “Great Love Stories in Literature” as the theme for the year’s reading list–a risky selection for a group whose members span the spectrum of age and relationship status.

As the Knit Lit ladies read and discus classic romances like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice, each member is confronted with her own perception about love. Camille’s unexpected reunion with an old crush forces her to confront conflicting desires. Newly widowed Esther finds her role in Sweetgum changing and is surprised by two unlikely friends. Hannah isn’t sure she’s ready for the trials of first love. Newcomer Maria finds her life turned upside-down by increasing family obligations and a handsome, arrogant lawyer, and Eugenie and Merry are both asked to make sacrifices for their husbands that challenge their principles.

Even in a sleepy, southern town like Sweetgum, Tennesee, love isn’t easy. The Knit Lit ladies learn they can find strength and guidance in the novels they read, the love of their family, their community–and especially in each other.

The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller

Carrie loves painting the beautiful carousel horses . . . but can she stand strong against the many who don't want her to keep the job?

When Carrington Brouwer receives the enviable job of painting carousel horses for a factory in Ohio, she believes her future is secure. But after an expensive necklace disappears from the home where she's been staying, she's caught up in a search for the truth that puts her entire livelihood--and her developing relationship with the factory manager--at risk. Can she lead police to the real culprit before she loses everything?

How Do I Love Thee? by Nancy Moser

Elizabeth Barrett is a published poet--and a virtual prisoner in her own home. Blind family loyalty ties her to a tyrannical father who forbids any of his children to marry. Bedridden by chronic illness, she has resigned herself to simply existing. That is, until the letter arrives...

"I love your verses with all my heart," writes Robert Browning, an admiring fellow poet. As friendly correspondence gives way to something more, Elizabeth discovers that Robert's love is not for her poetry alone. Might God grant her more than mere existence? And will she risk defying her father in pursuit of true happiness?

A Claim of Her Own by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Determined to put the unspeakable circumstances of her past behind her, twenty-year-old Mattie O'Keefe travels to Deadwood, South Dakota, in search of her brother, whose letters boast of making a fortune in the gold fields.

Once in Deadwood, Mattie is soon convinced that gold mining will be the key to her future happiness. When a handsome street preacher speaks out against storing up treasures on earth, Mattie turns a deaf ear... until circumstances force her to decide for herself where true riches lie--and what's worth dying for.

Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer

Summary: In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own. As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible.

Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.

In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognizes the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind.

Buy it online!

Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell

Summary: In the small Puritan community of Stoneybrooke, Massachusetts, Susannah Phillips stands out both for her character and beauty. She wants only a simple life but soon finds herself pursued by the town's wealthiest bachelor and by a roguish military captain sent to protect them. One is not what he seems and one is more than he seems.

In trying to discover true love's path, Susannah is helped by the most unlikely of allies, a wounded woman who lives invisible and ignored in their town. As the depth, passion, and sacrifice of love is revealed to Susannah, she begins to question the rules and regulations of her childhood faith. In a community where grace is unknown, what price will she pay for embracing love?

My review: There has only been one handful of authors I've emailed directly after reading their books to tell them how much I adored their story. The books and authors:

• Jennifer Donnelly, after reading A Northern Light
• Susan Meissner, after reading The Shape of Mercy
• Lisa Mantchev, after reading Eyes Like Stars
  

Now I can add Siri Mitchell to the list after reading Love's Pursuit. When I enjoy a book this much, I don't often say a lot about it -- I want you guys to read it and I want you to experience without a lot of opinions bumping around in your brains.

I will say this, though: While I was reading, my husband and I ran some errands and I brought it with me, because, as I told him, "It would cause me pain to put this book down."

Go. Read. Enjoy. Comment. :-D

The Brides of Gallatin County series by Tracie Peterson

Summaries: After years spent following their father and his wanderlust, the three Gallatin sisters begin to fashion a life for themselves in the Montana wilds, operating a roadhouse at the crossroads of two stage lines. When their father is accidentally killed, however, the oldest sister, Gwen, reasons that she's cursed. Death seems to haunt her every step.

As the sisters work to maintain the roadhouse, an unexpected visitor arrives, sending Gwen into turmoil. Is he whom he claims to be? And can she dare to hope that love might again be hers?

All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home.

Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer. Haunted by the belief that she's failed him, Lacy is also battling a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out.

My review: I really liked this series, but the third installment, A Dream to Call My Own blew the previous two books out of the water. So much happened, and so many difficult topics were handled with grace and wisdom that I finished the book feeling completely challenged and refreshed. The ending was satisfying, although not every story line was left in a perfect little bow. There are still some unresolved conflicts, which makes me wonder if Ms. Peterson is going to further the series. ;-D But even if she doesn't, that's great -- she did a wonderful job with Lacy's story! I am a Tracie Peterson fan. Don't ever let anyone tell ya different.

The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn by Liz Johnson

Summary: Myles Parsons is just another inmate in Kenzie Thorn’s GED course until he kidnaps her, offering only a feeble explanation–that he’s actually FBI Special Agent Myles Borden. Terrified, Kenzie doesn’t want to believe his story of being undercover to protect her. Moreover, she can’t believe that someone might really want her dead.

But just when Myles thinks he has her out of harm’s way, his plans start to fall apart. He attempts to take Kenzie to a safe house—but the stubborn woman won’t go! So together they must uncover the clues that will reveal a most shocking perpetrator. All the while Myles tries to keep his distance from Kenzie … but finds himself falling in love.

My review: One of the things I look for the most in Christian romance is a believable relationship to God -- and each of these characters' stories were quite believable. Since it's such an action-packed, fast-paced book, I can't imagine how hard it was to bring these characters together emotionally as well as spiritually, but Liz Johnson does a great job. She's definitely an author to watch in the Steeple Hill collection!

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

Summary: Donita K. Paul’s 250,000-plus-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles series has attracted a wide spectrum of dedicated fans–and they’re sure to fall in love with the new characters and adventures in her latest superbly-crafted novel for all ages. It’s a mind-boggling fantasy that inhabits the same world as the DragonKeeper Chronicles, but in a different country and an earlier time, where the people know little of Wulder and nothing of Paladin.

In The Vanishing Sculptor, readers will meet Tipper, a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions–including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon–and eventually witnesses the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder. Through Tipper’s breathtaking story, readers will discover the beauty of knowing and serving God.

Buy it here!

Stealing Home by Allison Pittman

It’s 1905 and the Chicago Cubs are banking on superstar Donald “Duke” Dennison’s golden arm to help them win the pennant. Only one thing stands between Duke and an unprecedented ten thousand dollar contract: alcohol.

That’s when sportswriter David Voyant whisks Duke to the one-horse town of Picksville, Missouri, so he can sober up in anonymity. He bides his time flirting with Ellie Jane Voyant, his unofficial chaperone, who would rather hide herself in the railway station ticket booth than face the echoes of childhood taunts.

Ned Clovis, the feed store clerk, has secretly loved Ellie Jane since childhood, but he loves baseball and the Duke almost as much–until he notices Ellie Jane may be succumbing to the star’s charm.

Then there’s Morris, a twelve-year-old Negro boy, whose only dream is to break away from Picksville. When Duke discovers his innate talent for throwing a baseball, Morris might just have found his way out.

Four individuals, each living in haunted isolation, each harboring a secret passion. Providence brings them together. Tragedy threatens to tear them apart. Will love be enough to bring them home?

Buy it here!

Saints in Limbo by River Jordan

Ever since her husband Joe died, Velma True’s world has been limited to what she can see while clinging to one of the multicolored threads tied to the porch railing of her home outside Echo, Florida.

When a mysterious stranger appears at her door on her birthday and presents Velma with a special gift, she is rattled by the object’s ability to take her into her memories–a place where Joe still lives, her son Rudy is still young, unaffected by the world’s hardness, and the beginning is closer than the end. As secrets old and new come to light, Velma wonders if it’s possible to be unmoored from the past’s deep roots and find a reason to hope again.

“Strange as it sounds, River Jordan’s fascinating novel Saints in Limbo somehow reminded me of Walker Percy and Dean Koontz simultaneously. It’s that original. It’s that good. It’s a wise, funny, joyful, and deadly serious book. Saints in Limbo is the kind of story they ought to publish in leather-bound hardcover with gilded pages so you could leave it to your grandchildren." –ATHOL DICKSON, author of River Rising and Winter Haven

Buy it here!

Dear Mom: Everything Your Teenage Daughter Wants You to Know But Will Never Tell You by Melody Carlson

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Best-selling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,” “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

· how to talk to teens so they hear,

· how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,

· and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.

“What a valuable treasure chest of insights into the mind of a teenage girl! This carefully crafted book is a must-read for any mom who desires to see her relationship with her teenage daughter move past the volley of words that pass between them and move into a new season where they can be joined at the heart. Thank you, Melody, for this superb handbook that gives us a glimpse into the teenage mind and equips us with understanding.”
–Robin Jones Gunn, best-selling author of the Christy Miller series and the Sisterchicks novels

“You think this is a book? It’s really a bridge–no, a cord!–that will connect moms and daughters in a way to get through those turbulent teen years. Read it and reap!”
–Dr. Kevin Leman, best-selling author of Have a New Kid by Friday and Running the Rapids

“When it comes to mom-daughter relationships, Melody Carlson gets it. In fact, I think Melody must have had our house bugged. She understands and she cares. Dear Mom is honest, authentic, practical, and hopeful.”
–Jim Burns, PhD, author of Confident Parenting, Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality, and Creating an Intimate Marriage

“Ever want to be let in on the running commentary going on inside your daughter’s head? Now you can. With wit and honesty, Melody Carlson explains what every mom needs to know.”
–Rebecca St. James, author, singer, and actress

Grab your copy here!

Mama's Got a Fake ID by Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira

I'm in the middle of Mama's Got a Fake I.D., and it couldn't come at a better time. My daughter is three, and I'm trying to figure out how to balance my life as a freelance writer and a mom. I even talked extensively about this issue with friends last week, over Facebook and then again at a local cafe. They're both creative people, too, so we commiserated with one another, but we didn't know the big answer:

Are we being selfish? Or are we being what we're supposed to be, when engage seriously in our "extra-mommy" activities?

Rivadeneira tackles this hard issue from a fundamental Christian perspective -- and her verdicts might surprise most everyone.

I'm seriously loving this book!

Formula for identity loss:

1. Take one multifaceted, intriguing human being.

2. Bless her with a child.

3. Mix with today’s cultural assumptions.

4. Add the demands of motherhood.

5. Presto! All identity except Mom disappears.

For every woman wondering what happened to the unique combination of gifts and abilities she was known for before kids came along, Caryn Dahlstrand Rivedeneira has good news: in Mama’s Got a Fake I.D., Rivedeneira helps moms reclaim their full identity as creative beings, gifted professionals and volunteers, loving friends, children of God—and mothers.

This inspiring and practical guide shows women how to break free from false guilt, learn a new language to express who they really are, and follow God’s lead in sharing their true self with others. After all, motherhood doesn’t have to mean losing one’s identity. Instead, being a mom makes it possible for a woman to discover a more complete identity as the person God made her to be.

Pick up your copy here!

A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick

She took exquisite photographs,
but her heart was the true image exposed.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.

With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man’s profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.

This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing—and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.

Buy it here!