I must pinch myself that I am part of this collection from Ignatius Press ! It comes out next month but is available for preorder now.

How easily we forget that we are, at every moment, shaped with care by a Creator. Artists, however—who know intimately the blood, sweat, and tears of the creative process—can help us sense how marvelous it is to be created: the patience, the detail, the joy. In this essential collection, thirty-one Christian artists from various disciplines, from music to poetry to film to sculpture, offer personal essays on the strange experience of following God’s lead by making beautiful things.

Some months every single thing you read is fantastic. This was one of those months so I had to share.

I get it.  You think you are going to read War and Peace on your vacation. You think of all the time you’ll have at the airport, on the plane, waiting in line for tickets, but the reality is that you’ll see the Barbie movie is available on the in-flight entertainment system and you’d rather stare and quietly judge other families, than read.

When I decided that I wanted to write a book on Joy, (Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight coming 2025 at Zondervan) I started to look for writers to be in conversation with.  I read books already written on joy and then also books that were similar to what I wanted to do.  What were these writers doing?  What did I want to emulate?  What did I want to do differently?

You might find a book or two to inspire you from this list.  They are all joyful and thoughtful texts which I will return to and continue to have “conversations with” for years to come.

Sure I put candy in my kids Easter Baskets, I’m not a GRINCH!

But I love to put a few faithfilled gifts to remind them why we celebrate.

And with Baptisms, First Communions and Confirmations filling up my calendar for the next several months of Sundays, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite faith filled gifts with you.

Here are a few books I am looking forward to reading……and a few are available for pre-order!