What I'm Into (March, 2016 Edition)

What I'm Reading:

Fiction:

I read a lot during the month of March, finishing six fiction books. 

Best mystery: She's Not There by Joy Fielding. I've been a fan of Joy Fielding for years. This was a well-written, engaging read about a kidnapping.  

Book that I've continued to think about:  Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America by Amy Belding Brown. This book - about a Puritan woman in Colonial America who's kidnapped by Indians - was a slower read for me than many others. Yet, I've continued to think about it's cultural and religious implications since then. 

Non-fiction:

I also read three non-fiction books during March: The Gift of Friendship, Night Driving (Full review coming soon), and Saying Is Believing: The Necessity of Testimony in Adolescent Spiritual Development.  

Kid's Books:

We continue to read LOTS with Hope. This month our favorite was That's Not My Kitten - a delightful touch and feel book. 

Things I Love: 

Hope's growing friendship with Samson: Of course, right now, Hope loves Samson far more than Samson loves her. 

Grandparents: We're so thankful for both sets of grandparents and the delight they take in watching Hope. 

Youth Sunday: This year, my holy moments from the day included listening to our congregation recite a statement of faith written by our high school teens and hearing one of our students play the intro to Amazing Grace on his trumpet. Both gave me chills! 

Strolling with Hope: It's been such a delight to take quick breaks during the day and go outside with Hope.  

Empty cribs: Don't be fooled. Hope's still not sleeping in it... But it is empty and ready to go, something that felt like a major accomplishment. 

Doug's new backpack: Hope LOVES riding in it... Which opens up endless opportunities for hiking for us. 

New puppies: Hope got to meet our neighbor's new puppy. She wasn't quite sure what to think... Which I, of course, assume means she's already a cat person. 

Releasing The Real Jesus:  It's so scary to release a book into the world. Yet, I'm so excited about this devotional for teens based on the research published in The Jesus Gap. 

Grandpa's 96th birthday: We headed to Jacksonville in order to celebrate Grandpa Elmer's 96th birthday! 

Zoo Days... especially when the carousel's open! 

Walking... with a little assistance from the walker but still - she's walking! 

The Easter Vigil. It remains my favorite service of the entire year, largely because of the way in which we tell the stories of our faith.

Easter baskets that contain a few of our favorite things: books, instruments, and tools. 

Celebrating Dad's 75th birthday. 

Today I'm linking up with Leigh Kramer to share what I'm into. You can join the conversation here.