I have three excellent books to recommend for your summer reading!
Writing for five unedited minutes on the prompt “Steady” for Five Minute Friday.
After school in my childhood, my sister and I stayed with the “S” family after school. My sister and the youngest boy of the family loved to play in the open field behind the house, while I usually stayed inside and read books. But they begged me to come play with them. The problem was, I had to climb over a gate to get to the field.
The gate was locked by the field’s owner, so we couldn’t swing it open. If you wanted to cross, you had to climb over. And I couldn’t do it.
When you feel abandoned, you can find hope by seeking God’s presence. I have been haunted by the fear of abandonment my whole life, yet God has helped me find hope.
Time to gather water again, she sighed to herself. She thought the years would have toughened her, strengthened her. But water gathering days made her soul feel weary.
Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:
She was tired of putting defenses up, day after day. Defenses against being a Samaritan, who the Jews despised. Against being barren, which stripped her self-worth. Against being unmarried yet living with her lover. She was an outcast, even among her own people. And she felt weary from the constant fight to prove her value.
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