Laurel Luehmann

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

January memories – 2026

February 2, 2026by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Ahh, it’s the first post of the new year!!

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Things worth remembering…

a New Year’s Day feast and stories swapped over coffee
baking bread
coffee and book talk with a kindred spirit
lotsss of reading
cooking up bacon and onions and potatoes all at once and feeling like a hobbit
finding new artwork for the living room
a new book study
God moving in ways I never saw coming
surviving fierce winds and severe cold on the farm
listening to a stellar podcast series on the English translation of the Bible
sister movie nights
nachos and the Nerf Gun Battle
third-wheeling a coffee date with two of my favorites
a quiet retreat with some ladies I love
following a stubborn deer down the road and racing a raccoon all in one night

How does your spirit develop in intimacy with Him [Christ]?
Nothing else is right if that goes not well.
Oswald chambers

What I’ve been reading…

A New Song – Jan Karon

“I fell head over heels in love when I was forty-seven, and truth be told, have never gotten over it. They say you came late to love, yourself.“

“Late, yes,” he said, smiling. “But not too late.”

Ah, Mitford. One of the best bedtime reads out there.

Pray Big – Alistair Begg

Our conversation with others declares what is on our minds. But our conversation with God in private reveals what is in our hearts. Listen to someone pray – or listen to yourself pray – and you gain a window into the very center of the being.

I’m going through this book with a group of other women this winter. It’s so good.

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland

They encouraged each other by walking individually with God and finding His grace sufficient to meet their needs. Together, their lives intertwined into a cord of shared ministry that was stronger than either could have woven alone.

Finally finished this one. It’s an absolute gem, and I highly recommend it.

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë

Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned? Why could I never please? Why was it useless to try to win any one’s favour? …I dared commit no fault: I strove to fulfill every duty; and I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to noon, and from noon to night.

I’ve been wanting to reread this book for a long time and finally picked it up alongside my mom. Ugh, it’s so rich, and I despise John Reed!!

The Curious Inheritance of Blakeley House – Joanna Davidson Politano

“A man’s legacy is the flavor he leaves behind in the mouths of those close enough to taste his character.”

It took me a little while to get into this one, but I’m over a hundred pages in and thoroughly enjoying it…I hope that continues!

Indeed, these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
Job 26:14a

From the journal…

Strengthen my hands to lay all my hopes and fears to rest on Your chest, and fix my eyes in sheer adoration on You.

Let me trust the entirety of Your grace, the all-consuming power of Your sacrifice. Let me see how small I am in the shadow of Your Cross.

Be patient and so utterly confident in God that you never question His ways or your waiting time.
Oswald Chambers

What made your January memorable?

Stay the course, friends! May this month bring us ever closer to Christ’s heart.

❤ Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

December memories – 2025

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

2025 is a wrap! And what a glorious year it was to watch God move, drawing people to Himself and bringing His name glory.✨

Peace is looking into the face of my Jesus and needing to see nothing else.
Hannah hodgson (@resurrectionpoetry)

Things worth remembering…

a Christmas parade
decorating for Christmas
winter walks in the dark
a friend who tethered me to truth and light when I couldn’t bring myself to do it
hot cocoa, a slow afternoon with siblings, and The Appendix Scare
celebratory dinners for the first responder siblings
cookie and gift exchange chaos with friends
grapefruit!!
drinking hot chocolate and wrapping gifts while listening to Christmas music
putting a difficult month of winter on the farm in the books
making shortbread for Christmas with the pro (my youngest sister)
so much reading after Christmas
accidental mac and cheese soup
receiving hugs, hot cocoa, and stories from my grandma on a hard day
an evening errand run with the brothers
The Whipped Cream Game
my brother’s eggnog

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
Joseph H. Gilmore

What I’ve been reading…

Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas Treasury – Louisa May Alcott

Before another word could be said, a little old lady appeared in the hall, trying to look stern and failing entirely, because she was the picture of a dear, fat, cozy grandma.

I read this with friends for a book club! It wasn’t my absolute favorite read from Alcott (it began to feel repetitive after awhile), but there were some sweet, thought-provoking stories with Louisa May Alcott’s inevitable dash of humor. Her characters are so endearing!

Where Secrets Lie – Colleen Coble, Rick Acker

I almost didn’t listen to this audiobook because I didn’t love the first book in the series, but I’m glad my restless mind got the better of me; I enjoyed this one so much more the one that preceded it! It ended on a horrible cliffhanger, though, and the third book doesn’t come out till March. Boo!!

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland

“We are not called to be successful in accordance with ordinary standards, but in accordance with a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, becoming in that way what it never could be if it were to abide alone.”

Still reading through this one!

Terms and Traditions – Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

You know I’m not the biggest fan of the romance genre, but this Christmas rom-com has delighted me with how much I’ve been able to enjoy it! I love the depth of the characters and the author’s sense of humor. If you’re a rom-com fan, you should definitely check this book out.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:17-18

From the journal…

Strengthen my hands to lay all my hopes and fears to rest on Your chest, and fix my eyes in sheer adoration on You.

Live slowly enough to be able to think deeply about God.
J.I. Packer

What made your December memorable?

❤ Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

reading, Short Stories

A Christmasy short story, anyone? (did I mention it’s free?)

December 15, 2025by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

It was the 20th of December, and for an entire month the smells of gingerbread and homemade fudge had filled the farmhouse kitchen, secrets had been exchanged in whispers behind hands, and Randy Travis’ Christmas album had been played more than a dozen times through the boombox. The month had borne all the earmarks of a Werner family Christmas…except for the one that was most important in Grace Werner’s eyes.

There was no snow. At least out of doors.

Last year I wrote a short Christmas story about a (fictional) little girl I’d gotten to know quite well after spending a few years writing a story about a baker, a deputy, and a farmer who happened to be Grace’s older brother. Grace was never a main character in that book, but anyone who’s met her on the page knows that she’s most definitely main character material. (Major levels of sweetness and sass will do that for a seven-year-old.)

All Grace wants is to make Christmas 2001 absolutely perfect for her family. Is that too much for a seven-year-old to ask? But she can’t wrap gifts as well as her mother, or decorate cookies that look as nice as Grandma’s, and to top it all off the sky won’t yield even a single snowflake! Her dreams for a perfect Christmas seem to be crumbling as fast as her sugar cookies, but could it be that there’s more to a perfect Christmas than perfection?

This Christmas, join Grace and her family in their blustery corner of the Midwest for a chuckle-inducing adventure that will warm your heart and possibly leave you craving a plate of sugar cookies.

I reread this story last week, and it was such a treat to revisit all of Grace’s mishaps and adventures. (I honestly had forgotten how I’d resolved the story, so it was sweet to read that part like it was the first time, hehe!)

If you love all of the close-knit family vibes, humorous little kids, and the chance to visit a rural Midwest community via the written word, this story might be for you. 😉

Read about Grace’s story here!

You can also add it on Goodreads here, if you’re a Goodreads person.

Aaand, in case you want the Christmas soundtrack Grace had (and the one I had while writing this story)…here ’tis.

Happy reading, friends! I hope the story brings a smile or two.

-Laurel

writing

caskets and Christmas – a (very) small essay

December 8, 2025December 7, 2025by Laurel Luehmann1 Comment

Hello, friends!

I wrote this piece a couple of years ago and wanted to share it now. I hope it can be a blessing!

Practice guitar for the Christmas program.

Continue with gift preparations.

Finalize edits on my aunt’s obituary.

It’s a cruel and confusing thing to be grieving while the world swirls in such happiness and anticipation to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” blaring over the radio.

But isn’t that why we have a Christmas in the first place?

God saw, God grieved, and so He came. Christmas isn’t a fragile veneer that’s been plastered over reality. It’s the reality of God made flesh so death could die, and deep grief gives us the opportunity to celebrate that in a way that goes much deeper than trite choruses and wooden nativity scenes.

We stand beside caskets that hold the shells of the ones who have burst into eternity before us, and we lower them into a hole in the earth’s frozen heart and our weeping hollows us out because we are broken, dying humans living in a broken, dying world.

But we sow these shells in a sure and tearful expectation, because, just as the souls we have loved have shed their shells, these shells will one day shed these caskets and meet their Savior in the air because we are healing, blood-bought humans living for a healed and blood-bought world.

And so we carry our grief, sometimes over our shoulders, sometimes in deep, hidden pockets, but always with a deep-seated expectation that weeping only endures for a night, and joy will come with the morning.

Whether that morning is earthside or not matters not to us, because we are trusting a flimsy future to the hands of a sturdy God. He has worked all for the good of those who love Him, and He is unchanging. Why should He think He will break that habit now?

Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

November memories – 2025

December 1, 2025by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

November was a gift. ❤

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:24

Things worth remembering…

the maples in my backyard turning golden
wondering why Marketplace thinks I need to buy an antique coffin
playing with toddler friends
crochet project adventures
washing windows with a vengeance
getting to watch TWO stage productions with my grandma
making shortbread cookies
prayer and worship with fellow believers
God answering a question with a sermon on the radio hours later
a dear friend taking me on my first Trader Joe’s excursion
a coffeeshop writing/reading/schoolwork date with sisters
wandering Fleet Farm like a lost soul looking for bolts in all the wrong places
making a list of delightful blessings God gave this year
time with extended family and all of the laughter that ensued
getting to enjoy a glorious snowfall without having to work through it
decorating my “most tragic” little Christmas tree for the first time

Turn your eyes upon Jesus;
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Fanny Crosby

What I’ve been reading…

Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves

Indeed, in the triune God is the love behind all love, the life behind all life, the music behind all music, the beauty behind all beauty and the joy behind all joy.

My favorite non-fiction read of 2025, hands down. Read it!!

The Coronation – Olivia Lynn Jarmusch

“What. Is. That?” Millie asked, drawing out each word for dramatic effect.

“It’s called quiche,” Jillian stated simply.

“I’ve never heard of it.” Millie wrinkled her nose, “I don’t think I like it.”

This has been a cute book thus far! It’s perfect for a light evening read.

Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God – David McCasland

I found this book deeply impactful in high school and have been enjoying a reread.

And I will wait on the LORD,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.
Isaiah 8:17

From the journal…

May every fiber of my being magnify and rejoice in You!

Lord, let me be obedient to the point of the death of my dreams.

I am satisfied because of Who God is. Please be the first thing I seek, the One I long for in the driest of seasons. Help me to see Your lovingkindness as truly better than life.

To pray, “Thy will be done,” I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.
Elisabeth Elliot

What made your November memorable?

❤ Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Personal, Poetry

Rich because…

November 24, 2025by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Look at me, jumping on a trend for once. But I felt like waxing poetic, and this prompt was just the thing. I would be so glad if you’d use it as a springboard/inspiration to make your own list! ❤

I am rich…

because the November sun makes the edge of gray skies glow pink and lavender as it comes and goes // because I drink root beer and read poetry with my grandma // because mochas are a thing // because all the music I could dream of is at my fingertips // because my parents and siblings are so close, to my home and to my heart // because I have room for an ever-swelling book collection // because I can sing myself hoarse in corporate worship without fear // because my tomorrows are held firmly in the hands of a loving, sovereign God // because long-distance friendships work // because hours fly by with the dearest of friends // because candles and twinkle lights and fireplaces exist // because my aging car has stellar speakers // because there are “good morning” and “drive safe” texts // because brokenness is not the end of the story // because God said “no” and “not yet” more times than I can count // because He is writing a story much longer and deeper and more glorious than what I can see // because I have so many memories behind and an eternity with Christ before me //

…thank You, Jesus.

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading, writing updates

October memories – 2025

November 10, 2025November 9, 2025by Laurel Luehmann1 Comment

Hello, friends!✨

October was so full of good things…

The measure of our love is the measure of our willingness to be inconvenienced.
Elisabeth elliot

Things worth remembering…

watching God open unforeseen doors
going to a new coffeeshop with a friend
finding another four-leaf clover
walks/bike rides with the youngest sister
dear cousins in town…
therefore walks, Dutch Blitz, talks, and a shopping trip
so much music
trying a new soup recipe (it was delish)
taking senior pictures for my sister
watching sessions from Revive Our Hearts’ True Woman Conference with some dear ladies
Farm and Fleet and burgers with a brother
a helpful webinar from Glory Writers
checking trail cams and climbing round bales

Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart…
Ephesians 6:6-7

What I’ve been reading…

Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves

And that is the God revealed by Jesus Christ. Before He ever created, before He ever ruled the world, before anything else, this God was a Father loving His Son.

AHHHHH!!! Read this book!!! I’ve known the Lord since childhood, but this book digs so deeply into the triune nature of God and what it says about Him (and consequently about our relationship with Him), I feel like I’m meeting and falling in love with Him for the first time all over again.✨

Jo’s Boys – Louisa May Alcott

Prosperity suits some people, and they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and are the sweeter for a touch of frost.

This one was so good, even though my favorite boy didn’t get his happy ending…

Now and Not Yet – Ruth Chou Simons

Gardening is one part labor of our hands and one part God’s sovereign care through creation. It’s a reminder to us that God often chooses to provide at the intersection of our just get started and His watch me do this.

Hands down one of the very best books I’ve read this year. I came to it expecting a recipe for surviving unwanted circumstances and came away challenged to thrive in the pieces and seasons of life I wouldn’t have chosen. It was also an encouragement to me to stop moping at the doors God’s closed to me and instead start asking Him to show me the doors He’s opening and give me the courage to walk through them. If you’re struggling with discontentment or restlessness, read this book if you can.

Before I Called You Mine – Nicole Deese

“The way to shape a child’s heart is through love. And the way to shape a child’s mind is through literature. When you read to a child, you accomplish both.”

Romance still isn’t my genre, hehe, but I so enjoy Nicole Deese’s writing style and endearing characters. I listened to the audiobook after my sister read the book, and it was so much fun to discuss it with her. I’d recommend this book if you enjoy the clean contemporary romance genre, fun-loving male MCs (think a hilarious dinosaur obsession), parts of the story told through text threads, and some adorable kids.

Loving Your Husband Before You Even Have One – Kim Vollendorf

Character is shaped by the level of God’s control in our lives.

This one popped up as a recommended audiobook on Spotify, and, to be honest, I was skeptical but in possession of lots of audiobook hours to use before the end of the month, so…I started it. I haven’t listened to much of it, but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. Thus far it’s been a convicting and encouraging listen.

A New Song – Jan Karon

“‘Snickers has ear mites, I hope Barnabas is doin’ fine in all those sandspurs, I hope to th’ Lord you’ll check his paws on a regular basis.’ Emma was running her straw around the bottom of the cup and sucking with great expectation, but not finding much. He turned the volume down on the answering machine.”

Continuing the Mitford series…as always, it’s a lighthearted yet touching read.

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.
Psalm 119:37

From the journal…

Help me to treasure and see as weighty the gaze of Your eyes alone.

I laugh in wonderstruck delight

at the order You have settled in the heavens:

the way You set Earth in its orbit

just close enough to smile at the rays of the sun.

and yet I worry that I – a trillionth of a speck

on the face of North America –

missed something that You wanted me to find,

and now it can never be recovered.

Your sovereignty, O Lord,

has taken into consideration my clumsiness…

Ever heighten my sensitivity to sin in my own life and root it out, but ever deepen my comprehension of the depth of Your grace. Don’t let Satan wield my awareness of sin (confessed and repented-of sin) to drive me deep into despair and a sense of worthlessness…show me Your glory and Your mercy!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
titus 2:11-14

What made your October memorable?

❤ Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading, writing updates

September memories – 2025

October 6, 2025by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!✨

September was a gem…

They’ll tell you that arts and humanities aren’t practical and then read poetry at funerals and weddings, cry over films and search for meaning in ancient philosophy. Surviving is one type of practicality, knowing why we bother is another.
– on the importance of the arts and humanities

Things worth remembering…

playing music with my youngest sisters
fixing a dresser drawer (#powerful)
a cute pumpkin and flower farm
enjoying chai again
catching up with an old friend
getting my braces off (!!!)
biting into an apple for the first time in YEARS
gorgeous sunrises and sunsets
chats about surrender
the gospel preached many times over at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service
the sobering reminder to not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ✨
riding with siblings in farm equipment
the Great Eggy Microwave Explosion
surviving way too many stairs
the overwhelming gentleness of God

Apart from sin, we have nothing of which to be ashamed. Only an evil desire to shine makes us want to appear other than we are.
A.W. Tozer

What I’ve been reading…

Little Men – Louisa May Alcott

The small hopes and plans and pleasures of children should be tenderly respected by grown-up people, and never rudely thwarted or ridiculed.

I finished reading this book this September…it got five stars from me.✨

Jo’s Boys – Louisa May Alcott

“You’ve put your foot in it now, old boy!…” And Dolly laughed so heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the head of a lady sitting below him, and got him into a scrape also.

Ahh, I’m so enjoying this one. I don’t know that I’ll like it quite as much as Little Men, but getting to see the children from that book grow up and find their way in the world has been so much fun.

Now and Not Yet – Ruth Chou Simons

It’s the boring, everyday fruitfulness that makes a life.

This book has been on my TBR ever since it came out, and I’m finally getting to it. God’s timing is impeccable…this is a very applicable (and convicting) read right now, and it will definitely make my list of favorites. I highly recommend it.

Choose prayer. Choose courage. Choose beauty. Choose adventure. Choose family. Choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.
Erika kirk

From the journal…

Lord Jesus, You are my portion…may I ever see the richness of that!

Be most beautiful to me, Jesus.

This is enough…to be seen and chosen and cherished by the One Who handcrafted me for His glory and pleasure, for such a time as this. Help me to trust Your heart when I cannot see the significance of these days and circumstances. Keep me so very close to You. Don’t let me poke artificial fruit onto my branches, but abide, deeply delighting in You, day after day after day. Give me the discipline and desire to abide in You when the siren calls are loud. Glorify Your name in me.

Father, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Constant companionship, comfort, intercession when I don’t have the strength or the words…what a gift it is.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

❤ Laurel

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Poetry

a poem on normalcy

September 29, 2025by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!✨

I wrote a poem earlier this month that I thought I’d share here. It’s a reminder I need often! What a gift it is to walk with a sovereign God through “ordinary” days.

may I not, O Lord,

despise these hidden days…

the years stretched long with normalcy,

the months framed by the mundane.

may I never, sore impatient, kick aside

the purpose You’ve disguised in disillusion,

or rush ahead of shabby Providence.

pull me ever closer, Love,

till my racing heartbeat slows

to match the steady, loving pulse of the Divine.

Personal

Dreams and goals for Autumn 2025

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!

This isn’t going to be a poetic post…it’s just me trying to kill two birds with one stone. The first bird is my hope to post more frequently here, and the second bird is to make a fall bucket list.

And speaking of birds, I saw a bald eagle flying almost at eye level the other day!! (My eyes were higher up than they usually are because I was in a tractor, but still. I love bald eagles, and it was an audible gasp-worthy moment.)

Anyway.

The list.

Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

My friend Danielle always puts this on her monthly goals posts, and I’m stealing it because it’s such a good reminder of how to order my hopes and dreams.

Make apple fritters!!

I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and it’s always one of the first things I look forward to when the temperatures start dropping. I only let myself make them in autumn, so the process (and the product) are a delicious seasonal treat!

Not allow my phone or an open laptop in the kitchen and instead keep a current read close at hand.

If I’m eating alone, it’s all too easy for me to default to looking at a screen, and I’m sick of it. For several weeks now I’ve often been keeping books on the kitchen table to grab instead of my phone, but I’m signing the practice into law now.

Take discipleship more seriously, both on the giving and receiving end.

Seeking the friendship and counsel of older women and sharing friendship and counsel with younger women is something I want to pursue more intentionally this autumn…and the rest of my life.

Do a hike + picnic when the fall colors are the most vibrant.

Ahh!!!

Host a bonfire (or two or more).

I am so grateful I don’t live in an area that is frequently under burn bans! I would be so miserable. I love fire.

Faithfully show up to write and let it be as messy as it needs to be.

I’m no longer one of those people who has a thousand book ideas floating around in her head, so the weeks after a book release can leave me feeling rudderless as far as writing goes. I don’t know exactly where writing will take me next, so it’s difficult to set goals for that apart from aiming to be faithful to sit down and at least turn the faucet on to see what comes out! My official goal for myself is to spend 30 minutes writing something each day…but it’s been a struggle, so that may just end up being a habit I hope to have implemented by the end of autumn.

~~Put a pot of mums in front of the house.~~

I actually just did this yesterday!! They look so happy.

I’d love to hear in the comments…what are some of your hopes and goals for this autumn?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel