Laurel Luehmann

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

January memories – 2025

February 3, 2025by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments

Hello, friends! It’s the first post of the year!!!

I know it’s been a bit quieter on the blog these days, but it’s been with intention! While life off the page was very exciting this month, I’ve been intentionally shifting away from the blog to focus on building a consistent and meaningful newsletter. You can sign up for that here if you’d like to keep reading new things that aren’t just monthly updates! XD

Anyway. Let’s get to the fun stuff.

How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it.
G.K. Chesterton

Things worth remembering…

New Year’s Day tractor adventures
God giving back the opportunity to lead worship regularly
a friend’s poetry speaking directly to my heart
enjoying my first latte with actual latte art!
attempting to be a responsible plant mother
my first time being an Urgent Care escort
HIKING!!!
glorious sunrises
a cutthroat game of Monopoly (I did not win)
a video chat with a dear friend
surviving the brutal cold snap
discovering Pride and Prejudice read in a southern accent
lots of quality time with my grandma
flying through the hay field in my car
encouragement from friends
ice skating for the first (official) time
fake snake adventures

I want to be free of self-pity. It is a tool of Satan to rot away a life. I am sure that this is the perfect will of God.
Barbara Youderian

What I’ve been reading…

Out to Canaan – Jan Karon

The fourth book in The Mitford Years…another gem. These books are just so good for the days when I need a cozy read that is heartwarming and entertaining…and not too hard to follow!

Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer

I’ve decided to stop being such a reading purist and start claiming audiobooks I’ve listened through as “read” in these recaps. XD This one, however, I would probably have absorbed better if I’d actually read it. It was a fascinating story! Krakauer is a gifted writer, and I appreciated his vulnerability and humility in sharing about such a difficult experience. However, I don’t recommend it for younger readers because of consistent language throughout (ugh) and a bit of content.

What Is a Healthy Church? – Mark Dever

Man, this has been such a good and convicting read.

A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

Home, sweet home…I love Dickens’ work, and this is my favorite of his. So far! Rereading it this month has been a blast…I’m catching all the foreshadowing and appreciating it for the first time as someone who’s already familiar with the entire story. In a way, it’s better the second time around!

In the Shadow of a Sunbeam – Rachel Rowbottom

I was blessed with an ARC of this book! It comes out in February, and I’ll be sharing my review when it releases. Meanwhile you can follow Rachel’s literary adventures through her Linktree!

What We Hide – Colleen Coble, Rick Acker

I ran out of audiobook hours in the middle of this one! To be honest I’m really frustrated by one of the main characters, but I’m intrigued by the mystery and have to know what’s going on. So back to this one I go! (When Spotify renews my audiobook hours. XD)

If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
Exodus 33:15

From the journal…

Again God will be the same merciful God I have known and loved, and at the end of this year He will still be worthy of my soul, my life, my all.

I trust You, Father, even with my blunders.

Oh, the power of the Resurrection!! Among so many other things, it gives us the power to live self-controlled, to happily trust broken lives to the God Who makes all things new.

oh, wondering soul, time is a measurement of hope
as for a wedding day.
Hosanna Emily

How was your January, friends?

Stay the course!

❤ 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.:)

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December memories – 2024

January 6, 2025by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Goodness sakes…the last blog post of the year!

To hope is to wait with your heart intertwined, knotted up, tied to God Himself.
To be a people of hope is to let go of hoping in all the things of this world, and have all your hope, all your heart, all your aching, waiting expectations, bound to Jesus.
Ann Voskamp

Things worth remembering…

Building a book tree with a sister
Studying Malachi
Seeing Sidewalk Prophets in concert at last!!
The drive home with sad songs and 40 ounces of Nighty Night Extra
Chik-fil-a, Barnes & Noble, and the guitar shop
Christmas lights!!
Finishing my short story and getting it out to my newsletter gang
Honest, tearful conversations
My sisters’ Christmas program
Hot cocoa and gift wrapping
Savoring the white Christmas while it lasted
Singing in five-part harmony around the bonfire
Walks on soggy gravel roads when the snow melted
Jigging with the youngest sisters
A misty moisty morning
Several outrageous rounds of Who What When Where Why

That was hope. Not a violent jolt or reawakening,
But the constancy of living as though each moment was worth it,
Rising up under pain because by the power of the living God it will not end us –
It will not end us; it will not end here.
Hannah Hodgson

What I’ve been reading…

The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown

It’s taking me awhile to finish this one, but it’s brilliantly written! I’m just easing into non-fiction again. XD

The Greatest Gift – Ann Voskamp

I didn’t end up reading this one all the way through like I did last year, as I was reading another Advent book (see below).

Advent: a collection – Hannah Hodgson

If only Hannah’s books were available for purchase all the time…her poetry blesses me so much and I want to share it with the world. If you want to catch a glimpse of her poetry, though, go follow her on Instagram!

A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

Oh, goodness, this book brought me so much joy!

A Thousand Mornings – Mary Oliver

I so wish Mary Oliver had had a better grasp of theology, because if that had been the case this collection would be absolutely flawless. The beauty of her thoughts and way of expressing them is so natural. I adore her poetic style.

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes…and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.
dietrich bonhoeffer

From the journal…

Oh, Father, help me to catch a vision for something greater than my own life story!

You’re never late, I know.

You have never skimped a single one of your children, Father, and I pray that I would know that deeply, even if Your richness and generosity meet me in this same position of life next year.

Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
Luke 10:21

What are you tucking into your book of memories from this December?

Stay the course!

Laurel

P.S. My short story, Grace Werner’s Perfectly Imperfect Christmas, is available to you for FREE when you sign up for my weekly newsletter! You can do that here. ❤

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, writing updates

I’m releasing a short story!

December 12, 2024December 12, 2024by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Hello, friends!

I’ve been quieter on the blog lately because I’ve been working to pour more into my (mostly)weekly newsletter. I’m so grateful for my newsletter gang, and this Christmas that group gets a special gift: a short story with all of the cozy, nostalgic Christmas-y feels.

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 didn’t think one could get so excited about such a simple story, but here I am, proving myself wrong. XD I adore these characters (borrowed from the novel I’m prepping from publication), and seeing them in a Christmas setting and through the eyes of a seven-year-old has been such a delight. I don’t think you want to miss it.:)

You can also add it on Goodreads here.

I hope you’re having a wonderful December! ❤

-Laurel

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal

November memories – 2024

December 2, 2024December 2, 2024by Laurel Luehmann1 Comment

Let us move in the common affairs of life with studied holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity.
charles spurgeon

Things worth remembering

hiking, bridges, and chili
writing more letters and journaling more profusely
so much mud
the first snow of the season
pizza and The Village
raking cornstalks and hauling bales
the Christmas lights adventure
the face paint that didn’t come off
the loudest game of Life I’ve experienced
accusations, meme-worthy moments, and a toast

All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.
Hudson taylor

What I’ve been reading

The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown

This book came highly recommended from my dad, and I’ve so been enjoying it! I love the variety that the triple timeline provides.

50 People Every Christian Should Know – Warren W. Wiersbe

Still enjoying this one!

These High, Green Hills – Jan Karon

I’m still sad they tore one of my favorite characters from me, but – no surprise – this book was a joy.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Beverly Cleary

Toy! thought Ralph indignantly. This ambulance is carrying medical supplies to the sick.

Rereading this one was so much fun! I love how the author really captured what it feels like to be a child longing so much to

The Doll People – Ann M. Martin

It had been forty-five years since Annabelle had seen Auntie Sarah. And forty-five years is a very long time, especially for an eight-year-old girl.

I enjoyed this book when I was younger, and it’s been fun to read through it again!

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!
psalm 27:14

From the journal

Even here, in this present darkness, Your goodness is writing comeback stories in the flesh and bones of the wounded and wounding. Great are You, Great are You, Lord! What mercy this is!

There is hope and there is beauty, in and beyond this present darkness.

I know that even when this life feels dry, You are the source of living water. Don’t let me forsake You in pursuit of temporal, more visible wells.

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

October memories – 2024

November 4, 2024by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

There is a place called ‘heaven’ where the good here unfinished is completed; and where the stories unwritten, and the hopes unfulfilled, are continued. We may laugh together yet.
J.R.R. TOlkien

Things worth remembering

joining a new Bible study
blood sausage conversations
live music and sunlight
the bonfire and the northern lights
all. the. stairs.
creating a fake crime scene for a Sunday school lesson
leading worship with a friend
prayers answered and prayers refined

Let us move in the common affairs of life with studied holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity.
Charles spurgeon

What I’ve been reading

Cathedral – Maya Joelle

You are worthless, and yet you deserve so much more than you are given. I tear you apart with contradiction.

This book has become my go-to collection of poetry for autumn, and I’m savoring it. It really is a gem.

50 People Every Christian Should Know – Warren W. Wiersbe

“Life is the only cure for death, not the prescriptions of duty, not the threats of punishment and damnation, not the arts and refinement of education, but new, spiritual, Divine Life.” – Christmas Evans

This is essentially a collection of mini biographies, and what a joy it’s been! Learning about the lives, ministries and habits of such giants of the faith has been refreshing and a challenge for me in the way I live my life.

These High, Green Hills – Jan Karon

“You didn’ say nothin’ to th’ Lord ’bout my beans,” Louella reminded him.

“I didn’t?”

“Jus’ th’ cornbread,” she said darkly.

Yes, another Mitford book! It’s just as cozy and humorous as I was expecting.

Frost Light – Danielle Bullen

“We all think that we are so brave, so selfless lifting these things that we are too selfish to see don’t even need to be carried alone.”

Still enjoying this one!

True humility is when you are so focused on God that your self-focus becomes secondary. You are so devoted to His cause that You are able to fully rest in His gentle care without a thought for how things will play out.
Jessie Anderson

From the journal

Cleanse, Father. Heal. Do all that must be done to make me the truest reflection of Your heart that I can be.

…it’s been so good for me to hear the stories of relatively short lives that left a deep impact on the church, not because of their scrambling to be all and do all at once, but because they delighted in the presence and work of God and framed their life around it.

Struck again in Matthew 1 by the value of upright men quietly walking difficult paths in obedience to the Lord.

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.:)

Journaling, Personal

September memories – 2024

October 1, 2024October 1, 2024by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments

Our Lord in His infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon His people’s faith that He will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened.
Charles Spurgeon

Things worth remembering

a beautiful baptism Sunday
firecrackers and dead marshmallows
surviving the tree stand removals and reassemblies
truck stops, apple cider and city driving
starting Sunday school again
a spontaneous hike
redneck baseball
the (intentional) air bag explosions and the terrifying excitement that followed
an encouraging call with my developmental editor

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You…
Jeremiah 12:1

What I’ve been reading

Frost Light – Danielle Bullen

Pink is drifting along the mountain, the faint of primroses, clouds low, light and thin brushing the horizon like feathers. Oh, it’s beautiful. And not the garden I left behind. It’s beautiful in a different way, more full, and empty.

I’ve been taking this one along with me in the tractor to read in spare moments! Danielle is a joy, and so is her book. I love the MC’s desperate search for beauty in a place of desolation.

Rhythms of Renewal – Rebekah Lyons

Quietness infused the way I related to others, enabled me to be a bearer of peace, love, and wisdom in the midst of chaos.

This book has been a lovely resource!

The Adventures of Tintin – Hergé

I was struggling to focus on reading for a little while, so reading some of Hergé’s Tintin graphic novels was a fun way to still consume stories on a page without dragging my brain through a lot of words!

God gave all men all earth to love,
but since our hearts are small,
ordained for each, one spot should prove
beloved over all.
rudyard Kipling

From the journal

Help my heart to want what You want, on Your timeline.

Never let me underestimate the power of prayer and a gentle influence in the lives around me.

What a beautiful thing it is to rest in the timing, omniscient and omnipotent, of God!

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.:)

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August Memories – 2024

September 2, 2024August 31, 2024by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Another month in review! ❤

Pain, if sanctified, creates tenderness towards others.
c.h. spurgeon

Things worth remembering

my sister’s graduation party
cousin shenanigans
mosquito bites and songwriting
diving into edits on Project Redemption
laughter and encouragement shared via Facetime
a sibling bonfire
scavenging flowers from the field edge
corn day, the slip and slide and moon gazing
being at eye level with the hawks or vultures or whatever they were
marching out of the grocery store with a shocking amount of mini donuts
starting a weekly schedule for my newsletter
the first apple fritters of the year

Know the holiness of waiting.
hannah Hodgson

What I’ve been reading

change of state – Hannah Hodgson

And in the tidepools of all the tears there is sea glass and shells, a cradle of mercy; you are producing beauty housed in the presence of God.

One of my very favorite poets finally released a poetry collection!! Hannah portrays grief and loss in the light of the resurrection so beautifully and with such poignance. Sadly this collection was only available for a limited time…but you can read some of Hannah’s poetry over here on her Instagram account. I highly recommend it.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Beverly Cleary

The sound of voices so close made Ralph more eager than ever to escape. “No!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the metal chamber. “I won’t have it! I’m too young to be dumped out with the trash!”

Reading this again has been such a joy. XD

Giants in the Earth – O.E. Rolvaag

Her loneliness was so great that she felt a physical need of bringing happiness to some living thing…

I finally finished this book! Towards the end there were a couple of characters that drove me crazy, but it was definitely worth the read and the ending was powerful.

It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.
charles spurgeon

From the journal

Oh, Miracle-Worker, may I rest content, joyous even when healing hands seem stilled.

Don’t let my soul live paralyzed!

What made this past month memorable for you?

❤ 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.:)

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The Lost Rose by Victoria Lynn – Cover Reveal

August 22, 2024by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Isn’t this book cover gorgeous??

Releasing on November 1st, 2024, this is the third book in a non-magical fantasy series, The Chronicles of Elira. The book is available to preorder in ebook, paperback and special edition hardcover!

The blurb:

Years have passed, the world has shifted, and the Eliran people have faced unimaginable loss.

Elgon, ensnared in a royal catastrophe, must navigate betrayals and personal grief. With his kingdom’s fate hanging by a thread, he clings to a sliver of hope, waiting desperately for the return of his most trusted knight.

Malcolm’s quest is a treacherous odyssey, fraught with danger and shrouded in secrecy. With a charge to rescue and protect, the weight of his past mistakes threatens to crush him. Can he redeem himself in the eyes of his brother and king, or will their secret mission be discovered and ended by their enemies?

Rosalie, isolated in a castle tower for most of her life, knows little of the world beyond her prison walls. Rescued by a mysterious stranger and propelled towards her destiny, she embarks on a perilous adventure. Will she survive the grueling journey, or will the trials of a lost heir prove too great?

A knight on a quest, a lost princess, a malevolent foreign ruler, and a secret of epic proportions will alter the fate and future of Elira forever.

Preorder an ebook copy

Preorder a paperback

Preorder a special edition hardcover (think sneak peeks, illustrations and a bonus epilogue!)

Unfamiliar with the series? You can read my reviews for Once I Knew and This Life of Mine!

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal

July memories – 2024

August 5, 2024by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments

I keep saying this, but…what a month! XD

O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” but may I be well-fed and nourished in Thy house, that I may praise Thy name.
Charles spurgeon

Things worth remembering

dancing the Jitterbug with my grandma
the county fair
watching the trailer races at aforementioned county fair
INTENSE heat and humidity
the concert that wasn’t and the subsequent sunset
songwriting with a friend
a photoshoot with friends and a host of mosquitoes
the fights that were much more enjoyable to watch than the baseball game
more intentional reading
getting the notes for Project Redemption from my developmental editor (!!!)

Beware the barrenness of a busy life!
bishop j. Taylor Smith

What I’ve been reading

Holy Hygge – Jamie Erickson

Who you turn to when the stakes are high – when the responsibilities are mounting – says a lot about whom you trust.

Guys, I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!! As in, you won’t be seeing this book pop up over and over again in the monthly recap posts as it has been lately. XD It was a good and thought-provoking read with a healthy dose of questions to lead to action steps.✨

Giants in the Earth – O.E. Rolvaag

The sun had no strength these days. It peeped out in the morning, glided across the sky as before, yet life it had not until toward evening, as it was nearing the western rim of the prairie. Then it awoke, grew big and blushing, took on a splendour which forced everyone to stop and look; the western sky foamed and flooded with a wanton richness of colour, which ran up in streams to meet the coming night.

Goodness, this novel on pioneer life in the Dakota Territory has been fascinating. The author gets into the heads of his characters so well, and the descriptions of the prairie are gorgeous. (The book does contain a good amount of mild language…just something to be aware of.)

Once There Was a Bear: Tales of Before It All Began – Jane Riordan

“Oh,” said Tigger, who couldn’t quite remember if a hum was something to eat or something to sit on. “Tiggers like those, too.”

The Winnie-the-Pooh books by A.A. Milne are some of my favorites, and the author of this prequel did a stellar job preserving the spirit of Milne’s characters and narrative style! This book has been an absolute delight.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.
trust in the LORD forever,
for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
isaiah 26:3-4

From the journal

Oh, but Jesus, my story was never supposed to be about me and my achievements, anyway. It’s all about You being strong through me, even when I can’t seem to take a step forward.

Can’t I trust the seedling to the hands of the One who planted and watered the seed in the first place?

What made this July memorable for you?

❤ Laurel