reading – Page 2 – Laurel Luehmann

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

February memories – 2025

March 3, 2025by Laurel LuehmannLeave a Comment

Four short and everlasting weeks later…

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
c.s. lewis

Things worth remembering…

fake snake shenanigans
having an all-sisters outing to a favorite coffee shop
finding that the instant camera I dug out of a thrift store actually works (!!!)
skating past bloody ice 👀
getting a dear friend‘s poetry book in the mail
getting to use a new skid loader for work
being pleasantly surprised by a successful attempt at adapting a cheesecake recipe
finding out that Amazon had significantly marked down Clarion Hope (!!!)
writing strange typewriter haikus about my siblings
surviving The Coldest Day
finding that the combination of gravy, pasta shells, and mozzarella cheese tastes way better than it looks
a weekend near Duluth with friends…so very good for the soul🫶🏼
creating the Play-Doh Red Sea crossing
seeing Lake Superior for the first time
all of the memories made on the road…and on the side of the road…and in the ditch…
the world smelling like spring again
picking up crocheting again
time in the woods

We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven.
Charles Spurgeon

What I’ve been reading…

Three Men in a Boat – Jerome K. Jerome

To be honest, I didn’t read much this month. But I did start reading this book, and the humor is so much fun!

In the Shadow of a Sunbeam – Rachel Rowbottom

I have mixed feelings about this book. I did break them down a bit in my Goodreads review, though, so you can check that out if you’d like.

What We Hide – Colleen Coble, Rick Acker

THE EPILOGUE, PEOPLES!!!

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story, but I was really disappointed with how the issue of divorce was handled so flippantly by a Christian couple. The “do I love him, do I not, should I divorce him, should I not,” was littered with Scripture references, and that really saddened me. I know that approach isn’t unrealistic in the least, but I would have appreciated a wiser character being able to bring some clarity to the situation and to the reader. Please and thank you.

(I did get invested in Hez’s story, though, and the epilogue got me, so I may give the sequel a listen when it comes out…)

He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
psalm 107:9

From the journal…

The Fall came because Eve was not satisfied with the abundance God had allowed her. Oh, Jesus, let me not fall into the same trap of believing that my ways are better!

It is a gift to suffer and long deeply on this earth, for in doing so we are given a clearer picture of the brokenness of this world and our sinful nature, and our desire for our Redeemer and Savior is strengthened in a way that those who know little trial can only dream of. Thank You for this opportunity, Lord, to know just how deep Your love for me runs.

Let me expect my daily sustenance from You and You alone so that I may be able to love deeply and truly with no conditions.

What’s the best that could happen?
Many people, I’m sure, but one of my dearest friends in Particular 🙂

Ah, February…the month in which joy and struggle love to coexist.:) What thoughts/memories are you taking away from this past month?

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.:)

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.:)

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, reading

January memories – 2024

February 5, 2024February 5, 2024by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

The first review post of 2024!!

when you understand that God is never late, you wait differently.
unknown

Things worth remembering…

kicking off the new year with a stomach bug…hurrah! It could only get better from there. XD
practicing bass runs with my brother
road-tripping with siblings and some of our favorite songs
coming up with a tentative title for Project Redemption👀
tea and chats with friends
hitting 50k words on Project Redemption
people watching at Culvers
frigid temps followed by a glorious (albeit slushy) heat wave
music practice that felt like the best worship jam session ever
toting a baby doll and stroller around the mall in disguise

No matter how far from ease, a wise woman’s heart is betrothed to gratitude.
from “The divine proverb of streusel” by Sara Brunsvold

What I’ve been reading…

The School Story – Andrew Clements

…in that instant Natalie saw what mattered. It wasn’t whether the book got published or not. It wasn’t whether Zoe was absolutely crazy – which she was. The important thing was Zoe herself, her friend.

This is such a fun MG read! While I’m not a fan of all of his books, I so enjoy how Andrew Clements’ style shines in this one. He really writes some powerful kid characters, and the mother-daughter relationship almost made me cry. I loved reading this to my sisters. (FYI, it does contain a good amount of name calling. I just skip over those words when reading it to sisters!)

Wonderstruck – Brian Selznick

Maybe, thought Ben, we are all cabinets of wonders.

I absolutely LOVED the experience of reading this book. It kept me turning pages so fast…especially because of the brilliance of using only drawings to tell one side of the story. The author used so many little details to draw the reader in and imply things in such a powerful way.
I did feel a little let down by the ending, though…there were some minor questions I’d asked that didn’t feel answered, and I just generally wanted more. Also, with it being MG fiction I struggled with the addition of a few mature elements being mentioned/handled casually. Just throwing that out there as a heads up if you want to hand it off to younger ones. Overall, though, I’d probably reread it for fun, as it is such an enjoyable experience!

In My Father’s House – Corrie ten Boom

She began to make plans – we had no money, no experience – but we started.

I’m savoring every moment of this book. I especially love hearing about how two single women and their father opened their home and hearts to so many in the name of Jesus. (It’s also sprinkled with a healthy dose of Corrie’s humor. :))

The Divine Proverb of Streusel – Sara Brunsvold

Ask Nikki questions, she’d told him. Memorize her answers. Lover her accordingly.

This book feels like coming home. I absolutely love Sara Brunsvold’s poetic prose and the quotable qualities of her writing, but wrap it around a rural setting full of German food and history, characters who are solid and real, and a middle-aged bachelor who is painfully awkward around the woman who adores him? I’m sold.❤️❤️

(While handled so tactfully, dealing with the aftermath of a divorce following unfaithfulness is a premise of the story, so be aware of that if it’s something that’s too painful for you.)

I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.
charles spurgeon

From the journal…

Sinning is basically telling God that His ways aren’t good enough for us…telling God that we know better than He does.

I don’t have to slink into Your presence with the faint remains of stains on my skin. You have purified me completely, and You cause these bones You have broken to rejoice.

In the way I respond to trials and disruptions – help me to see Your image in the souls that trouble my own. May I deal graciously and uprightly with any who cross my path. You must increase, I must decrease. Be Lord over my life, not simply my words!

Waiting is just a gift of time in disguise – a time to pray wrapped in a ribbon of patience – because is the Lord ever late?
Ann voskamp

What made your January memorable?

❤ Laurel

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

December Memories – 2023

January 1, 2024by Laurel Luehmann5 Comments

Happy new year, friends!

Goodness. In some ways I feel as though 2023 never existed, and in others I feel as though it lasted a lifetime. XD Maybe I’ll do a year wrap-up post in a week or so, but here’s December’s recap for now! Here’s a coffee for the ride.☕ 🙂

And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
Psalm 39:7

Things worth remembering…

my dear aunt’s homegoing…only happy tears for her from now on. ❤
lots of cousin time
learning that thou shalt trust thy grandmother’s navigational advice and not thine own misgivings (I’m sorry I doubted you, Grandma.🙈)
minute-to-win-it games with friends (bonus points for not burning the house down)
crocheting a beanie that no one wants to wear
all of the Sunday School Christmas program practices
the Christmas program itself…everyone brought their best to the table and made it so special!
a very brown and green Christmas
surviving weeks of cold and flu bugs viciously crawling through the household

When we have an agenda for God, we can’t see the gifts from God.
ann voskamp

What I’ve been reading…

Hickory Dickory Dock – Agatha Christie

“I congratulate you on having such a unique and beautiful problem.”

The plot here was excellent, but the side content was a little more mature than I was hoping for. Sadness.

Fawkes – Nadine Brandes

How many of us acted and spoke out and fought for beliefs that we held because our environment told us to? As much as I wanted to blame my England, I knew the blame sat with me. I hadn’t trained myself to discern. To examine. To seek the source. That was about to change.

I wasn’t expecting the allegorical elements of this book, and I absolutely loved them. With its nods to history and the complex plot, I enjoyed it immensely! It’s a little on the bloody side, but such a good read if you don’t mind that.

4:50 from Paddington – Agatha Christie

The truth is people are an extraordinary mixture of heroism and cowardice.

I thought this mystery was absolutely brilliant, and I had the satisfaction of having called the culprit…but not completely accurately.

The Greatest Gift – Ann Voskamp

The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.

Oh, goodness. This book was exactly what I needed this year. I loved the action items and journaling prompts at the end of each day’s reading!

Ishtar’s Odyssey – Arnold Ytreeide

“Just this morning the tastiest redfish in the lake swam up to me and said he was there to give himself up for the most honorable and noble Persian man of an approaching caravan. And here you are!”

Salamar laughed a loud laugh. “And for how much did this redfish say he would sell himself before being smoked and salted?”

The boy shrugged. “Oh, only a small token of, say, five measures of fine Persian tea.”

Listening to my dad read this in the evenings this month was definitely a highlight!

I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe,
more loved and welcomed than I ever dared hope.
elyse m. Fitzpatrick

From the journal…

Fill me with more of You and a blessed self-forgetfulness.

Lord, thank You for the gift of laughter…for the ability to hold things loosely and lightly because You are the one who truly holds it all.

*Remembering the character of our God will lead to a complete trust of Him with the future.*

The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.
charles spurgeon

What are some of the memories/thoughts you’re carrying away from this past December?

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.:)

Book Reviews, Personal, reading

September memories – 2023

October 2, 2023by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments

And we leave September in the dust…

(Actually, we’re leaving it in splashes of mud. LOTS of mud. After a very dry summer, we spent a week in mud that made reminded me of London as portrayed in Bleak House.)

When you think of what you are, and despair; think also of what He is, and take heart.
C.H. Spurgeion

Things worth remembering…

covering the corn silage bunker
breaking two plastic forks on a meatball in the span of 3 minutes
starting Sunday school up again
hosting this poetry challenge with a friend
finding that the fastest route is not always the most direct one
APPLE FRITTERS.
Making more progress on Project Redemption…make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter to read an exclusive snippet and hear some fun info on the project coming later this week!

There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.
elisabeth elliot

What I’ve been reading…

Southpaw – Tabby RH

Garrison leaned his forearms against the island and bowed his head, letting the wooden countertop take his weight. The High King was still in the business of redemption.

This book!!! There are so many elements of the plot and characters that I want to emulate in my own novels, and it was an absolute joy to read. If you love involved plots with elements of mystery and memorable characters, you’d better get your hands on a copy!

The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer

Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.

I’ve been in a bit of a non-fiction reading slump, but I so appreciated this book a couple years back and I’m determined to appreciate it again.:)

The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien

It was generally agreed that the joke was in very bad taste, and more food and drink were needed to cure the guests of shock and annoyance.

I’ve decided to finally read through this trilogy for the first time this autumn, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
Psalm 4:7

From the journal…

Lord, don’t let my fear overcome my desire for what is good and righteous. I just want to want Your ways completely.

Don’t let me choose tasks based on ease, but on Your heart.

Lord, help me to whole-heartedly love Your will, even when it comes at a great cost to myself.

Lay down your life FOR GOOD on the altar of truest love. If you are nothing else, be a clear channel of the love of Christ.

What are you taking away from this September?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

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

August 2023 memories

September 4, 2023September 1, 2023by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Hullo, friends!

(Can you believe it? I’m actually getting back into my schedule of posting once a week! XD)

August in my corner of the world was full of life: good and hard and sweaty. (Man, was it ever sweaty.) Here are some of my favorite takeaways…

Things worth remembering…

kayaking with a friend, in which chatting + drifting happened as much as paddling 😂
pizza dates with siblings
a walk in near-complete darkness (for the record, it was not my idea)
laughing at laughter
raccoons (real and stuffed) and the most glorious puns
hearing this song for the first time
not melting in the mid-August heat (lemonade helps)
becoming an editor and cover designer for siblings
a women’s conference and my first book table ever (!!!)
prepping this poetry challenge with a friend
quality time spent working and laughing and studying with friends
finishing several books and paring my “currently reading” shelf down to an almost-healthy size
THE FLIES DYING. Now I can be happy and drink my coffee in peace without them wanting a taste.

To every right there is attached a duty, and to every privilege there is tied an obligation.
peter marshall

What I’ve been reading…

Holiness: The Heart God Purifies – Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

In other words, we must make it our constant, conscious ambition and aim to be holy. We have to work at it, concentrate on it, as an athlete sets his sights on winning an Olympic gold medal: He focuses on his objective, he trains and strains to achieve his goal, he sacrifices for it, he endures pain for it, and he puts aside other pursuits for the sake of a higher pursuit.

Reading this while going through Leviticus has been extra convicting/challenging. I highly recommend it.

The Memories We Painted – Caitlin Miller

But wasn’t that what love looked like — loving and being afraid? Wanting the best for someone but afraid of what that meant, of letting go when everything in you still wanted to hold on?

It’s been a while since a piece of fiction has wrenched and strengthened my heart like this.
This slower, introspective read is beautiful, and while some of the dialogue seemed a bit too eloquent (and because of that, slightly unrealistic) for my liking, I loved the way the author expressed the reality of suffering in an honest and hopeful way and wove so many pieces of the story together so masterfully. The dual timeline was also done extremely well! It lent so much depth to the main characters.

The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde

“If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.”

Oh, my goodness. I read most of this aloud to a sister, and half of the time was spent laughing. The humor, plot twists, and foreshadowing are all spot on, and I’ll definitely be reading this again when I need a good laugh.

Look for Yellow – Anna Barroso

I’ll never be a sparkling one
but I hope I’ll catch your eye
I’m dripping with mold instead of glitter
oh how I want to be beautiful
how I want to shine for you

I have mixed feelings about this book…I LOVED the gut-punches and “I feel seen” moments the author delivered in some of the poems, such as the one quoted above…you know, those words you want to roll around and savor in your mind for awhile.✨
Personally I feel that the poetry could have used a bit more clarity and proofreading, but it does contain some real gems for the ones who need to feel seen and known in the middle of grief/hard times.❤️

Their feet upon temptation,
Their faces upon God.
Emily Dickinson

From the journal…

I know You are enough — always will be — but I’m coming to realize that sometimes You show up for those You love by sending them someone who will show them Your love in a very tangible way. (Make me this kind of person.)

The FOMO is hitting hard today…oh, give me a very real sense of Your ability to use me everywhere.

(On the Passover in Exodus 12) I love how God asks them to celebrate this victory of His before it even comes fully to fruition…much as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in anticipation of the day when we will eat and drink with Christ in His kingdom.

Oh, Father! Keep my eyes and heart and hope fixed on You, not Your work or blessings.

What are you taking away from this August? Did you have a favorite read of the month?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

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, reading

This Life of Mine – book review

March 27, 2023by Laurel Luehmann4 Comments

Friends, meet one of my favorite books and the first one I’ve had the privilege of endorsing!

This Life of Mine has earned a forever home on my bookshelf and in my heart. Featuring memorable characters and a powerful stance on the sanctity of life, it had me in tears with its story of redemption in the wake of regret. Victoria Lynn has done it again, weaving a tale that holds out hope to the ones who have been broken…and to the ones who have broken others.
Laurel Luehmann

First off, let me introduce you to the book via the blurb…

Marcus is tired of losing those he loves. The last shred of his childhood has been uprooted, and he feels alone… again. When the ruler’s new policies take effect, the anger of the Rusalkan mountain king is unleashed upon the borderlands. With refugees streaming into Elira by the hundreds, the stories from the wall are horrific.

Marcus joins a convoy to lend his medical skills to those in need at the Eliran border. What he finds there requires him to face his own deformities. Will he be able to overcome them? Or will his life forever be marked by suffering and sacrifice?Dilara’s life as a slave in Rusalka was anything but idealistic. Consumed by a system designed to use, abuse, and discard the likes of her, she has been taken through the very depths. Carrying a traumatic secret and wounded in her frenzied escape, she finds herself with an unlikely protector and an even more confusing relationship. Can she traverse the waters of this new life of hers and make it her own?

“Curses often have a way of turning out to be blessings in disguise. It’s a wise man who will see the first and recognize it as the other.”
This Life Of Mine – The Chronicles of Elira

What I loved about This Life of Mine

The characters.

Even the side characters in this book had so much personality! Everyone was so endearing and just came alive so effortlessly in my mind. (I’ve got to admit that Keitha was probably my favorite side character.:) )

I loved how you got to see the main character’s flaws, too. The characters weren’t unrealistically perfect…they were believable and relatable.

Marcus’ prayers/conversations with God.

Every now and then, there comes a fictional character who challenges you to live your life differently, and Marcus’ effortless open dialogue with the Lord did just that for me.

The recurring imagery and parallels.

Man, oh man. This was so much fun. It was the ashes one that got me.

The reveal.

I can’t say much about this because of spoilers, but WOW. This was one plot twist I never saw coming, and the absolute beauty…

“Pain shared brings healing instead of making the wound grow deeper with each remembrance.”
this life of mine – The chronicles of elira

Intrigued? Purchase a copy from Amazon here or a signed copy here!

This Life of Mine is the second book in Victoria Lynn’s series, The Chronicles of Elira, but this book can also be read as a standalone! If you’re interested in hearing more about the first book in the series, check out my review of Once I Knew here.

Meet the author

Victoria Lynn has an insatiable desire for truth, light and beauty.

Traveling to destinations of beauty created by our Heavenly Father, reveling in creative pursuits that fill her with joy, or pouring her heart into words of life are some of her favorite things to do.

She seeks to bring the life giving words of the Savior to a dark and broken world that desperately needs to know of His sacrifice.

A writing and publishing coach, author, journalist, seamstress and creator, she loves spending time with any of her 8 siblings, exploring her native state of Michigan, and sewing gowns fit for a princess.

Victoria’s content just blesses me so much…be sure to check out her blog and Instagram account!

Book Reviews, Journaling, Personal, reading

February memories – 2023

March 6, 2023by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments

I have run out of original introductions for these posts. So here you are!

Things worth remembering

getting my teeth bejeweled
learning how to jig
finishing the Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye series with my sisters
speed walking behind my sister on roller skates for what had to be miles
many games of Rummikub with my family
realizing that not all potato pancakes are created equal
writing the outline for Project Redemption in two days

It does not matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies – whether it comes between you and God, or whether it presses you nearer His heart.
Hudson taylor

What I’ve been reading

The Gryphon Heist – James R. Hannibal

“Also you are very small, no? You need the help.”

Eddie turned and walked away.

Man, oh man, was this an exciting read! I was very pleasantly surprised to find that, not only was it void of junk, it also had some cool forgiveness elements, as well. A great balance of action, banter, character depth, and plot twists.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot – Ellen Vaughn

“He is my Rock. it is on Him I count, not on the purity of my own heart…His promises depend on His character, NOT MINE. This is the only foundation for faith.”

Yes, I’m still reading it…yes, I’m still loving it. (It does get a bit descriptive with some of the injury scenes, so if that’s something that disturbs you, be forewarned.)

The Magician’s Nephew – C.S. Lewis

The Bear lobbed the whole sticky mass over the top of the enclosure and unfortunately it hit Uncle Andrew slap in the face (not all the bees were dead). The Bear, who would not at all have minded being hit in the face by a honeycomb himself, could not understand why Uncle Andrew staggered back, slipped, and sat down. And it was sheer bad luck that he sat down on the pile of thistles.

I just finished this one! It was so fun to read it again.

(I also got to beta-read a dual-timeline novel that hasn’t been published yet.)

Teach me never to let the joy of what has been pale the joy of what is.
Elisabeth Elliot

From the journal

…thank You, Lord, that the love does not come from my meager resources, but from the incredible depths of Your love.

Purify my heart, Lord…let self-will die a quiet death in me.

Help me to live in pursuit of Your heart, Father. And yet it is not a pursuit…for You ask me to knock, and tell me it will be opened to me, and all I must do is keep in step with Your Spirit.

What memories/lessons are you taking away from February?

❤ Laurel

Journaling, Personal, reading

December memories – 2022

January 2, 2023by Laurel Luehmann12 Comments

The first post of 2023 and the last review of a month in 2022!

The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Proverbs 21:21

Things worth remembering

cohosting a 12 days of Christmas poetry challenge on Instagram with my friend Alexandria
family time and baby snuggles
visiting Chicago for the first time
Christmas shopping with Brother #1
surviving the blizzard-y weather and re-learning how to navigate ice with a tractor and mixer
getting my car stuck for the first time
seeing some gorgeous sundogs on Christmas Eve morning
not hitting the unsuspecting man at the bottom of the sledding hill (I knew my habit of screaming would come in handy sometime)
highly competitive games of floor hockey and Spoons
jumping on the junk journal wagon with a LITERAL junk journal

We meet no ordinary people in our lives.
c.S. Lewis

What I’ve been reading

A Thousand Gifts – Ann Voskamp

The Eucharist invites us to give thanks for dying. To participate in His death with our own daily dying and give thanks for it.

I love the raw honesty and poetic beauty of this book.

Between Two Worlds – Cheyenne van Langevelde

“Sharing thy concerns with someone is never a burden. It is only a burden upon thyself and other people when thou holdest it all in.”

It had been a while since I’d read a book set in the Roman empire, so it was fun to switch things up again!

Life is so urgent, it necessitates living slow.
Ann Voskamp

From the journal

You have asked me to stick out like a sore thumb in Your name!

Oh, Lord, give me the fortitude of mind to heed the homing call in my heart that screams for eternity.

My attitude towards dealing with my shortcomings and blatant sins has been to roll in the shame, instead of saying “in which we also once walked” and filling my mind with what God loves.

Now for the question you’re probably tired of hearing by now…what are you looking forward to in 2023?

Photo by Elisa H on Unsplash