First Friday Book Faves December 2015

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

That's the question we will be asking COF contributors and you, our readers, each month. Is there a book that you just can't seem to put down, that's teaching you a profound spiritual lesson, or making you laugh amid your struggles? We want to hear about it!

JOIN US!

  • Tell us in the comments what you are reading.
  • Take a picture of what you are reading and post it to your Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtag #FFBF
  • LinkUp a book review blog post about a favorite book you've read.

BTW, you don't have to wait for the first Friday of every month to see what our contributors are reading, you can follow them on Goodreads!


Kimberly Amici    

www.kimberlyamici.com 

Get Yourself Organized for Christmas: Simple Steps to Enjoying the Season by Kathi Lipp     

Put the words "Organized" in a title and I am all over it. I received this book at the Allume blogging conference in October and immediately bumped it up to the top of my To-Read list. December not only brings Christmas but family birthdays, including mine, so it is jam-packed with activities and celebrations in addition to our already busy schedule. Kathi Lipp provides easy-to-follow steps to reduce the stress of the holiday season, something I desperately need.  

Follow Kimberly on Goodreads.                                                                       


Susan Panzica  

www.susanpanzica.com        

Mary Had A Little Lamb by Susan Panzica    

I just have to share about a book I'm reading in a different way! I've been reading this book at book signings and to elementary classes across northern NJ. It's a book I wrote that brings true meaning about Christmas to children. Mary Had A Little Lamb is a rhyme taken right from Scripture. Appropriate life lessons from the Christmas story, like overcoming fear and knowing that God speaks to us today, are two of the themes explored. The illustrations by Zach Brose are brilliant, the story is engaging, and there is a Parent Guide with talking points and mythbusters for parents to explore and then share with their children. The book is supported by a website with resources to help make Christmas even more meaningful. www.maryhadalittlelamb.net                                                                        


Kristin Hill Taylor  

www.kristinhilltaylor.com    

I'm Happy For You (Sort Of ... Not Really) by Kay Wyma    

In I’m Happy for You (Sort Of … Not Really), Wyma shares real-life stories that made me chuckle – because I get them – and inspired me to think about my reactions and expectations. The pages are full of practical advice and encouragement to find contentment in a world that presses us to compare. This truth is especially relevant during the holiday season when we all tend to get a little stressed out when we compare our ways to someone else's.      

Follow Kristin on Goodreads                                                                   


Micalagh Beckwith Moritz  

www.micalagh.wordpress.com  

 For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker    

Christmas is a busy season - a time when it's so easy to get wrapped up in Pinterest-perfect wreaths, the ultimate "Christmas photo," and buying just the right gift for each person on your list. As women, we bear a lot of the pressure to get it all together. As soon as I read the intro to Jen Hatmaker's book, I breathed a sigh of relief. She reminds us that we don't have to do it all or be it all - we are loved regardless! And when we take all that pressure and judgment off of ourselves - and then do the same for others as well - grace abounds.


Elise Daly Parker

www.EliseDalyParker.com

The Greatest Gift – Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp

Ann bids us to “Anticipate Christ…and Celebrate Christmas, His Coming,” in this beautiful Christmas devotional. The book could be renamed Wonder and Awe as that is what Ann calls us to each and every day of Advent through a lovely visual (which is actually a downloadable ornament for your Jesse tree), Scripture, a reflection, powerful quotes by some of the greatest Christian writers and thinkers of all time, and a section A Moment for Reflection that each day offers questions to ponder and space to record your answers. To enable us to take part in God’s love through serving, Ann invites us to a simple and doable action each day too. Ann’s writing alone calms me and draws me nearer to God’s love.


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