What are you reading right now? Life has changed a lot for me recently, so I haven’t been able to read as much as I used to, but I’ve still been able to pick up a few new books. Here are the books I’m reading this month.

When Parenting isn’t Perfect by Jim Daly

If you’re a perfectionist and a parent, this book is definitely a must-read.

I decided to read this book when I saw an excerpt from the book on someone else’s blog. I don’t remember where the excerpt was (or I would link to it), but I do remember the gist of it.

Basically, the author, Jim Daly, and his wife are foster parents. At one point, while fostering two children, Jim overheard his biological kids say, “It’d be awesome if Mom and Dad treated us the way they do these foster kids” (118).

Daly then went on to say, “We save our grace for outsiders. We reserve our tolerance for those who ‘need’ it. But in Christian families, more often than not, we operate far more on an expectation/reward cycle. We’re big on ‘if you act right, you’ll get rewarded, but if you behave inappropriately, you’ll be penalized.’ It’s as if we imagine we’re raising lab rats, not children of God: solve the maze, get a pellet; take a wrong turn, get a shock” (119).

Ouch, right?

But also so true. Speaking for myself, I’m good at offering those outside my home kindness and grace. But I don’t always offer it as freely inside my home.

Why is that? My kids need grace and kindness from me just as much – probably more – than those outside my home.

This book has been very eye-opening for me. It has helped me see my perfectionistic tendencies in parenting, and it has helped me offer more grace to my kids.

Walk it Out by Tricia Goyer

This new book by Tricia Goyer is all about walking out your faith…not just reading the Word of God but actually LIVING it.

This book was very encouraging and inspiring for me. In the book, author Tricia Goyer shares her own story of how God changed her life and helped her learn how to finally walk out her faith. She shared about how she used to just go through the motions with her faith. She read her Bible and prayed, but it was more so she could check it off her list than so she could really connect with God.

If you have ever felt like there was something missing in your life…like you’re “doing” all the right things but not feeling that deep connection with God and satisfaction in knowing you’re doing exactly what He wants you to do…this book is a good place to start.

It’s not a step-by-step, do these things and you’ll have an amazing faith, type of book. Instead, it’s more like, this is how God worked in my life….join me in this journey. I’m really glad I read this book and would recommend it to any Christian who feels like there’s something missing in their relationship with God.

Mentoring for All Seasons by Janet Thompson

Mentoring for All Seasons is a super practical book designed for women who want to either be a mentor or find a mentor.

It would also be a good resource for women’s ministry leaders who are trying to create a mentoring ministry.

One thing I really liked about this book is that it gives specific tips for a variety of situations where mentoring might be helpful.

Are you a new mom? There’s a section in the book devoted specifically to mentorship in this life stage.

Are you a teen or tween? There’s a section for this life stage.

Are you a single woman or newly married? Or, are you hoping to minister to someone in these life stages? There are sections for these too.

Included in this book are also a ton of personal stories (mine included) about  how mentoring has helped people through a variety of life changes.

*Leafwood Publishers is currently offering 50% off orders of 5 or more using code Mentoring50 (expires Dec 31, 2017). So, if you’re a ministry leader and think this book might be beneficial to your team, now is a great time to pick up some copies!

*offer valid only at leafwoodpublishers.com

A Small Book About a Big Problem by Edward T. Welch

This small book is a 50 day meditational book about anger. Each meditation is only a few pages long, so it’s a good book for someone who is wanting to read something quick to help them get to the bottom of their anger problem. It provides a lot of Scripture too, to help you reflect on Jesus’ attitude toward anger, peace, and patience.

My only criticism is that it didn’t provide as many practical steps as I would have liked. It provided a lot of information in a short space, but didn’t give me as many specific take aways as I would have liked. Overall, it’s a good, quick-read book, but because of how small it is, it doesn’t go into as much detail as I personally would have liked.

*I received each of these books for free, but all opinions are my own.