Gretchen Louise 14 Minute Read I’m always on the hunt for excellent books to provide my voracious readers with new adventures that will point their hearts and minds to truth. So when two friends recommended the same series to me in one week, I bought the first book on Audible. My children were instantly intrigued with The King of the…
Gretchen Louise 12 Minute Read Today I have the privilege of introducing you to one of my personal heroes, Jordyn Glaser. Jordyn is married to my cousin Brian. Together, they are saying yes to the hard things God calls them to, stepping out in faith without waiting to see how God will provide. Brian and Jordyn’s story has had a…
Gretchen Louise 10 Minute Read “Let not our longing slay the appetite of living.” Jim Elliot’s words in a letter to the girl he wanted to marry would become famous when he was slain just a few years later, a martyr at 28 years old. He waited to propose, believing he was called to be a single missionary. They had…
Gretchen Louise 18 Minute Read I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t familiar with George MacDonald’s unforgettable characters. The Princess and Curdie, Ranald Bannerman, and Sir Gibbie were just as much a part of my world as Lucy Pevensie, Anne Shirley, and Jo March.
I remember losing myself in the thrilling tale of The Princess and the Goblin from the time I could pull books off the shelf when I visited my grandmother’s. And Linda Hill Griffith’s rich illustrations of The Christmas Stories of George MacDonald were the backdrop that accompanied my perusal of his tales each and every December.
Gretchen Louise 18 Minute Read “Tell me, do you like stories about things that really happened? Wonderful things that the Lord did?” I grew up listening to Allegra McBirney’s stories. Not fairy tales or even parables, but true stories about real little girls and boys all around the world. Our radio didn’t carry her program, “A Time for Sharing”, but…
Gretchen Louise 10 Minute Read I couldn’t read because light hurt my eyes. Screen time was out of the question. I couldn’t even sit up. I could only lay there thinking of all the things I needed to be doing. But every minute I kept still was another that helped keep my baby growing safely inside me. I knew eventually…
Gretchen Louise 9 Minute Read I looked around the table when we were last at my parents’ and realized four generations were talking about books. My sister-in-law and my daughter were discussing the Redwall series (they’re both ardent fans, the younger thanks to the older’s introduction). My parents were telling us about a new series they found called The Queen’s Thief…
Gretchen Louise 13 Minute Read When I was a little girl and my dog was hit by a car and had to go to the veterinarian, I turned on my favorite Your Story Hour tape about Clara Barton. My mom questioned my choice, but it was somehow comforting to me about listening to the story of a Civil War nurse…
Gretchen Louise 8 Minute Read Now I know why my mom never really finished books when we were growing up. Because now I have those same stacks of half-finished books everywhere — by the bed, near the couch, on my desk beneath my Bible. Each one is supposed to inspire me just by sitting there, right? Can I absorb traits of…
Gretchen Louise 11 Minute Read “‘You are loved with an everlasting love,’ that’s what the Bible says, ‘and underneath are the everlasting arms.’” If you, like me, grew up listening to “Gateway to Joy” on the radio every morning, you knew the next line was going to be, “This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot.” That soft, deep voice would proceed…
Gretchen Louise 11 Minute Read Dear New Bride, Ten years ago, I was in your shoes. We were just back from our honeymoon, stepping into everyday life as husband and wife. We painted our walls and arranged our furniture (mostly bookshelves). We unpacked dishes and planted a tree (a red maple we’ve moved three times). And with each item I…
Gretchen Louise 6 Minute Read Every time I read a good work of fiction, I am reminded of why Jesus spoke in parables. I am subconsciously judging the actions being described before I realize how closely they mirror my own. I become wrapped up in the story before I realize it is about me. From Stepping Heavenward to None So Blind,…
The End.
The End.