books i'm reading during Lent

a number of people have asked where i'm getting all the quotes i've shared during Lent. i wasn't trying to hold out on them. i just wanted to make sure i really recommended them before i shared! i've read most of these books daily for the last 4 weeks and am enjoying each one. here you go!

in addition to the Bible (which is, by FAR, the most important!) i've also been reading the following 5 books on a {mostly} daily basis. i started buying these 2 years ago, when i first started delving into Lent and all it meant. this is the first year i've TRULY read through them. and i've been SO so blessed.

1. Devotions for Lent - out of the 5, this is the one i read the least. it is broken into a section for each week of Lent. and the scripture that is referenced is RIGHT there in the back of the book. it's good. i just don't find myself DEFINITELY reading it like i do the others.
2. Jesus Calling - by Sarah Young. not a "lent" book. but i've read it most every day for the last 2 years. and intended to put it aside while i read the other, "new" books. but couldn't.
3. Reliving the Passion - by Walter Wangerin. i remember trying to read this one last year. i couldn't even BEGIN to engage in it. this year? i love it. it is broken down into a "chapter" for each day of lent. and he walks you through Christ's journey to the cross as it's told in the book of Mark.
4. Bread and Wine - again broken down into a reading for each day of Lent. and each reading is by a different author. i like that!
5. A Place at the Table - by Chris Seay. this is the only new book i got from these 5. and it's been my favorite. it's also broken down into daily readings. i might have gone ahead sometimes. i just couldn't stop myself.

it's a lot of books. i pulled the stack out at the beginning of lent and wasn't sure how it was going to end up looking. but, it's been really amazing to see how it's just flowed, gotten into a rhythm. i typically read jesus calling and bread and wine in the wee hours of the morning with my Bible and my journal and pen. i read reliving the passion most afternoons. while my kids are finishing their homework, or playing outside. it gets me refocused to finish out the day well...and with my eyes and heart on HIM. and i read a place at the table at night, before i go to sleep. i also read the following 3 books at night...

{it wasn't intentional, but quiet a few days into Lent, i realized i wasn't reading ANY fiction books. i tend to alternate, 1 fiction, 1 nonfiction. i decided at that point, maybe this is one more thing to be intentional about. to SEEK Him even in what i'm reading. and not read for "just" entertainment.}

Made to Crave - by Lysa Terkeurst. GOOD book! about craving God instead of food. REALLY good stuff! and it was GREAT to read at the beginning of lent for me! i've gone back to it a number of times!

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. i'm not even sure if the author of this book is a christian or not, but it is a VERY good book. GREAT practical advice on raising children in this very complicated world. brings you back to what's truly important (or not!)

Simplicity by Richard Rohr. GREAT book. it challenges me. yet gives me hope. i am LOVING it!