#FridayFive :: Five Re-Reads

Good morning!

I'm linking up with a few other #ftllaunchteam ladies for this #FridayFive! Today I'll be sharing my five favorite books to re-read...and it's going to be tough! I have had the chance to read so many great books lately.

5. The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne. After reading this in high school, I was wrecked! Reading about the radical lives of Christians in other parts of the world, I was floored with how selfishly I was living. I hated it and wanted change EVERYTHING--thank you hormonal, teenage brain for thinking that I could do this all on my own! I have previously owned two copies of this book...I cannot find them currently. If you are someone that I lent this great read to, I'll take it back now. :) Click here to snag a copy today!

4. The Reason for God, Tim Keller. This book is phenomenal. For every doubt that I've had and every question that non-believers and believers alike ask, it is addressed! Though it can be a little dense and difficult to read at times (eg--when it's bedtime and your brain is no longer functioning), it is packed with great truth. Working with students, I find that this is a great resource to have. He addresses the complexity of the Holy Spirit,  I am encouraged by Tim Keller and the response to doubt. If we learn further into the truth through doubting and questioning, we will find it. Check out the book for yourself!

3. Redefining Beautiful, Jenna Lucado. I LOVE using this text with middle and high school girls! Jenna discusses what God sees when He looks at us--His Son! The world is quick to put labels and expectations on us in all areas, Jenna writes about the Lord freeing us from that. I'm glad that I've been able to read through this with a few girls as it forces me to re-read it as well and I love it! Maybe it's because I wish I would have had this book while in those years of horrible hair and awkward dress, but I want each girl to own this book...or at least know the truth! Song of Songs 4:7, "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you." Click here to purchase a copy!

2. The Road to Becoming, Jenny Simmons. I so look forward to re-reading this book. I was blessed to take part in Jenny's launching of this book. No matter the season, her words meet you there. That being said, I know that I will be able to read this book over and over. I've already dog-eared and highlighted a bunch! Jenny invites you in to the personal stories of her life, her hardships and heartache, and shares what the Lord has done in her life through those things. It is comforting, encouraging, and funny. Grab your copy today!

1. For the Love, Jen Hatmaker.  I'm not just adding this because I am on her launch team. I am adding this because no matter what season of life I am in, I KNOW that I will be able to glean something from this book. It's a great and easy read, filled will truth bombs--both heart-wrenching and hilarious. Your heart needs the words in this book, as does mine. I will make a point to re-read For the Love often and I hope you do too! Purchase your copy here!

Extras

Bossypants, Tina Fey. Hilarious, again and again! Naturally, Tine writes in a way that will have you laughing out loud. While reading this book on a flight, read with caution! Hilarity will ensue and it could result in removal of persons on plane. Even better than reading it is listening to Tina read it!

Matilda, Roald Dahl. Probably my favorite book as a child. I always wanted to be Miss Honey. I despised the Trunchbull and definitely wanted a slice of that chocolate cake!

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin. I cannot tell you how many times I read this novel as a kid. I loved catching new clues each time.

Nancy Drew Series, Carolyn Keene. Because I grew up reading these books, I naturally felt like I could protect myself and punch out the taillight of someone's vehicle if I ever got nabbed. Obviously I was a 5th grade bad ass.

Stephanie Plum Series, Janet Evanovich. Goodness, Stephanie gets herself into some crazy tales as a female bounty hunter and I love it! I read these on my iPad and devour them--though, I do not like the way Janet gives a synopsis of each character at the beginning of the book. If I'm reading the fifteenth book in the series, I'm fairly certain I know the characters and I'm invested in the story line. No need for the intro, Janet, Stephanie and I are BFFs.

Do you have any favorite books you like to re-read or want to?

After writing about all of these great books, I'm off to cozy up with a cup of coffee and book in hand!

For the Love

Several months ago, I became one of the #500. This became a band of women (and four men) that rallied around Jen Hatmaker's new book For The Love that launched yesterday! (You can snag your copy here!)

It has been a joy and a privilege to partake in something like this. I have never so quickly been enveloped into community, where we were once all strangers and now feel like we know one another, truly. Never did I think that the Launch Team would result in community, but it has and it's been a HUGE blessing in my life.

When I received the book in March, I knew it was going to be a good one! 7 wrecked me and so did Interrupted, so I knew I was in for a treat. Jen's words were a breath of fresh air, especially as I was journeying into motherhood. The idea of letting myself off the hook to receive God's grace and then to give His grace freely to others, it is truly freeing. As a first time mother, I set standards for myself. Wanted to do this or not do that. Ultimately being judgmental. For the love! I knew I needed to let it go. Each of Jen's chapters is a short essay that I read through in a matter of a few days--quick and easy to read, packed with TRUTH and hilarity. My highlighter ran out of ink.

At this point, my daughter is 6 months old and I am nowhere near a perfect parent and I never will be (BLESS.); however, I know that God's grace covers all. That is the true message. Grace covers all. We can never be perfect, why do we expect that from ourselves and from others? It results in invented standards that will never be met, unrealistic expectations, and shackles. The message echoed from Jesus and Jen: we are free! We are free to be ourselves, play our note, live the life we've been given! Once we let ourselves off the hook, we can do that for everyone else and live our lives as they are intended.

If you aren't convinced to buy this book NOW,  I hope you enjoy the book trailer! OR, search #forthelove on IG, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Surely those posts alone would beckon one to add this lovely book to an Amazon cart or scurry to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy! There are also several wonderful Launch Team Members that are giving away a copy--check out one of them here.

Below is a blurb about the book:

Best-selling author Jen Hatmaker is convinced life can be lovely and fun and courageous and kind. She knows how the squeeze of this life can make us competitive and judgmental, how we can lose love for others and then for ourselves. In For the Love, she reveals how to:

• Break free of guilt and shame by dismantling the unattainable Pinterest life.
• Learn to engage our culture’s controversial issues with a grace-first approach.
• Be liberated to love and release the burden of always being right.
• Identify the tools you already have to develop real-life, all-in, know-my-junk-but-love-me-anyway friendships.
• Escape our impossible standards for parenting and marriage by accepting the standard of “mostly good.”
• Laugh your butt off.

Below is one of my endorsements:

What a freeing read this book is! I’m so grateful for the words in this book, it is exactly what my soul needed. Pare down your life to grace and all else will follow suit. I look forward to sharing this message in my everyday life.

~ LaRae; wife, first time momma, lover of encouraging others, exploring the outdoors, & following Jesus. Austin, TX

By grace, we are called to live this life. Let's live it well!

This blog post is part of of blog tour to help launch Jen’s book, For The Love. The blog tour will take place August 18th through September 30, 2015.  To check out the other blogs click HERE!