6 New Books You Need to Read in April 2018

I actually started writing this a while back, which has been so sweet for today's timing. Words are still jumbled with intermittent tears. My heart is still feeling the weight of grief. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with the kindest of words to me and my family after last week. It is truly appreciated in oh so many ways. It's been a full week without our sweet Oakley girl now and things still feel weird. We're going to get through it though. As a family. Together. Without further ado, here are the books coming in April 2018 I'm most looking forward to.

Coming in April 2018 + Ready for Preorder

April 3 – The Very Worst Missionary: A Memoir or Whatever by Jamie Wright

Kicking off April well, Jamie Wright releases her wit and wisdom into the world. From being saved in a megachurch located in suburban America to her new home in the mission fields of Costa Rica, Jamie takes us on a journey of her new life with Jesus as she fights to figure it out one step and failure at a time. Laced with humor, Jamie isn't afraid to say what's on her mind - even if it's not the most "church-appropriate" of things. Yet, we can all resonate with her not so glamorous journey to find Jesus in a place where she's feeling not-so-awesome.

April 3 - The College Girl's Survival Guide: 52 Honest, Faith-Filled Answers to Your Biggest Concerns by Hanna SeymourIf you know a girl going off to college, this is an awesome resource book-gift to give them. Hanna Seymour started writing a blog as answers to her small group as they grappled with the awesome-yet-so-hard stage of life known as the college years. I wish I had this. Hanna's most asked questions from college girls on faith, roommate drama, relationships, college classes, and more is bundled up into this awesome resource. She's the big sister you'll want to walk you through those years with Biblical wisdom and grace.April 10 - The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships by Suzanne StabileThis follow up to The Road Back to You by Ian Cron + Suzanne Stabile is what any enneagram leader will need to continue their journey. I have just read through it and am so excited to continue my journey with the follow up book. If you haven't heard of the enneagram, it's a fantastic way to get to know yourself better. It covers challenges, struggles, underlying motivations, and more. I've often wondered in my short journey how to go deeper with how to relate to other people using the enneagram. Now, I'll be able to know!April 17 – Dream With Me: Race, Love, and the Struggle We Must Win by John M. Perkins "Justice is something that every generation has to strive for," says John M. Perkins in the description of this book. Having been there from the beginning of the Civil Rights Movements, he shows us the tragic reality that we are still in that same fight 50 years later. A deep proponent of racial reconciliation, he takes us through his own story seeking justice and reconciliation in God's name. He also invites us to dream with him. A dream of what can be in our future if we're willing to do the hard work of racial reconciliation too.** Edit: Dream With Me by John M. Perkins appears to have already been released. This may have been a reprint of the book. I'm not sure. Amazon says the publication date is now in March 2018 instead of April too. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Either way, special thanks to Heather for catching that error thanks to having already read it. Now, I'll be borrowing it from you. 😜😊 **April 17 - Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People by Bob Goff"Will it be messy and ambiguous and uncomfortable when we love people the way Jesus said to love them? You bet it will. Will we be misunderstood? Constantly. But extravagant love often means coloring outside the lines and going beyond the norms. Loving the neighbors we don't understand takes work and humility and patience and guts. It means leaving the security of our easy relationships to engage some tremendously awkward ones." - Bob Goff in Chapter 1. I've received the first five chapters of this book as part of the launch team. Y'all, this is so incredibly good and so incredibly timely for our current world. You need to preorder this, because the movement that is happening in the launch team alone is crazy cool to see. I can't wait for these words to hit in mailboxes everywhere. I'll be getting the full thing as soon as I can. If you haven't already read his previous book, Love Does, it's super good too.April 24 – Tailor Made: Discover the Secret to Who God Made You to Be by Alex SeelyAlex Seely has been someone that's intrigued me for awhile now. I haven't heard any of her teachings, but have heard of several people that I revere to be absolutely in love with her. In this memoir of self-discovery, Alex takes us back into her childhood - a place where she'd rather not be. We walk with her as she discovers who she is made in God - not the idiot she thought she was fashioned to be in this world. Walking through her own healing story, Alex demonstrates how we can redeem our own personal stories for His glory by not falling into our insecurities, generational patterns, circumstances, and a lack of forgiveness.More April titles that I'd love to get my hands on: A Place to Land by Kate Montaug (April 1) Spread too Thin by Ellen Miller (April 3) // Christ from Beginning to End by Trent Hunter (April 3) // Every Day Holy by Melanie Shankle (April 10) // Always Eat Dessert by Mary Lou Reid (April 17) // Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure (April 24) // Always Enough, Never Too Much by Jess Connolly + Hayley Morgan (April 24)April's got some fantastic books coming our way. The ones that I've written in depth about are the ones I'm trying to get my hands on first. Is there a reading pause button we can just hit after April 24? I know I need to have a few days for reading and no real-life responsibilities. Wouldn't that be nice!