Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World by Sally Read

Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World by Sally Read

Parenting has always been difficult. Yet in the last few years, as a Christian, attempting to guide my children toward holiness has become increasingly more difficult. My children are inundated daily with lies about who they are and their place in this world.

It was in the midst of this frustration that I found Sally Read’s Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World.

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Apostolic Joy

Apostolic Joy

“I convert because the Catholic Church is apostolic. We can trace Pope Francis all the way to St. Peter and all the Apostles; I want to be a part of that.” She was absolutely beaming when she told me this. As someone who grew up in a church founded in the 1970s, I understood. To be part of something with all that history made me feel connected to the panorama of the Church throughout time.

In the book, First Belong to God, Austen Ivereigh quotes Pope Francis when he writes, “Joy is apostolic. It is ‘a clear indictor of grace.’”

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Joy Books

Joy Books

When I decided that I wanted to write a book on Joy, (Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight coming 2025 at Zondervan) I started to look for writers to be in conversation with.  I read books already written on joy and then also books that were similar to what I wanted to do.  What were these writers doing?  What did I want to emulate?  What did I want to do differently?

You might find a book or two to inspire you from this list.  They are all joyful and thoughtful texts which I will return to and continue to have “conversations with” for years to come.

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Preparing for a Big Trip

Preparing for a Big Trip

I did not grow up traveling.  We were poor and did not have time or the means for travel.  Our vacations were usually a weekend camping trip to a site close enough that our beat-up car could make it there and back. 

So in 2018 when my husband told me he had a two month Sabbatical and we were going to take our children out of school and spend it in Italy—I was shocked. Since that Sabbatical, we have done quite a bit more, each time becoming more efficient and streamlined so we can just enjoy the experience, instead of stressing. 

Friends often ask me for pointers, so I thought I’d put them all in one place.

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