As we enter week 3 of stay at home orders with extensions being put in place, I’ve been wondering about you. For those of us with kiddos and/or spouses, we’re facing 3 more weeks (at least here in MN) of schooling at home via Zoom, spouses working from home, and us - we’re also working from home too. And for our single friends, whether we’re working from home or not - we’re starting to face loneliness and boredom or even worse, we’ve started talking to ourselves just for the company.

So before it gets to talking to ourselves and going crazy, I’m wondering if we can stop and consider something for a minute. God is inviting us to something here that we would never experience otherwise. A slowing down of sorts. A ceasing of striving and knowing that He is God. A time to feed our souls with life and truth and presence.

I’m a reader. I love to read and in this season of slowing down, it’s a great opportunity to read books that speak to my heart, remind me of God’s truth, and help me slow down and trust God all at the same time.

So if you’re looking for some encouraging reads right now, I’ve got you covered.

I picked this up years ago in Barnes & Noble on a whim. It seriously looks like a magazine inside with columns and beautiful pictures. But, when I cracked the first page I knew it was an invitation to me and to you. Erin traces her journey of how she got to life on high speed and how a forced downturn in finances catapulted them into small town life and chasing slow. It’s about embracing a slower pace (even when it’s forced on you) and learning to see God’s invitation in it all. A perfect read for this time in our lives!

I don’t know about you, but it can be easy to focus on what’s difficult and challenging and changed about this time we’re currently in. I loved this book because it acknowledges that we call go through difficulties. Life may not be what we expected. And it answers the question, how can we find goodness and joy in the midst of hard times? Annie encourages us to find lovely things even when life is not what we thought it would be - and quite honestly, you and I could use some of that…know what I mean?

I’ve been pondering our natural rhythms in living life and how we can, especially during our stay at home orders, incorporate life giving rhythms. Life giving rhythms can help us remain sane when everyone is at home ALL THE TIME. They can also help us nourish our soul even when we get back to work, and errands, and to-do lists that are a little more robust. I’ve been eyeing this book since it released and finally downloaded so I can be reminded how to incorporate life giving rhythms right now. It’s an easy read so far and I try to read one chapter a day. It comes with a few questions at the end of each chapter for you to process.

One last one. I heard about this book from listening to Annie F. Downs podcast, That Sounds Fun. In it, Charles tells the story of Jesus as if it’s a story we’re reading for the first time (kind of Max Lucado-ish) and then he processes what the implications are for our own lives. Annie recommended this as a read as we prepare our hearts for Easter so I downloaded and have been reading. But I’m loving how Charles is bringing the story of Jesus to life through His word and inviting me to think about how I live out what I’m learning in my everyday life.

I adopted this motto late last year and I continue to remind myself of it - especially now. We’ve got to nourish to flourish. I don’t know about you, but I want to be nourishing my heart, my mind, and my soul with Jesus, His Word, and books that remind me of his truth.

And hey, I’d love to hear from you! Maybe you’ve been reading another gem that will be encouraging to the One Foot Community right now. Let me know what you’ve been reading or what you would recommend and I’ll get it out to the One Foot Community!