Here are the ones I gave Pete to answer, and here’s what he had to say:

Jen Hanson wants to know: How do you stay aware of the disconnect (between how things are and how they should be) without getting overwhelmed, frustrated or cynical?

Pete: Jen, I had to accept that there is a God and I am not him.  It’s easy to become overwhelmed with how broken this world is.  There is pain and heartache everywhere but there is also incredible hope in the fact that there is a loving God who wants to redeem your part in the story.  Once you accept that you are not in control, it allows you focus on who God is and not what he does.

Jessica Turner asks: Will you share a story of how God has used Plan B in someone’s life? What did that mean to you–having your book impact someone else?

Pete: I’m sorry Jessica, I can’t pick just one story.  The response to the book has been overwhelming.  It’s heartbreaking to read the pain and hurt that people are going through, but I can’t stress enough how important their response has been.  No one has emailed saying, “I read your book and the next day I won the lottery!” The responses are, “I am choosing to trust who God is and now what he is currently doing.”  People are putting their faith in a faithful God and that’s the key ingredient to have when we are faced with Plan B situations in life.

Jen Griffin asks: How do you put Brandi as your #1 (after God of course)?  You have the boys, church, book and speaking engagements. How do you do it?? (Jen would also like a Fragile Crate t-shirt.)

Pete: Jen, thankfully there are NO Fragile Crate T-shirts out there!  To answer your question though, it’s all about a healthy balance.  It would be extremely easy for me to focus more and more on writing, speaking and leading, but all that does is set me up for burnout.  It also would be easy for me to sit at home and play with my boys all day everyday! Balance has to be intentional and I have found that when I am out of balance on one thing, everything else starts to falter.  (my relationship with God, my wife, my staff, work, etc.)

And perhaps the most important question of all:

Brandi Wilson wants to know: What are you getting your wife for her birthday? It’s just around the corner on August 28th in case you’ve forgotten.  Would you like me to make a few suggestions? An iPad would be great.

Pete: I bet it would!!  Ha!

I take it that’s a no? (Don’t give up, Brandi! There’s still time to change his mind!)

Thanks so much, Pete! We appreciate it!

Have a great day, friends!

I’ll tell you what. This book was hard to read. But I’m glad I read it.

The premise? Seventeen-year-old Kristen can’t take another minute of the emotional pain in her life. Suicide seems like her only option.

I know this is an awful question to ask, but I also know it’s not that far-fetched. Have you ever thought about how you would kill yourself if you decided you couldn’t face life any longer? Pills? Gun? A rope?

When I was in high school, a girl on my basketball team tried to commit suicide (pills) and it didn’t work. The second time she tried, it did.

A friend’s brother shot himself.

Horrifying. Sad. So, so sad.

But Kristen? In the book? She laid down on railroad tracks. When a train was coming.

And she lived. Her legs were completely severed from her body, but she lived.

I spent the rest of the book wrestling with God’s miraculous rescue of her life and the bang-your-head-against-the-wall WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND DO THAT?! Your legs are gone. They didn’t have to be. Why did you do that? Why?? WHY??

Yet, God has a plan. What Kristen intended for death, God used (and is using) to bring her more life than she ever had before. Unbelievable. But true.

You should read it.

And if you happen to collect cornflower blue books, you’ll be happy to know that the spine is the most delightful shade of it.

p.s. Once again, I received a free copy of the book from the publisher, but no $ or other fun prizes, and the words in this review came right out of my very own head.

This would all be fine and good if I were a professional reader with no other obligations in my life. But alas.

In no particular order, some books I’ve read recently that I’d like to share with you:

The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam (I borrowed this book from the library.)

Loved. The review on the back of the book claims it is “UNPUTDOWNABLE” and I have to agree. Of course, my heart is already all wrapped up in Cambodia, orphans and victims of sex trafficking in particular, but WOW. Such a compelling (and horrifying) story of a young girl who was sold into sex slavery at a young age and now she’s helping other girls find freedom and a new life. I’ll warn you; it’s hard to stomach. Especially when she talks about girls as young as 4 and 5 and the awful, unspeakable, torturous things that are done to them and all you can think is, “What if this was one of my daughters?” I’ve committed to pray for Somaly, because there is no happy ending to her story. Yes, she is famous around the world, and yes, she is rescuing so many precious children. But she still feels dirty and damaged and without hope. Oh, I want her to know my Jesus!

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy by Angie Smith (downloaded this free on my computer’s e-reader)

Loved. I had every intention of buying this book when I got the money, but I couldn’t resist the free download from Barnes & Noble that Angie announced on her blog today. I read the entire thing this afternoon without stopping. If you’ve never heard Angie’s story, it’s a must. If you’ve ever lost a child, it’s a must. If you’ve been following Angie’s blog for a long time now and have fallen in love with her, it’s a must. Read it. I love Angie’s heart, I love her honesty, and I love that she’s real. And I know it firsthand, because last year a counselor friend of mine had a need. A big one. One of her clients needed a safe place to stay. I tweeted asking for help, Angie responded, I talked to her for 45 minutes on the phone, and she stepped in and took this girl (and her daughters) into her home for a long, long time. As much as I like to meet new people and invite them to stay with us for a night (or maybe two), I can’t imagine doing what she did. I love this story she has written about her beautiful daughter Audrey and how she has changed the world. It reminds me so much of my dear friend Amy’s beautiful daughter Abigail who is also in heaven and who also changed the world.

Saved by Her Enemy: An Iraqi Woman’s Journey from the Heart of War to the Heartland of America by Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak (Gabe received this book free from the publisher.)

Liked. It was really a compelling story. An Iraqi college student gets a job as a translator for NBC during the early months of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I loved reading from both perspectives–Rafraf’s (the Iraqi woman) and Don’s (the American journalist who befriends her). The book opened my eyes to another culture and made me so thankful for the freedoms we have in this country. Don doesn’t shove his Christian faith down anyone’s throat, but he does make a very clear presentation of the gospel toward the end of the book that I thought was really neat. And it’s crazy to see the change in Rafraf’s heart from the beginning of the book to the end. This isn’t a book I would spend $24.99 on, but it’s definitely a book you should borrow from the library or a friend.

More coming soon! What book have you read lately that I absolutely don’t need to add to my library list but will anyway?

And besides, maybe I’m being cynical, but with everybody and her sister writing (quite often lame) book reviews these days, I feel like they don’t really mean anything anymore.

Anyway. I’m going to tell you about a few books. Some I’ll talk about because I said I would. And some because I can’t not. One thing I can promise you is my honest opinion. Not always my ENTIRE opinion, because when you know authors personally, it’s just too hard to say negative stuff about their books.

Anyway. Here we go.

Thin Places by Mary DeMuth (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.)

I really like Mary–as a person and an author. This book is good. Raw, honest emotion. It made me cringe and gave me goosebumps. Mary has endured so much in her lifetime, and it breaks my heart. I’m so thankful I can’t relate, but I think that might be part of the reason the book didn’t completely resonate with me. The men in my life (my dad especially) were always loving, caring and never did a single thing to harm me. I think this book would be a compelling, comforting read for anyone who has abuse in their past. 3.5 stars.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (I received a free copy from my library, but they’re insisting I return it by March 20th.)

There’s a reason this novel is #3 on the Bestseller List and has been sitting in the top whatever for over a year. I loved every minute of it. Completely fell in love with the characters, loved the fact that one of them was a writer who desperately wanted to help the others capture their stories and share them with the world. There are 42 one-star reviews of the book on Amazon–scathing reviews of how stereotypical the characters and vernacular were. But there were 1400 five-star reviews, and that’s what I’d give it too. Brilliant book. Couldn’t put it down.

Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.)

Well, first of all, this book is a lovely shade of cornflower blue, and it’s the newest addition to my stack of blue books. I actually read it quite a few months ago, then forgot I had it. However, I do remember saying to Gabe, “I’m loving this book. She’s what I want to be when I grow up.” I love Tricia’s writing style–not too fancy, just the right amount of funny. It’s a memoir of motherhood and all God has been teaching her from getting pregnant with her first child as a 17-year-old until now. I’m super-inspired by all Tricia does for others. In fact, I sent her a box of Expecting books a couple months ago for the girls in her Teen MOPS group in Montana (she and her fam are moving to Arkansas now, I think). I recommend the book.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (another library book which was actually due yesterday but I didn’t finish it in time, so now I have to pay late fees)

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. My agent recommended it, and I picked it up from the library right before I left for New Jersey. I almost didn’t even start it since it’s 550 pages, but then I did. And couldn’t put it down. And neglected just about everything to get it read. It flips back and forth between (among) three different eras–1900, 1975 and 2005. It’s about a granddaughter solving a mystery of who her grandma really was, except WAY more exciting and nail-biting than that. Awesome story, and the author did an incredible job of hardly ever letting the action drag. Read. This. Book.

That’s probably enough for now. I’ll be honest and admit that I don’t buy new books very often (I mostly beg, borrow or buy used). For a chance to win a copy of Thin Places, tell me what it takes for you to spend money on a book. (recommendation from a friend, seeing the shiny cover at a bookstore, hearing about it on the web 25 different times, on a whim.) I’ll randomly draw the winner’s name Friday at noon.

Have an awesome Thursday!

And yes, my 9-year-old is already starting to resemble a moody girl I knew well about 25 years ago (my poor parents!).

And my 7-year-old. My beautiful, dramatic, knows-how-to-push-my-buttons-but-still-loves-to-jump-in-my-arms-and-wrap-her-legs-around-my-waist middle child.

I love those girls with everything in me. And I’ve been struggling lately as a mom. And a writer. And the meshing of both worlds and feeling like I’m doing a lousy job at both of them.

Leave it to God to use some of my own words to speak encouragement to my heart. My “office” is overflowing with Diapers books (almost done shipping them out!!), and I decided to actually open one up tonight, and here’s what I read:

Do you ever feel that your life–the life you really want–is on hold? While your kiddos are small, should you put your dreams on the shelf to gather dust?

To everything there is a season. We cannot be and do everything all at once. We just have to pray for balance–God’s balance. We have to carefully weigh every choice we make.

There are no easy answers. When I’m struggling with mommy-hood and wishing for something more “exciting,” I try to imagine life without my girls. If I weren’t a mom, I’d have all the time in the world to pursue my writing and my hobbies. I could read for hours and hours, devouring piles of books every week. I could travel and learn photography and have the most organized home in the world.

And I’d be a miserable mess–crying my eyes out every day for a baby because I’ve always wanted to be a mommy.

I dream of writing and speaking and traveling the globe. I dream of family missions trips and sharing book royalties with people in need across the globe. I dream of living completely debt free and having someone else clean my home twice a month or so. I dream of meeting fabulous people from all walks of life and all countries of origin.

But I don’t want to wish today away. Yes, pursuing all those dreams will be easier when my little ones aren’t so little. But I have to build a foundation with them now so they’ll have the desire to serve Christ when they’re older. I don’t want to long for the days when my girls are grown and I am “free to do my own thing.”

I want to enjoy each moment. I want to live my dream now. Sure, it will change and grow as my family does, but I don’t ever want to pursue it at their expense.

I’m 32 years old and in the prime of my life. this is what I was created to do–be a mom to little girls. Why would I want to wish these days away for more time and freedom? Do I really want my girls to be 16, 14 and 11? Do I want to be in my forties? My fifties?

Don’t I want to have something to look forward to? These are the anticipation years–when the best still lies ahead. Isn’t that the place I want to be? Where the best is always yet to come? And ironically, that can only happen if I’m having the best time of my life now, each day I live bringing more joy than the one before it.

Convicting words. Joy is mine for the choosing. And so is unselfishness. And lately I’ve been more selfish than joyful. It’s a crappy way to live.

Speaking of crappy, I’m giving you one more chance to buy One Diaper at a Time at a discount. A St. Patty’s (more poo puns!) Day Special, if you will.

Here are your options:

2 Diapers books = $12

4 Diapers books = $20

21 Diapers books = $70

Just click here to pay via paypal (click to pay either $12, $20 or $70). If you’d rather send a check, let me know. At midnight the horses turn back to mice and the sale’s over for good (at least until Halloween).

Now, off you go to kiss someone Irish! Or a pair of sweet little feet!

Cornflower was my favorite crayon when I was little, and I’m still in love decades later. (Disclaimer: I’m no Queen of the Color Wheel, so any variation of cornflower is cornflower to me.)

Ah! Livi just brought me some cornflower crayons! Bliss!

I scoured the house, and here’s what I came up with:

Mmmm… I could stare at those books all day (and do, because they’re sitting right by my laptop).

Now, I’ve already decided that my motto is going to be “All things in moderation.” I know me and my tendency to go overboard with this kind of stuff. Ask anyone who knew me my junior year of college. I went through an orange phase. I wore orange every single day (I’m not kidding) and my half of the dorm room was floor to ceiling orange (including an orange rotary phone from Goodwill). Mmmm… orange books might be fun!

So, I’m going to proceed with great care and caution. The bottom four books on the pile were my Grandma’s (and the very bottom 2 are about writing), so they’re special to me. And the one on top was written by my dear friend Joanne (The Simple Wife), so also very special. I won’t say I’ll limit myself to super-meaningful cornflower-bound books; I’m just going to be more selective than I would’ve been 15 years ago.

Case in point: I found a shiny cornflower-bound medical textbook at the thrift store the other day, but put it back (even though it was only a quarter), because it just didn’t look loved enough.

I’m half-tempted to collect red books too, but I don’t think I will. Maybe I’ll just group together the old red books I already have.

If you were going to collect monochromatic books, what color would they be?

p.s. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a book-swapping party with friends who all like different colors??

That was my lame attempt at a pep talk. It’s much better in person.

Okay, so today is the FINAL DAY to secure copies of Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time at a MIND-BLOWING (no one cares if I exaggerate, right?) discount.

Of course, there are always exceptions:

1.) you can e-mail me and ask me to hold some until March/April/May when you get paid. 2.) you can come crying to me next week and tell me you missed all my posts about the book, and can  you please have another chance?

Speaking of, if you’re new here, let’s catch up. One of my books went out of print. Read the sad story here. Then check out this post to see how you can buy 1 or 5 or 21 copies.

And a lot of you asked for a sneak peek at the book to see if you’d like it. Here’s Chapter 1 for your reading pleasure. (The Table of Contents is there too.) I will say that the first chapter is all about getting pregnant. The other 9 chapters are much broader in scope and deal with all the emotions–fear, exhaustion, insecurity, bliss, blues, blah–of mommyhood. It’s a fun book, if I do say so myself.

In other depressing news, I just found out from the publisher that I have to pay for the 2 boxes of Is That All He Thinks About? that I just received BEFORE they’ll ship me the 1100 Diapers books. SO. I’ll take the $ from your Diapers/Blushing orders, pay that bill ($689) as soon as I can, then sell Is That All? at my upcoming speaking events to pay for the Diapers books. It’s a lovely cycle really.

Feel free to order a copy of Is That All He Thinks About? for yourself (but ultimately for your hubby) for Valentine’s Day. It won’t arrive by Sunday, but for any order placed by then, I’ll include a free copy of Blushing Bride.

Here’s Chapter 1 from Is That All? if you’re bored at work today.

Are you feeling totally linked out? Totally pressured to make an important decision RIGHT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE? I feel ya. Wish I could help.

Got room in your brain for one last thing? If you’d like to help me spread the word today, I’ll be oh, so grateful. How, you ask?

Well, if you’re on Twitter, you can Tweet about it (just post a link to my blog). You can mention it in your Facebook status. You can say something about it on your blog. You can send out an e-mail to your friends. Just make sure you point them here and let them know the offer is only good until today (Friday, February 12) at 11:59pm EST.

If you have any other brilliant ideas for a super-quick promotional campaign, please let me know! (most of my brilliant ideas pertain to things like how I can avoid cleaning the bathroom for yet another month)

Thank you SO much, friends. Without you, what I do (whatever that may be) is pointless. Love you much! See you back here tomorrow for a smashing edition of Swirly Saturday!

I woke up this morning with that nagging feeling that something was wrong. Then I went back to bed while the girls did a Snow Day Dance. Got up at 9:00, spent some sweet time with Jesus while my kids did who knows what, then sat down at my computer.

Oh, the tears.

As soon as I started reading your comments, a wave of peace washed over my whole sad self, and it hasn’t left. Bless your sweet, sweet hearts. I’m sorry it took such a bummer deal for me to realize how good I have it. Man.

So, let’s get down to business.

1100 copies of Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time are on their way to my house from Oregon. I have 30 days to pay the publisher for them. You might think I’d be concerned about this. I am not.

I do want to give you, my faithful, darling friends, a one-time opportunity to buy some copies of the book at a discount. All proceeds will go toward paying The Man at the publishing house. After that, I’ll just sell them for $12 until they’re gone.

See, 1100 books is not that many. Not really. A couple years ago, I watched, jaw agape, as the poor UPS man unloaded 52 (FIFTY-TWO) boxes of Blushing Bride into my garage. Since Diapers is thinner than Blushing (and there are 1100, not 2300), I’m only expecting a small, teensy-tiny load of 20 boxes.

I’m kind of excited that you get to purchase some books for cheap (if you want), and I get to make a profit I wasn’t expecting. The only one losing out is the publisher (which I only feel the slightest smidge guilty about).

Speaking of diapers (weren’t we?), Happy 1-Week Birthday to my beautiful niece, Mia!

So, until Friday. here’s my offer (these all include shipping costs):

1 Diapers book = $7

2 Diapers books = $12 ($6 per book)

4 Diapers books = $20 ($5 per book)

5 Diapers books = $22 ($4.40 per book)

21 Diapers books = $70 ($3.33 per book)

If you don’t need them shipped, I’ll deduct the amount it would cost to ship them.

If you still want Blushing books,

4 Blushing books = $10 ($2.50 per book)

17 Blushing books = $30 ($1.76 per book)

Want a combo?

2 Blushing + 2 Diapers = $15 ($3.75 per book)

9 Blushing + 10 Diapers = $50 ($2.63 per book)

All you need to do is click here sometime before Friday at midnight and enter whichever amount you want (they’re all different prices, so I’ll know which special you’d like).

If you’d rather write a check, shoot me an e-mail, and we’ll get that worked out.

If you’d like some books but won’t have $ by Friday, let me know, and I can hold them for you. I’m all about the grace period. The GP and I have grown tight over the past year.

Any questions?

Seriously, friends. Your words touched my heart in a way I can’t articulate. God used you to affirm His love for me, His calling on my life and His promise that He wants the very best for me (even if it’s much, much different than what I envisioned). I love you guys, and I don’t deserve such wonderful friends.

The pity party’s over early. I’m so excited about what’s next.

I didn’t cry like last time. Well, not at first.

I might as well just say it. You know my book Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time? It’s going out of print. Sales had slowed too much for the publisher to justify keeping it stocked.

I know. Sad stuff. Disheartening, discouraging. It hurts.

I do know it’s not the end of the world. But I feel like I’m at a crossroads in my life/ministry/career. I can’t seem to see through the fog. Everything appeared to be going along so smoothly. One published book a year for the past four years.

And then I hit a wall. And now another wall.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The speaking thing was an afterthought, something I did to keep my writing alive. Now, the speaking thing is taking off (with no help from me), and the writing is at a standstill.

Part of me wants to figure it all out right this minute. Part of me wants to keep plodding mindlessly along and trust that God will reveal His plan as I go. Part of me wants to take a big, long break from all of it and come back in a few months. Or never.

I’m speaking from a very raw place right now which might not be the brightest idea, but I don’t really care. It is what it is. I am what I am.

The publisher offered to sell me the rest of the copies in their warehouse at a deep discount (just like Blushing). I hate the thought that I just got rid of all those books in my closet just to make room for another failed title. Oh well.

Anyone want some cheap books to give away to new moms?

My dear husband tried so hard this afternoon to “fix” everything. I finally asked him for just one day of being depressed and discouraged. Just one day. He said no. I got mad. Awhile later, he went on a photo walk. When he got back, he said, “How about this? I’ll give you two days to be sad.” Perfect.

See you in two days.

So. These are five books I own. (Three non-fiction, two fiction.) Five books I’ve read more than once. Are there others I’ve read that have impacted me more? Quite possibly. I just can’t remember them at the moment.

Disclaimer #2: And like I said yesterday, the Bible is a given.

Disclaimer #3: And I’m reading Randy Alcorn’s Heaven right now and probably would’ve switched one of the others out for it if 1.) I had already finished it and 2.) I didn’t already have 2 Alcorn books on the list.

Disclaimer #4: Which is actually more like a Claimer. Nobody gave me these books in hopes that I’d blog about them. I owned 4 of the 5 long before I knew what blogging was.

Without my infamous “further ado,” in no particular order…

Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes

Of the five, I’ve read this one the most times. For quite a few years, I’ve read it every December. It’s a fiction account of two very real people–a pregnant teenage girl and her young carpenter fiance. Holmes does an incredible job of bringing the Nativity Story to life. When I’m tempted to think, “Yeah, how sweet, baby Jesus was born in a stable…,” she reminds me how difficult, how unglamorous, how heartbreaking, how amazing the story of his conception and birth really was. Does she “make stuff up” to fill in the gaps from the biblical account? Of course. But a story that makes me so much more grateful for God’s sacrifice and for Joseph’s and Mary’s as well? Awesome.

Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

The two things I love most about Randy Alcorn’s writing? He backs everything up with Scripture, and I always close the book with more of an eternal perspective, asking myself, “How does what I know about my eternal future affect how I’m going to live today?” Did you know there are 2,350 verses in the Bible about money? I know! The way we handle our money says so much about what’s in our hearts. This book is sooo convicting, yet somehow such a joy to read. So much I’d never thought about before. So practical. So down-to-earth. Fabulous.

Sacred Travels by Christian George

I don’t even know where to start with this book. I’ll tell you this though. The subtitle of the book is Recovering the Ancient Practice of Pilgrimage, and ever since I read it for the first time two years ago, anytime I hear or read the word “pilgrimage,” I feel giddy. Similar to the way I now feel about the word “zoo.” Speaking of zoos, as I’ll talk about in my Zoo Book, I’ve got this itch to see the world God created. Christian George has seen much of it, and his descriptions of these places he’s been (largely destinations that have spiritual significance) are pure poetry (except they’re prose). This dude can flat-out write. I re-read this book as we prepared to embark on the 52-in-52 adventure, and oh my word. I would literally jump up and down and clap my hands each time I put the book down. It’s that inspiring.

The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

I’ll admit, this is a book I need to read again ASAP. The subtitle? Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. If there’s one thing (oh, that there were only one thing!) I struggle with when it comes to doing something I know is a big part of God’s plan for my life, it’s REST. This guy, too, is a brilliant writer. And I could see myself (not in a good way) on every page. “Sabbath is elixir and antidote. It is a gift… to prolong our lives, to enrich our relationships, to increase our fruitfulness, to make our joy complete. And we’ve neglected it.” For whatever reason, I love books about the Sabbath, and this is my favorite. I don’t really know how to rest. This book is a must-read if you share my dilemma.

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

I’m pretty sure this is the one fiction book that has most impacted my life. It’s a riveting story of a persecuted believer in China, his family, and his cynical American friend (I won’t say much more about the plot–don’t want to give it away). The book is based on real-life stuff that’s happening right this very minute to Christ-followers around the globe. I have no idea how many times I’ve read this book, but I’ve pulled it off the shelf many a time when I’m feeling sorry for myself and BAM! That’s the end of that. I always finish the book with renewed purpose–and this crazy desire to sell all of my possessions and become a missionary. I dare you to read this book and not walk away changed.

So, tell me–which one of these books do you think you’d most like to read? Or maybe you’ve read one or more already? I’d love to hear about your Top 5 Books too!