priest, speaker, author
Anna's mostly monthly recommendations of picture books exploring Christian sacred stories, faith and God at home. Picture books are accessible, inspire imagination, powerful and often already a part of family life.
"Jesus, the Word," by Episcopal priest Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones and Shelley Hehenberger, shares the basics of the Christian story in a way that invites wonder and curiosity. As we approach Holy Week and Easter, this book encourages conversations around the questions “Who is Jesus?” and “Why do we celebrate Easter?” Its lyrical words, bright illustrations, and inviting theology make it a bookshelf essential for me for any season.
Read MoreAs we move into the relatively short seasons of Advent and Christmas, I often struggle to narrow down which books to recommend. Both seasons offer us gifts on how to spend our time and so many good books. As someone who is a minimalist in decorating, one of my favorite ways to decorate is to display these beautiful books around my home. Two of the books that will be displayed this year are “Waiting Is Not Easy” by Mo Willems for Advent and for “Silent Night” illuminated by Lara Hawthorne for Christmas.
Read MoreOne of my joys this year is remembering that Easter is a whole season and that the good news of Jesus’ resurrection does not need to be crammed into only Easter Sunday. For the season, one of the books my family is reading is "This is the Mystery of Easter" by Amelia Richardson Dress and Lilly J. Moore. The strength of the book is the text. In the author’s notes, Dress shares that when writing, she considered all of the questions children (and adults) have asked her about Easter like: why did Jesus die? Did God want Jesus to die?
Read MoreGrowing up, my ideas of what happened after Jesus’ crucifixion were fuzzy. What did all of the big words mean: resurrection? ascension? Pentecost? When did they happen? Why? I did like picturing tongues of fire. What I appreciate about “Jesus is Risen!” is that it tells Jesus’ story as a single narrative from the empty tomb to Pentecost, rather than as disconnected events remembered on different days of the liturgical year.
Read More“The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children” by Katherine Paterson and Francois Roca invites the reader (and listener) into Jesus’ sacred story in a way that encourages wonder. As Easter Sunday approaches and we celebrate all of Jesus’ story, I encourage you to share this story with the young ones in your life in your own words and, if you’d like, the words of others.
Read MoreJesus often spoke in parables, simple stories with a hint of strangeness intended to point to God’s nature and God’s kingdom. Often on first reading (or second or third), parables frustrate me. Why can’t Jesus be more to the point? However, when I imagine Jesus listing a bunch of rules, I imagine myself looking for loopholes and ways to bend what doesn’t feel comfortable. Jesus chose to tell parables, sacred stories with many right interpretations. Stories to be thrown alongside our life and wondered about. Sacred stories to return to over and over again.
Read MoreI am a priest, an author, a wife, a daughter, and an expectant adoptive mother. Welcome to my website.
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