My 2012 "Must Read" Book List

A couple of years ago Luke and I made a list of our goals for the upcoming year. I love sitting and looking at the year ahead as a blank slate and knowing that the Lord has complete control to lead us where ever He pleases. I love setting goals, listing things I'd like to accomplish and making an effort to be more intentional with my time. I'm so NOT Type A that this has been a work in progress and very much a God-led desire.

One thing I love to do, but don't get to do often enough is read. For Christmas, my parents got me a Kindle Fire. I was so stoked! I often don't have the time or energy to go to the book store or library to pick up my latest desired read. With a Kindle, it's all at my fingertips...literally. (And, I just learned that you can loan and borrow books from other Kindle users! Sweet!)

So, I thought that it would superb to make a list of the books I'd like to read for 2012 and try to them all (if not more) before this time next year. Of course, I say all of that with the knowledge that the list, the goals and the results are subject to change!

So, for 2012, I've made the following list of books I'd love to read. I wish I could say that I'd read 2 books per month, but the likelihood is that I'd only read 1 to 1.5 books per month. I'm comfortable with 15-18 books on my list for the upcoming year.

Here's my start up list. So far, I've got 14 listed so that gives me room for 3 - 4 more. And if I end up having more than 18 on my list, maybe that will motivate me to read 2 per month! I've linked the titles to the books on Amazon and the authors names to their blogs or websites (if I know about them and/or they were easy to google).

Right now, I'm about half way through The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline That Really Works! by John Rosemond. I'm hoping to finish it by New Years Day.

Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis

What Women Fear by Angie Smith

When Helping Hurts: How To Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting The Poor and Yourself by Brian Fikkert, Steve Corbett, John Perkins

When Charity Destroys Dignity by Glenn J Schwartz

Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
I'd also like to finish Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood In The Trenches by Rachel Jankovic (This is a link to her posts on John Piper's Desiring God blog.)

Forgotten God by Francis Chan
Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

The Husband Project: 21 Days of Loving Your Man On Purpose, With A Plan by Kathi Lipp

I've also got 2 books on prayer and a couple that I need to read for AIM's Outbound Training Module.

Do you make a list of goals for the New Year?

Do you have a "must read" list for 2012?

What books do you think I should add to the list?

Happy New Year, y'all!

2011 better BRING IT

Happy New Year!

2010 was an amazing year for our family. I love looking back and seeing the highs and lows that were the journey of the last 365.

Just as we ended the year with a stomach virus, we also started 2010 with one as well. Nice to know.

I ate my words (and sort of kept them all at the same time) saying (in my pre-motherhood life) that I'd never drive a mini-van.

In span of 30 days....

My Grandmother had, survived and recovered completely from major open heart surgery...

We withstood the chaos of me being 8.5 months pregnant with my husband several states away all while prepping our house to sell...

And we OFFICIALLY adopted our daughter Olivia!

And all of that happened a mere month before my due date with our youngest, and 6th, child. Keep in mind, too, that at that point in our lives, all of our kids were ages 5 and younger. Whew!

God certainly proved Himself faithful in that season of our lives. Even while I lamented no activity with my cervix, God was busy moving in other areas. A few weeks later, we moved into our new (rental) house and our friends Overwhelmed me with an outpouring of their love and support.

While waiting on Baby #6 to arrive, we began to reveal to you all just how God had been working in our lives in the way of missions. From the Darkness of a uncertain season with God and from the Inital Cry of my heart, God began confirming in both Luke and I our calling to missions.

Finally, FINALLY at 42 weeks and 1 day Little Miss Ella Joy made her world debut.

God continued Calling Just Like Before as we began to feel, even stronger, our calling to missions. Even with questions, and doubts, AND FEARS.

We landed The Mothership and I still love it.

I admitted, and you all agreed, that Being A Mom Is Tough.

Lucas and Ashlee turned FOUR.

And a week later, Aaron turned TWO.

A month or so later, my shins went on strike after I ran my first (and so far only) 5k.

Then, my first baby, Elizabeth, turned SIX.

I realized my need for wax earplugs.

My friend GK sat her drink dangerously close to Ella AND our laptop and I, in turn, wrote The Hardest Post I've Ever Written.

After 4 years of staying land locked, we found out that Life's a Beach.

God showed me, again, why I don't believe in Coincidences. Only Providence.

Our sweet, dramatic and joyful Olivia turned TWO.

I was reminded that even during chaos, the Lord Binds Me Up and Gives Me Strength.

Aaron gave me his first scare with thinking he needed stitches...thanks to Lucas' help.

I tried my hand at being a Photographer and had the Judd's in my head for the entire next week.

We attended Africa Inland Mission's Candidate Week in New York, and were appointed as Members! (Official Missionaries!)

On our way there, we stopped and visited Washington D.C. and realized that Getting There Was Half the Battle.

We published our First Official Ministry Newsletter as AIM Missionaries and continue to wrestle and pray over a location.

We realized that Crazy Has Company and I officially gave up on Potty Training anyone else ever. Or at least for the next week.

Luke and I celebrated 8 years of marriage and we continue to marvel at how much the Lord chooses to bless us.

Wow. What a year. 2011 has some big, BIG shoes to fill.

Bring it on 2011. BRING.IT.ON.