Labor with Hope

Gloria Furman with Jesse Scheumann

The list of things expectant mothers need to welcome a child keeps getting longer, but this book prepares women for the spiritual implications of birthing new life. Its short chapters contain rich Scriptural insight and meditations on pregnancy, labor, and motherhood. Furman interweaves gospel themes with birth pain, fertility, miscarriage, and adoption, helping women connect their experiences with eternal realities and see how their work fits into the Biblical narrative. She offers hope: “All our groaning will end when we finally see what we’ve been hoping for … the consummation of God’s promised restoration bursts forth in full.”

The Household and the War for the Cosmos

C.R. Wiley

It’s easy to see how the household as a foundational institution is crumbling, and Wiley puts forth a robust macro-level vision for why it’s worth saving. He dissects words—their origins, implications, and context within history and Scripture—like piety, duty, cosmos, and household. Put together, a picture emerges of the family not as a personal lifestyle choice, but as a microcosm with interconnected duties and dependencies intended to reflect how the Church—the household of God—operates. This book has encouragement for fathers, for family enterprise, and for weary, modern parents in need of restored vision.

Parenting with Loving Correction

Sam Crabtree

Crabtree begins this short book with the premise that children are natural-born sinners shaped by their parents’ correction. He defines correction as identifying a problematic attitude or action, then promptly moving the child toward compliance. As any parent knows, that is easier said than done. The book explains the importance of discipline and how Christian parents should go about teaching their children obedience. It addresses some age-specific behaviors, but will be most helpful to parents with young children. In a time when parental correction is undermined, Crabtree offers much-needed Biblically based tools and admonishments.

Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World

Kate Merrick

As Merrick’s daughter was losing her battle with cancer, the family traveled to Israel for treatment. There, Merrick and her husband decided to go “off the grid,” cutting out social media, texting, and email—except for one weekly update—and opted for flip phones only operable in Israel. The couple realized “the connectivity that promised community only resulted in loneliness and burnout.” They found creative ways to enjoy their kids and their immediate surroundings amid difficult circumstances. Merrick’s humor and candor enhance the book’s valuable insight into the temptation technology presents for people to disconnect from real life.

AFTERWORD

The publication of Rachael Denhollander’s What Is a Girl Worth? (Tyndale) is Sept. 10. It tells her story: The determined and idealistic homeschooled gymnast suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who molested hundreds of young athletes.

Denhollander, the first victim to accuse Nassar publicly, has become an advocate for others who have experienced sexual abuse. This book gives readers a fuller picture of her struggles and doubts, and the rawness of her pain, confusion, and fears. Denhollander’s experience shows the difficulty victims face in coming forward and why their voices are often ignored or snuffed, even in the Church.

Denhollander also wrote a companion children’s book, How Much Is a Little Girl Worth? (Tyndale Kids, 2019, with illustrations by Morgan Huff). It conveys to young girls their true, unchangeable value, as “created and cherished by God … worth everything, even His Son … worth leaving heaven, worth giving His life.” —M.J.