Meditation Times with Elma: An Odyssey Through the Troubled Seas of Dementia

O. Keith Hueftle (The Vineyard Bookstore, 2018)

During the last three years of her life, Elma Hueftle suffered from severe dementia. This book is a firsthand account of those years, written from her husband’s point of view in diarylike style. Each entry describes Elma’s changing condition. Even when Elma seemed unresponsive, Keith Hueftle talked and prayed with her, reminding her of God’s faithfulness in the past and promises for the future. He includes those conversations here: “Our ‘warfare’ in this Final Season is to wait on and trust God. And as we continue to do so, He’s been doing that quiet finishing work in us.” —Macy Hrncir

Give God and Me a Chance

Laney Jeans (Hear My Heart Publishing, 2018)

Laney Jeans’ short book has one main purpose: to encourage readers to look beyond a disability label to see the person underneath. The book is about her daughter, Carey Jeans, born with Down syndrome at a time when doctors and teachers expected little from people with that condition. Laney’s Christian faith helped her see her daughter as an image-bearer. Laney and her husband gave Carey opportunities to shine: She learned to read and memorize Scripture, play the piano and violin, and sign. She serves in church. The book’s conversational tone invites readers to see Carey as a person, with strengths and weaknesses like the rest of us. —Gigi Holst

Useless Organs: The Rise and Fall of a Central Claim of Evolution

Jerry Bergman (Bartlett Publishing, 2019)

Bergman explores the science of so-called vestigial organs, such as the appendix, that seem to have no function. Proponents of evolution point to these organs as proof of their theory, but Bergman believes evolutionary assumptions have hampered scientific exploration. He covers the history of vestigial thought and then discusses common examples. Written from an intelligent design perspective, the book offers a well-researched look at various organs and their functions. Its many diagrams and extensive explanations help make the sometimes-technical material accessible to the diligent nonscientist. —Leif Le Mahieu

Packing Light for the Journey of Motherhood

Laura Ellis (WestBow Press, 2017)

“Trust the Master and not the method,” Ellis writes in this Biblical guide to motherhood. She fills the book with stories of her own experience raising seven children. Ellis uses Scripture and personal stories to encourage mothers to seek Christ and forgo the self-righteous security blankets (or anxiety-inducing burdens) that often take shape in the form of rigorous family schedules, specific birth plans, and organic-food-only meal prep. Ellis is conversational and honest. She discerns gray areas in family life and offers a light but theologically sound look at maternal responsibilities. —Mikaela Stiner

AFTERWORD

Leya Delray’s Where Daffodils Bloom (Ink River Press, 2018) is a World War II love story between an American soldier and an English woman. The novel is based on a true tale, with the author filling in pieces that speak of letting go of fear, hate, and distrust. Delray veers into sentimentality at times, but readers will relate to characters who don’t often speak directly of God in early chapters but are part of a story that builds to poignant illustration of Biblical truths. —Sophia Rosgaard

Diane C. Jones wrote A Dove on the Distant Oaks: Poems of Grief and Healing (Lulu.com, 2018) after her severely disabled son died at the age of 22 and her parents died soon after. Her poems show that God “heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” The poems move from pain to healing, and many reflect the Psalms that inspired them. All show trust in the living God. —Steven Curcio