🎇 Restore: I remember. You renew.

Reflect with a Free Guided Journal, $2 Book Deal, and New Year’s Prayer

One of the marvelous mysteries about time is that we can’t see it unfold. Logically, we know that our kids are growing older and that as time marches on, we grow older too.

But we can’t grasp the moment our toddler is no longer soft and round, our child ages out of wanting bedtime stories, or our teenager can suddenly fit into our shoes. We can’t put our finger on the transitions that surround us. It takes a friend or family member who hasn’t seen our kids in months to point out what we’ve been too close to see: My, how they’ve grown!

If you’ve captured digital snapshots of your family’s life, you know the emotional roller coaster you ride when your photo app reminds you what happened on this day one, three, or six years ago. There are so many feelings wrapped in the swaddled blanket, so many emotions that woosh back from those birthday photos, the little faces aglow from the few candles ready to be wished upon.

As we look ahead to the dawning of a new year, we’re also given the gift of reflecting on the past year—the millions of scattered moments that make up a life together, the countless memories that form us. Before we move ahead, we have to look behind at what was.

Parenting, like faith, is a constant remembering. We drop our kids off at school and remember what it felt like when we held them in our arms for the first time. We toss them the keys so they can make it to their new job and remember when we first removed their training wheels.

The demands of parenting and modern life are such that we rarely get to set aside space to intentionally remember. But throughout Scripture, God’s people created physical monuments to memorialize God’s movement in their lives.

After the people of Israel miraculously crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God told Joshua to gather stones from “the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan.” They were to “carry them out and pile them up” where they were going to camp for the night (Joshua 4:2-3).

The stones were gathered to create a physical reminder, a testament to the ways they’d experienced God’s mysterious, miraculous love. There the rocks would stay, reminding generation after generation what God had done—and encouraging them to have faith in what God would do.

Since the beginning of time, God has told His people to share their memories. Remembering is not just an individual act; it’s a communal one too. When we share our memories, we share our lives.

Through remembering, we distill ourselves into the very essence of who we are and how we’ve experienced God’s presence in our lives.

Gathering the Stones: A Guided Journal

The above is an excerpt from the Gathering the Stones chapter of Every Season Sacred.

Last year, I shared this chapter as part of a guided journal to help you reflect and process at the end of the year—and I’m thrilled to make it available (free!) for you again this year.

The end of the year naturally invites us to pause and reflect, but let’s be honest: between Christmas chaos and the demands of winter break, finding time to process can feel overwhelming.

That’s why I created this printable PDF—a gentle, guided journal designed to help you (and your family) take stock of the past year without adding to the stress of this season.

It’s free for all newsletter subscribers (thank you for being here!). Simply click the link and use the password “season” to download it instantly.

What’s inside the free “Gathering the Stones” journal?

• A reflective essay to ground your heart.

• 12 simple prompts for thoughtful journaling.

• A breath prayer to guide your reflection.

• Scripture references to anchor your thoughts.

• Two family prayers to share together.

• Discussion questions to spark meaningful conversations.

How can you use it?

• Print it out and journal through the prompts in a quiet moment.

• Save it to your phone and talk through the questions with your spouse during holiday travel.

• Choose a few questions to discuss with your kids over a pizza night or during a family walk.

If you have a copy of Every Season Sacred (and I hope you do!), you can also turn to:

• Page 133 for the full Gathering the Stones chapter, perfect for reflecting on the New Year.

• Page 296 for a guide on how to pray the Examen, an ancient reflective practice that fits beautifully at the close of a year, month, or even day.

Whether you use this journal solo or as a family, I hope it offers you a moment to exhale, reflect, and integrate rhythms of grace into your life. We live in a complicated world, but God’s presence meets us in the mess—and these simple practices can help us see it more clearly.

$2.99 Book Sale!

I wrote Every Season Sacred because it was the book I needed—one that I could turn to over and over throughout the year, with nuanced resources for my actual life.

I wanted reflections that didn’t turn away from the world's pain but didn’t crumble into cynicism. One that I could turn to when I wanted a dose of stubborn, gritty, messy hope. So I could connect with God, my family, my neighbors in a way that felt real and not forced (or fluffy).

For a limited time, Every Season Sacred is just $2.99 on Kindle, Apple Books, NOOK (Barnes & Noble), Google Play, and Kobo! Wherever you like to read, this is the perfect way to carry meaningful reflections with you into the New Year.

This is a fantastic opportunity to grab this resource for your family’s faith journey at an unbeatable price. Whether you’re exploring prayers, breath prayers, or family conversation prompts, having it on Kindle makes it more accessible than ever.

Even if you already have the hard copy (which I love!), the Kindle version is a game-changer:

• Always with you. With the Kindle app on your phone, Every Season Sacred goes wherever you do. Whether you’re waiting in the carpool line, at soccer practice, or traveling, you’ll have prayers, reflections, and conversation prompts right in your pocket.

• Effortlessly searchable. Need a prayer for a moment of gratitude or a reflection on peace? Use the Kindle search feature to find exactly what you need in seconds. Have you ever thought, I wish I had a quick prayer for this exact moment? The Kindle search function makes it easy to find what you need.

• Perfect for on-the-go parenting. Family life is busy, and sometimes, we need inspiration in the moment. Pull up weekly conversation starters, prayers, or breath prayers from your phone or tablet, and bring meaningful connection into your everyday routines.

• A lightweight companion. Even if the hard copy sits on your coffee table or nightstand, the Kindle version ensures that Every Season Sacred is never out of reach—ready to meet you anywhere life takes you.

For just $2.99, you add a portable, searchable resource to your faith toolbox. This is the time to invest in creating sacred rhythms for your family for the new year, wherever you are.

Whether you’re pulling together a last-minute family moment or seeking personal encouragement, the Kindle version delivers exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. Don’t miss this chance—carry Every Season Sacred with you always!

A Prayer for a New Year

O God, creator of time

And keeper of seasons,

No gods were formed before You,

Nor will there be any after You.

You hold it all, And in You alone all things are made.

As we look at the year behind us,

Give us space to process the paths that got us here

So that we may have vision for what lies ahead.

We ask for hearts to remember

The celebrations and sorrows

Of our family’s passing year.

Help us reflect on the good

Shared between us,

Of the tiny moments

Sparkling with joy,

Of the celebrations

Twinkling with hope.

May these joys

Energize us as we look to the New Year.

And help us, too, reflect on the hurts

Shared between us,

Of the small disappointments

Nestled in our hearts,

Of the mistakes

Hanging in the balance.

May these sorrows

Teach us as we look to the New Year.

As we watch time tick by

And count down to a new year,

We remember that You are a God

Of fresh starts and clean slates.

And what a gift it is

That Your mercies are new each morning

And that we don’t have to wait for a new year

To begin again.

May we reflect on the year behind us

As we look ahead to the year in front of us.

I wrote this prayer for my first book, To Light Their Way. (Flip to page 139!)

Fully Human

Liturgies for Parents newsletter is read across 50 US states and 106 countries. Friends, I’m so grateful you’re here.

Whether you received a subscription for Christmas or you’ve been a year-long paid subscriber, I do not take your presence for granted.

As computers can unfurl content at an alarming rate, we need sacred (and relatable) words that help us remember our souls, that make space for us to be in tune with the Spirit, which can not be captured by any machine.

I am writing a book about breath. (And you’ll be hearing a LOT more about that in 2025!)

In 2025, the Year of Breath paid Substack community here will be an intentional journey alongside my manuscript writing, exploring how God has intricately shaped us to be fully spiritual, fully embodied people.

In a rapidly changing world with artificial intelligence, I want this space to offer an exhale—a place where we can be reminded of the breath in our lungs, the heart that beats inside our chests. A place where we can remember that we are more than blood and bone, that our souls are deeply part of who we are, too.

I’m hopeful for what’s to come. Of course, 2025 will provide original reflections. It will keep the same format but will also follow new paths, exploring what restoration and renewal look like in a culture so set on, well, ruin.

More than ever, we need to be reminded of our humanity and of the One who transcends it all and somehow chooses to live in us and among us. The breath prayers and reflections will all point you back into caring for your soul in the chaos of life in 2025.

Each week, paid subscribers receive thoughtful and themed reflection questions, breath prayers, playlists, scripture, and benedictions.