5 great books about ordinary people who made a difference
Saints were normal people who lived extraordinary lives! Who doesn't dream of living an extraordinary life? Saints lived in their own ordinary time with purpose and love. Curl up this summer in a deck chair on your patio, on the beach, or even walk in the forest with a great book about ordinary people who made a difference.
Welcome to a dinner party in heaven! Dinner Party with the Saints is a charming blend of imagination and historical detail. Get to know the saints through food and fellowship. Hinting at one of the traditional images of heaven, the Banquet or Marriage Feast of the Lamb (Revelation 9:9), Woodeene Koenig-Bricker enables you to better understand these holy souls and what they were like on earth. Combining fictional narrative, fascinating biographies, and mouth-watering recipes, the book offers a resource for families and other groups to celebrate saints spanning the history of the Church, and to better understand the “people behind the halos.” Recipes are by classically trained avid home cook, Celia Murphy.
Get to know St. Francis and his little band of followers, their joys and hopes, struggles, and sorrows, in The Little Flowers of St. Francis. These stories of St. Francis and his first followers have inspired millions of people over the centuries. Since they were first committed to paper, they were told to inspire people to become better followers of Jesus (not St. Francis). For that reason they have endured — unlike any other early Franciscan literature. For the first time, the stories have been arranged in the most likely chronological ordering of when they happened, rather than following the traditional order handed down for centuries. As a result, today’s reader is now able to read The Little Flowers as a biographical narrative of the life of St. Francis and the world-transforming movement that he founded.
Saints at Heart presents an engaging picture of the spiritual life. Readers will discover appealing stories of women and men, ordinary human beings like themselves, who knew God and whose lives therefore radiated light, love, and joy. Readers will be inspired with the possibility of following the saints’ examples in practical, everyday life.
Keeping Company with St. Ignatius is a compelling story of walking El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Luke Larson and his wife Evie embarked on El Camino's 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain, hoping to experience keeping company with Jesus and his companions, both earthly and heavenly. Keeping Company is filled with personal, luminously candid, and often amusing stories of the couple’s experiences along the Way of Saint James. More than anything, this book invites you to experience God more intimately through the spiritual practice of walking, literally, with God.
St. Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra is a graphic novel for kids. Was there a real Saint Nicholas? Children in elementary and middle school will delight in discovering that the beloved Christmas figure was a real person who lived in the late third and early fourth centuries. Nicholas was a man of faith who learned that a spirit of generosity and caring is part of being a faithful Christian. Nicholas has a friendly companion: Cicero, the philosopher-mouse. Cicero, dressed in a tiny Greek toga, helps his friend through his journey from young lad to priest and defender of the faith. A scripture verse for each chapter focuses on the main lessons Nicholas learns along the way. St. Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra is an engaging and charming read.
Filed in:
Dinner Party with the Saints,
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela,
Graphic Novels,
Keeping Company with St. Ignatius,
Kid's Books,
Luke Larson,
Saints,
Saints at Heart,
San Damiano,
St. Francis of Assisi,
St. Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra,
The Little Flowers of St. Francis,
Woodeene Koenig-Bricker