Rich, soul-inspiring practices for moms who have neither quiet nor time.
Dirty laundry, crayon-smeared bills, and smashed crackers . . . And there’s your Bible—buried under a pile of diapers. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, without a moment of peace and quiet, you wonder if the spiritual life you crave is even possible. But God sees you. He designed this parenting journey, after all. He understands the chaos of motherhood. And he joins you in everything—whether you’re scrubbing the floor, nursing a fussy newborn, or driving to soccer practice. Catherine McNiel invites you to connect with God right here, in the sacred mundane of every mothering moment.
Table of Contents
BEFORE WE BEGIN
1. REDEMPTION: FINDING THE HOUSEHOLDERS’ PATH
Redemption in Practice: Breathe | Walk | Be
2. CONSECRATION: SHE CARRIED GOD UNDER HER HEART
Consecration in Practice: Eating and Drinking | Cooking | Household Tasks
3. CREATION: WITH THE HELP OF GOD I CREATED A MAN!
Creation in Practice: Menstruation | Sex | Awakening
4. INCARNATION: FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY
Incarnation in Practice: Body | Breastfeeding | Water
5. NURTURE: MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD’S LOVE
Nurture in Practice: Cherish | Discipline | Sleep
6. SERVICE & SOLITUDE: ALL- NIGHTERS WITH GOD
Service and Solitude in Practice: Silence | Diapers | Work
7. SACRIFICE & SURRENDER: FEASTING WITH OPEN HANDS
Sacrifice and Surrender in Practice: Pain | Driving | Clutter
8. PERSEVERANCE: SWEET GRAPES
Perseverance in Practice: Routine | Gratitude | Music
9. CELEBRATION: ALIVE AND AWAKE
Celebration in Practice: See | Hear | Touch
Endorsements
"Motherhood is about the sculpting of souls, and Catherine
McNiel hands you desperately needed tools. Not only for the
formation of your family—but for your own soul. Let God do
a holy, needful work through the pages you hold in your hands."
---ANN VOSKAMP,
Mother of seven and author of New York Times bestsellers The Broken Way
and One Thousand Gifts
"Catherine has written so beautifully of a woman’s spiritual
pathway to God. She has found the words to express what so
many of us experience: repetitiveness of service that becomes a
mysterious celebration of the sacredness of life and the presence of
God. I wish I had written this book myself: a book that celebrates
the spaghetti days of family, the wonder of pregnancy and
birthing, and, above all, the sacredness of the journey."
---VALERIE BELL
President and CEO of AWANA and author of Getting Out of Your Kids’
Faces and Into Their Hearts and Faith-Shaped Kids
"Writing in the tradition of Brother Lawrence, Catherine McNiel
shows readers how to keep company with God in the everyday.
But she is no monastic. She is a mother, caught in the turbulence
of life with small children. How I wish I’d had this book—and her
example—when I was just beginning my journey into motherhood."
---JEN POLLOCK MICHEL
Author of the award-winning book Teach Us to Want
"Here’s a book for every Christian parent forced to smile through an
exhortation to “enjoy every moment; it’s all over so fast!” Catherine
McNiel doesn’t urge you to “make time for God” in early parenting
but rather to see God there already: in the trial, in the joy, in the
leaky diapers, plugged ducts, and scraped knees. Instead of being
one more call to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” her book can help a
weary parent wake up a bit more to the eternal life they’re living."
---TED OLSEN
Director of editorial development, Christianity Today
Dirty laundry, crayon-smeared bills, and smashed crackers . . . And there’s your Bible—buried under a pile of diapers. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, without a moment of peace and quiet, you wonder if the spiritual life you crave is even possible. But God sees you. He designed this parenting journey, after all. He understands the chaos of motherhood. And he joins you in everything—whether you’re scrubbing the floor, nursing a fussy newborn, or driving to soccer practice. Catherine McNiel invites you to connect with God right here, in the sacred mundane of every mothering moment.
Table of Contents
BEFORE WE BEGIN
1. REDEMPTION: FINDING THE HOUSEHOLDERS’ PATH
Redemption in Practice: Breathe | Walk | Be
2. CONSECRATION: SHE CARRIED GOD UNDER HER HEART
Consecration in Practice: Eating and Drinking | Cooking | Household Tasks
3. CREATION: WITH THE HELP OF GOD I CREATED A MAN!
Creation in Practice: Menstruation | Sex | Awakening
4. INCARNATION: FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY
Incarnation in Practice: Body | Breastfeeding | Water
5. NURTURE: MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD’S LOVE
Nurture in Practice: Cherish | Discipline | Sleep
6. SERVICE & SOLITUDE: ALL- NIGHTERS WITH GOD
Service and Solitude in Practice: Silence | Diapers | Work
7. SACRIFICE & SURRENDER: FEASTING WITH OPEN HANDS
Sacrifice and Surrender in Practice: Pain | Driving | Clutter
8. PERSEVERANCE: SWEET GRAPES
Perseverance in Practice: Routine | Gratitude | Music
9. CELEBRATION: ALIVE AND AWAKE
Celebration in Practice: See | Hear | Touch
Endorsements
"Motherhood is about the sculpting of souls, and Catherine
McNiel hands you desperately needed tools. Not only for the
formation of your family—but for your own soul. Let God do
a holy, needful work through the pages you hold in your hands."
---ANN VOSKAMP,
Mother of seven and author of New York Times bestsellers The Broken Way
and One Thousand Gifts
"Catherine has written so beautifully of a woman’s spiritual
pathway to God. She has found the words to express what so
many of us experience: repetitiveness of service that becomes a
mysterious celebration of the sacredness of life and the presence of
God. I wish I had written this book myself: a book that celebrates
the spaghetti days of family, the wonder of pregnancy and
birthing, and, above all, the sacredness of the journey."
---VALERIE BELL
President and CEO of AWANA and author of Getting Out of Your Kids’
Faces and Into Their Hearts and Faith-Shaped Kids
"Writing in the tradition of Brother Lawrence, Catherine McNiel
shows readers how to keep company with God in the everyday.
But she is no monastic. She is a mother, caught in the turbulence
of life with small children. How I wish I’d had this book—and her
example—when I was just beginning my journey into motherhood."
---JEN POLLOCK MICHEL
Author of the award-winning book Teach Us to Want
"Here’s a book for every Christian parent forced to smile through an
exhortation to “enjoy every moment; it’s all over so fast!” Catherine
McNiel doesn’t urge you to “make time for God” in early parenting
but rather to see God there already: in the trial, in the joy, in the
leaky diapers, plugged ducts, and scraped knees. Instead of being
one more call to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” her book can help a
weary parent wake up a bit more to the eternal life they’re living."
---TED OLSEN
Director of editorial development, Christianity Today
