So, I went and wrote a little book - Is That Poop on My Arm?: Parenting While Christian. It is being published by Fortress Press and is set to be released on October 1. It is available for pre-order if you are at all interested. You can find it here on the Fortress Press website:
http://fortresspress.com/isthatpooponmyarm
Or, on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/That-Poop-Arm-Parenting-Christian/dp/1506433006/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532553040&sr=8-1&keywords=lind-ayres
And here is the official description:
God meets us, and our kids, in the mess Parenting is messy business. Joyful, but messy. When faith is combined with parenting, we double down on the mess. Pastor and father of three Justin Lind-Ayres chronicles his adventures (and misadventures) raising children and passing on his faith to them--teaching them to be compassionate, generous, quick to forgive, and to trust in God's promises. But this father is sure to point out that it is children who are our best teachers in faith, opening our eyes and our hearts to God's love for us. In the messy and challenging moments of parenting, and in the joyful ones, God is fully present. And a God who knows your story–especially the messy parts–is a God who can redeem you.
With stories full of humor, honesty, and, yes, even some poop, this book is a welcome encouragement for parents, grandparents, and anyone who cares deeply for the children in their life.
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I will, of course, be reflecting on this project over the next several months on this blog, on my Facebook feed, as a guest preacher/teacher in congregations, and in other venues.
At this point, I want to give thanks to amazing authors, theologians, pastors, parents, and friends who took the time to read my book and say some pretty cool things about it:
+ Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel (international best-seller) and The Hearts of Men: A Novel (http://nickolasbutler.com/author)
+ William Kent Krueger, New York Times best-selling author of Ordinary Grace and Cork O'Connor mystery series (http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/)
+ Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence, Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author of Preaching as Testimony and the newly released Rehearsing Scripture
+ Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Joe R. Engel Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary, and author of Transforming the Stone: Preaching Through Resistance to Change
+ Ellie Roscher, author of Play Like a Girl and How Coffee Saved My Life (https://ellieroscher.com/)
+ Dawn Rundman, author of Little Steps, Big Faith (forthcoming, Oct. 2)
(http://www.dawnrundman.com/)
+ Rev. Anna Helgen, pastor at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN
+ Rev. Rachel Wrenn, pastor and PhD candidate in Hebrew Scriptures at Emory University
More to come in the days ahead!