By Dr. Johannah Myers
What’s on my Desk this April?
I don’t know about you, but my desk looks like Easter exploded on it. I could host an Easter egg hunt in my office alone. But alas, my desk will recover – eventually.
Somewhere buried in all the Easter glitter, here’s what else has been on my desk this month:
God’s Stories As Told By God’s Children
God’s Stories As Told By God’s Children from the Bible for Normal People (published March 25, 2025). I mentioned last month how much I’m loving The Peace Table and how excited I’ve been about all the new story Bibles published recently. God’s Stories is the latest one and does a great job of encouraging questions, being open to not having all the answers, and brings a diversity of voices and images.
Bonus, at the end of each story there’s a “Let’s Talk” suggestion for engaging in more conversation. There’s even a QR code that leads you to more ideas. (Bummer that you have to have a subscription for most of the extras there, though!) I’m looking forward to using this one more in my local church. You can learn more about it here: https://www.godsstoriesbook.com/home/
Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still
Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still by William Tenny-Brittian (Chalice Press, 2005). Shout out to fellow Messy Church USA Ambassador, Kelly Crespin, for this recommendation. This is a great resource for helping us offer a variety of ways of praying at Messy Church and in all our churches.
The First Forest
The First Forest by John Gile, illustrated by Tom Heflin. I needed a last-minute devotion for a women’s group at my church recently. Whenever I need a quick devotion for any group at my church, I usually head to my stash of children’s books first (children’s books are great with adults!). I found First Forest on my shelf, and I must have gotten it from my mom’s huge stash of children’s books because I didn’t remember having heard the story before.
Wow, did I need to hear it – and my women’s group did too! Though published in 1989, this modern fable really touched us and spoke to our current world climate. It’s older, but I’m still seeing copies available online for purchase. This could be good for any Earth Day celebrations this month.
What is on your desk?
Do you have recommendations to share for our community? Send them my way! I hope everyone gets some much-deserved rest after the joys and challenges of Holy Week and Easter! Until next month!
Contact me at Johannah@messychurchusa.org
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