A couple of weeks ago, Christianity Today magazine asked dozens of evangelical leaders what their top choices were for books that have helped shape evangelicalism. The editors compiled these nominations into a list of The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals.

How many books on this list have you read? I’ve only read 14 out of the 50, and to be honest, I’ve never even heard of the #1 book! Yet, apparently it had a huge impact on shaping the way we pray. It was written in the 1950s. Hmmmm … I’d like to read it someday to see why it was voted #1.

Several people wrote in to give feedback to the editors, complaining about books that were omitted. I found this interesting as well.

The big surprise for me was discovering that John and Elizabeth Sherrill ghostwrote three bestsellers. Are you ready for this? Here’s what the editors at Christianity Today say about the Sherrills:

John and Elizabeth Sherrill may be the most influential Christian authors you know nothing about. They appear three times on this list — step aside, C. S. Lewis and J. I. Packer—as co-authors of God’s Smuggler, The Cross and the Switchblade, and The Hiding Place.

Ghostwriters extraordinaire, longtime editors of Guideposts, and founders of Chosen Books (now a division of Baker Publishing), the couple also published Charles W. Colson’s Born Again. Their specialty: testimonials to the power of God’s Spirit. And, it seems, bestsellers.

How amazing is that! I’m still getting used to the idea that many Christian books I read are written by ghostwriters — who may or may not have their name on the cover of the book. Often, they don’t.

What the ghostwriter does is interview the person and then write his or her story through a first-person point of view. There’s an art to shaping a book like this. Interesting. Some writers I know refuse to do this without having their name on the book — but many do it anonymously for the money. I know several current Christian bestsellers that were ghostwritten, but I won’t spoil it for you! (You would be shocked — I was!)

I do know for a fact that Rick Warren wrote The Purpose-Driven Life! YEA! I heard his agent give a four-day seminar, and so he gave background details to how that incredible book came to be.

How many have you read? What do you think about this list?

Here’s another radio broadcast you’ve got to listen to if you can find a few minutes during your day. James Dobson is speaking today and tomorrow on Standing for the Family in a Lost Culture. Download this and listen to it while you’re folding clothes or washing dishes. It will inspire you.

He told some funny stories about his son, Ryan, and reminded me I can’t give up on my kids — even when I’m having a hard day! Those stories probably weren’t too funny when they happened — but now that Ryan’s grown, Dr. Dobson and his wife can laugh about the trips to the emergency room and all the difficulties of raising a very ACTIVE boy.

If you’ve never read James Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys and you’re a mom of boys, this is a book you’ll want to add to your collection — even if you only have time to read a paragraph every now and then. It will keep you sane, knowing what the long-term perspective is on raising a boy to become a godly young man.

Last night at church, I was waiting in the hallway outside the room where my girls were making their Operation Christmas Child boxes. My three-year-old son has entered this babbling brook phase where every single thought of his turns into a “why” question or something he must tell me. I know it won’t last forever, so I’m much more patient now than I was with my oldest.

Another mom looked exasperated with her three-year-old son who was wiggling and chattering while we waited for our sweet little girls to finish their project. Finally, she said, “Why don’t the two of you race each other down the hall?” So they did. Our two boys spent the next ten minutes alternating between running up and down the hall and hopping up and down the hall like frogs saying “Ribbit.” She turned to me and said, “I don’t know about you, but mine just wears me out. Maybe they’ll run off all this energy and go to bed easier.” HA! I agreed.

I just have to tell you that a few days ago, I got an email from a writer at Focus on the Family asking if I had any suggestions for how a mom of a 0-3 year old child can begin inspiring her child’s personal faith. Wow. That was pretty cool to be asked! She needed something right away, so I told her the first things that came to mind, then she wrote back and asked if it was OK to quote me as “Heather Ivester, mother of five and founder of Mom 2 Mom Connection, a popular blog for mothers of all ages.” Um, yeah. That’d be all right.

See, you just never know who is reading your blog! 🙂

But after I sent that, I’ve been more aware of how I try to instill faith in my young children. It really goes way beyond teaching them to say the blessing and pray before bedtime. Since I stay home with my kids, I talk to them about God all day. Really — every chance I get. You never know what’s going to stick.

One thing I try to do is catch my kids being good and tell them, “God likes it when you do that. Do you know God is probably smiling right now because you shared your toy with your sister? Do you know when you read a book to your little brother, you are making God very happy? Oh, I’m so glad you told me that you were lying because God already knew you were lying, and that makes Him so proud of you when He hears you telling the truth.”

My kids are far from perfect, but I hope I’m teaching them what’s right and wrong now, so when they’re grown they can catch themselves being good.

At least that’s the plan.

I just received notification from Novel Journey that I’m today’s winner in their Best of Evil contest!

They said I’ve won autographed copies of Kathryn Mackel’s, The Hidden and The Departed. I’ve never read any Christian suspense novels before, yet I’ve heard Kathryn is a talented Hollywood screenwriter. It will be interesting to see how she creates scenes for novels that she probably envisions on the big screen.

Hey, you can jump in and join the contest too! All you have to do is leave a comment on Novel Journey between now and Halloween. They are GIVING away a ton of books, many of them autographed. (Now wouldn’t that make a nice Christmas present for someone, an autographed copy of a book?)

Has anybody read this book, Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, yet?

Two days in a row, this little dog has been looking up at me. Yesterday, I was dashing through Wal-Mart with my son who NEEDED new arrows for his bow and arrow set. And I can’t walk out of there without checking out the book section. I saw this book, which I’ve never seen before.

Then today, I saw that it won two of the Quill Awards, for Best Audio and Best Biography. What is this book about? I love dogs. Is it about a little dog? Someone please tell me. And why did it win two awards?

Our church is starting to collect boxes for Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, an organization started by Billy Graham’s son, Franklin. On Wednesday, the RAs and GAs will be stuffing their boxes, so we’re planning on going out this week to shop for toys, arts supplies, toiletries, and other small gift items.

As I was browsing the pamphlet about it yesterday during church (before the sermon, of course), I wondered if this ministry was really all that important. I mean, do those poor children really need a bunch of American trinkets and hard candy?

Then I read that these boxes will be helpful to organizations that are already working in local ministries in those countries. As local missionaries help meet people’s spiritual needs, our little plastic shoeboxes will help draw excitement from children. That will bring more people to hear the Gospel, which can bring hope and joy to the entire family.

I’m convinced this is a worthy cause — and something easy for children to get involved in. My kids like picking out the toys and art supplies. It helps them to think beyond their own small world.

I’m oh-so-thankful for all the volunteers who donate their time and energy toward this program. You can learn more about how you can get involved at the Samaritan’s Purse website. But hurry — National Collection Week is November 13-20. That’s coming up quick. You can find out if there are any local drop-off points near you on the website.

With October’s leaves in transformation, I feel like autumn is officially here. And today, I also feel like I’ve entered a new season of parenting.

This morning, I kissed my 18-month-old goodbye, left in the care of two sweet nursery workers at our church’s Mom’s Morning Out program. It wasn’t her first time staying in that room, so she didn’t cry. But it was MY first time actually leaving the building. She waved to me and promptly began playing with toys.

My first time! All five kids in “school!” Granted, I only had two and a half hours to myself. But it was a new sensation for me to feel as if my days of full-time stay-home parenting are slowly coming to an end.

So what’s a mom to do with kids in school and time on her hands? Well, I wore my jogging suit, the one from Target that’s halfway hip, so I went to Curves and worked out for half an hour, then to Mega-Mart to catch up on shopping.

It was like a reunion for me — yes, life in a small town is good if you’re in the mood. I’m usually not. But today I saw everyone in the world, and I had plenty of time to chat. No kids wiggling out of the cart or interrupting me. I was a social butterfly — feeling so happy and light, I actually made it over to the electronics department to pick out a new answering machine. Something I’d put off for about a year.

Today’s joys contrast sharply with yesterday’s complete and utter despair. I was home yesterday with my two youngest, trying to unpack and get caught up from our trip. All was quiet upstairs, and I was thrilled that my kids seemed to be happily playing together.

Rule #1 of mothering. If it’s too quiet, then something is wrong. I almost had a heart attack when I went to check on things. My three-year-old had decorated his wall AGAIN with purple magic marker. He’d gotten into the first-aid kit and opened all the band-aids. And the worst. He found my husband’s collection of cassette tapes from the 80s (recently recovered from the attic), and he unraveled them all. The tangled brown ribbons covered every square inch of his room.

One of those tapes was a gift my husband mailed me when I was teaching English in Japan. It was a recording of children’s songs, and I listened to that tape over and over and over. I used it in all my classes. I loved it. I can safely say that tape made such an impact on me that I fell in love with this guy who was thoughtful enough to make it for me.

When I saw the destruction, I sat in the floor and cried. “I’m sorry, Mama,” a little voice said. “I won’t do it again.” And he won’t. Because there are no tapes left to destroy. No more band-aids to open. And my mom and I are repainting the room next week.

I have absolutely no regrets that my children are all in school. None. They need the break from me. And I need the break from them. I love my kids. I love being a mom. But I’m ready for the next step.

What else is new? Another first. We took a road trip this week and rented a beautiful cabin in the mountains. Just our little family of seven. It was the first time my husband and I have ever done this! We cooked in our cozy kitchen and ate outside on the picnic table. We had so much fun, and it reminded me of how we felt as newlyweds in our first apartment. Our tiny kitchen had everything we needed.

I’ve spent the entire last decade changing diapers, and we still have one more child to potty-train. These have been happy years, but I’m looking forward to more road trips, more mountain cabins, more precious blocks of time to think. And dream.

I couldn’t believe it when the radio woke me up this morning to the voice of Florence Littauer. It was like hearing an old friend speak. Over the next two days, Florence is speaking on the topic of “Making the Tough Times Count” on the broadcast of Focus on the Family.

My mom and I just spent half a week with Florence and her daughter, Marita, at a conference in August! They started an organization called CLASS, which stands for Christian Leaders, Authors, and Speaker Services. Every day, I got to hear Florence speak in person, and I’m still processing everything this amazing, godly woman taught me.

This morning, on the broadcast, Florence shared about how she and her husband, Fred, met and what the early years of their marriage were like. She is SO funny — such a joy to listen to! I reviewed a book she wrote about this in last month’s Christian Women Online, After Every Wedding Comes a Marriage.

Unfortunately, after Florence became a mother, her difficult times began. She gave birth to two healthy baby girls, but then she had a son who was born with such severe brain damage he died. I don’t want to spoil what happens next because she’ll be speaking on Focus again tomorrow, but Florence’s life was filled with even more tragedy after that. You can listen to today’s broadcast here, then she’ll finish up tomorrow.

From Florence’s sorrow became her ministry. It’s amazing how God can transform what seems like total despair into joy, when we trust Him. If you’ve read my interview with beautiful Allison Bottke in this month’s CWO, you may remember this quote she said that has stuck with me: “Every test is a testimony and every mess is a ministry.”

If you’re in the middle of a mess right now, just remember this. What you’re going through may be a ministry to someone else someday.

A friend wrote me a few days ago and asked where she could get a copy of my book.

Well, since you asked …

I usually tell people the best place to buy Christian books is at your local Christian bookstore — because if we don’t give them business, they won’t be able to stay in business. Thousands of small mom-and-pop bookstores are closing every year. And unless you’re a celebrity and can sell a zillion copies, it’s tough getting your book in Wal-Mart.

But I just found out the good news that my book, From a Daughter’s Heart to Her Mom, is now available through Women of Faith. You can order a copy from the Women of Faith website here.

Of course, any online bookstore carries it, such as Amazon. My name isn’t on the cover; you can find it in small print on the back of the cover page. I really did write it though! The publisher is Nelson Books.

My kids are out of school this week on fall break, and we just got back from a short trip to the mountains. I want to blog blog blog and tell you all about it, but I’ve got a column due today. So I’m off to zip out a 600-word story that will entertain and hopefully enlighten my local readers who I love very much … especially the ones who write me!

Congratulations to Iris of Sting My Heart blog. Today is her official day to launch her new devotional site, Laced With Grace.

Iris and a team of six other lady bloggers will be sharing daily devotional thoughts to lift the hearts of readers. I’ve been reading Iris’s beautiful essays in the Blogs of Beauty carnivals since last winter — God has whispered to me between the lines of her posts many times.

We’re praying for you, Iris! May God be glorified through your words! 🙂

Michelle Malkin had an excellent column last week that was printed in our local newspaper, Where Have All the Good Girls Gone? In it, she describes what has happened to Welsh singer, Charlotte Church, formerly a “good girl” with the voice of an angel. Malkin writes:

The corruption of Charlotte Church is a sorry little sign of how innocence and grace have lost their mass appeal — even as parents claim to want age-appropriate role models for their children.

Malkin shared results of a survey that was released this week of 1,010 mothers with daughters age 4 to 9 years old: 90 percent of the moms “believe there are not enough wholesome role models, celebrities, characters, and brands for young girls to emulate.”

You’ve probably seen this little logo, Moms for Modesty on tons of blogsites, but in case you’ve missed it, click on the image, and you’ll be taken to Everyday Mommy. As of today, 665 women bloggers, many of us mothers of daughters, have signed a “Moms for Modesty Mission Statement,” which can be found on this post.

This has gotten a lot of attention, and Mary Tsao of BlogHer wrote about it, further increasing visibility. All of this came about after Jules (Everyday Mommy) was shocked to visit a local restaurant with a dinosaur theme and see three t-shirts for sale in young girls’ sizes with the phrases, “Bite Me,” “Cold Blooded” and “Man Eater” emblazened across the front. Despite the obvious attempt at double entendre humor, Jules asked her readers,“I would like to know what you mothers of daughters think of these products? Would you allow your 6, 7 or 8 year old to wear a shirt like this? If not, why not? If yes, why yes?”

After an overwhelming “NO!” response, she wrote up the “Moms for Modesty Mission Statement” and created the button you see here, which has been placed on hundreds of blogs.

Malkin ends her Good Girls column with this plea: “Perhaps it’s time for moms lamenting the skankification of their little girls’ world to put their money where their mouths are.”

With Christmas shopping around the corner, will you make the choice to buy products that present a wholesome image to your daughters? Thankfully, we can teach our children the words of one “celebrity” role model who will never go out of style: