Bonnie’s Book You Have to Read

I met Bonnie in 2014. My lil baby was on my chest (now he’s well, five). I was at the inaugural Edel Gathering that Jen Fulwiler and Hallie Lord put on because my mom really thought I should go meet all these bloggers I had been following.

Bonnie was one of them. And when I met her, she was just as down to earth, friendly, and funny as she seems online. So as my awe turned to affection, our relationship went from “you’re so cool and I love your blog” to “you’re so cool and I love our sisterhood.” We both started collaborating with Blessed is She when Jenna Guizar founded it and slowly, over time, I really got to know Bonnie.

She has come and spoken in Minnesota over the years and I’ve seen her in small settings and large ones, caring about each and every story that people brought before her. She’s somehow an empathic listener and an energetic speaker (seriously, invite her to speak for you). She made us all laugh and cry.

We’ve laughed and cried, too. At the first few Blessed is She team retreats at our family lodge, on airport runs, when I got to MC her conference and meet Travis and the crew, when we’ve talked and texted and emailed. When we’ve surprised her with virtual baby showers on zoom calls and when she’s prayed with me for the gritty hard stuff in my life.

HER BOOK IS AMAZING.

The way she writes, gosh, she’s one of my favorites. It’s like you’re at her kitchen table and she’s pouring you an iced chai and slowing going deeper and deeper until before you realize that it’s happening, you’re 45 minutes in. It’s compelling, gritty, real, and gripping.

And the story of Blessed Fulton Sheen interceding on behalf of her son, James who was without a pulse for 61 minutes and survived to be a healthy normal little boy? It catches you in your throat because Bonnie’s family is like many of our families–ordinary, filled with the diapers and board games and dessert popsicles.

God uses extraordinary means to work through the ordinary to reflect His great glory.

So it’s a book you won’t be able to put down. You might read it twice in a row like I did. You will cry so get ready. You will want to shout from the rooftops #sorryneighbors. And you will want to pray for hope and courage like the Engstrom family.

Their family’s faith and perseverance through a NICU stay and miraculous recovery give me strength to turn my *much* smaller problems over to the Lord and say, “Here, Lord, in Your good time.” They make me want to share the story with everyone I know (and believe me, I’m trying) so that they, too, can be comforted to know God loves and attends to each and every one of us, His glorious creations, in ways we can’t measure, don’t understand, and often under-appreciate.

Please pre-order her book.

In a world of weird algorithms, it helps with other sales down the road. In a world of supporting an author and her family, it makes a difference. In a world that needs of the extraordinary in the ordinary, it shines brightly.

So it’s simple. Love Bonnie & buy it. I love Bonnie and I can’t wait to give copies to friends and family. Let’s share this great story.