Faith, Farming and Family by Caitlin Henderson

Henderson's book is a refreshing collection of honest essays on lessons she has learned. She writes about feeling insecure, feeling broken, being authentic, being vulnerable, being a perfectionist, reactions to suffering, fear, and many more. She shares the lessons in the context of her life experiences, telling stories about farm and family life.

Her writing style is engaging and she shares her insights in a very readable way. My favorite essay is the one on control. She is quick to point out we cannot control the actions of others. What we can control is our reactions to them. This lesson and the others encourage readers to focus on God rather than self.

Her book is also an interesting commentary on social media. We are told several times about how some of her social media posts were well received, even going viral, pouring her heart out to thousands of strangers. (Loc 1133/2256). She would be on cloud nine. (Loc 1718/2256) At another times, scrolling through comments on a post, she played the comparison game and went from feeling content and joyous to feeling frustrated and doubtful about her efforts. (Loc 1591/2256) I am sure young women who put much store in social media will identify with her various reactions.

Henderson encourages her readers to be vulnerable and open to others, pointing them to Jesus and the hope He offers. The idea is to let God bring healing to you and others through the vulnerability. She is a good story teller and has an engaging writing style. Young women will like the honesty and vulnerability she shares in this book.

You can find out more about Henderson and farm life at her blog, https://www.faithfarmingandfamily.com/

You can watch the book trailer here.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Caitlin Henderson is a small town girl from Kansas who fell in love with a farmer. She and her husband have three kids who keep her on her toes and clinging to coffee. She is passionate about showing people Jesus and writing about her family's life full of grace, craziness, love, dirt, and cows. The Henderson family lives on a grain and cattle farm in south central Kansas.

WaterBrook, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)