Joy Jordan-Lake - Working Families: Navigating the Demands and Delights of Marriage, Parenting, and Career

Refreshing for its social consciencesharp humor, and snappy prose. One of the more thoughtful guides to Christian family life for the twenty-first century.

Publisher's Weekly

a joyous, wide-eyed ride on the roller coaster that is a strong marriage with kids!

M ARCUS H UMMON, Grammy-award winning songwriter of No. 1 hits including God Bless the Broken Road

To know one s calling is a complex businessespecially for women and men who are trying to keep integrity as wives and husbands, parents, professionals, and global citizensall within the context of finding our way as pilgrims in pursuit of God. Working Families is an unusually wise book, pointing us in the right direction, and Joy Jordan-Lake is a gifted writer and skillful guide, inviting us to smile even as she leads us into the most important questions about who we are and what we do.

S TEVEN G ARBER, author of The Fabric of Faithfulness and director of The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, & Culture

With great wit and honesty, Jordan-Lake addresses here the most urgent question confronting America today: How now, Lord, shall we live? Only one who has wrestled repeatedly with that question could tell this story at all, and only a very gifted writer could tell it this well.

P HYLLIS T ICKLE , author of more than two dozen books, including her latest, The Night Offices, and The Divine Hours series

Who says you can't have it all? Joy Jordan-Lakes Working Families is an often humorous but mainly bottom-line look at the joys and frustrations, the bonuses and the sacrifices of two-parent/two-career homes. Using her experience with sailing (and you 11 have to read the book to know what that's about!), Jordan-Lake blesses her readers with applicable solutions for the reality of it all.

E VA M ARIE E VERSON, author of Oasis and The Potluck Club series

Jordon-Lake defuses the grenades of guilt we lobby at other women and ourselves. She reminds us of the awesome accountability we have to use our professional gifts as well as to love and nurture our families. Her beautiful writing and often-hilarious stories remind me to be grateful for the chaos as well as the peaceful moments in family life. I felt encouraged and understoodand only wish I had this book ten years ago.

C INDY C ROSBY, author of By Willoway Brook

Having sailed my way through a three-career family without a map, I'm delighted to know my daughter-in-law and others currently on the journey have a wonderfully, humorously, sensibly written work from which to take heart. Joy Jordan-Lake's experiences of trying to have it all are honest and exacdy where the boat meets the water. Chaos may abound, flexibility must reign, and communication is essential, but swapping out a mindset about how things are supposed to be with the creativity of what can be is a trade worth making for men, women, and their fortunate children. Wisely, Jordan-Lake is on course with her conclusion that its not a complete map that's needed but evaluating honestly what's in front and doing your best with God's help.

M ARY A NN M AYO , author of fourteen books, including Twilight Travels with Mother

Joy Jordan-Lake has written a delightful book full of challenge. Focusing on calling, purpose, and work, she shows us how to take God seriously in all arenas of life. Her Navigating by Grace chapter is more than just a catchy tide. There's wisdom here for all of us in our daily work.

H OWARD E. B UTT J R ., author of The High Calling of Our Daily Work and president of Laity Renewal Foundation

For the love of my life
Todd Lake,
my co-parent and co-worker and dearest, best friend
and
for the three most magnificent kids imaginable,
our Jasmine, Justin, and Julia.

How grateful to God I am for you
for every hour of every day