Catherine McNiel - Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline

Motherhood is about the sculpting of souls, and Catherine McNiel hands you desperately needed tools. Not only for the formation of your family but for your own soul. Let God do a holy, needful work through the pages you hold in your hands.

ANN VOSKAMP

Mother of seven and author of New York Times bestsellers The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts

Catherine has written so beautifully of a womans spiritual pathway to God. She has found the words to express what so many of us experience: repetitiveness of service that becomes a mysterious celebration of the sacredness of life and the presence of God. I wish I had written this book myself: a book that celebrates the spaghetti days of family, the wonder of pregnancy and birthing, and, above all, the sacredness of the journey.

VALERIE BELL

President and CEO of AWANA and author of Getting Out of Your Kids Faces and Into Their Hearts and Faith-Shaped Kids

Writing in the tradition of Brother Lawrence, Catherine McNiel shows readers how to keep company with God in the everyday. But she is no monastic. She is a mother, caught in the turbulence of life with small children. How I wish Id had this book and her example when I was just beginning my journey into motherhood.

JEN POLLOCK MICHEL

Author of the award-winning book Teach Us to Want

Heres a book for every Christian parent forced to smile through an exhortation to enjoy every moment; its all over so fast! Catherine McNiel doesnt urge you to make time for God in early parenting but rather to see God there already: in the trial, in the joy, in the leaky diapers, plugged ducts, and scraped knees. Instead of being one more call to sleep when the baby sleeps, her book can help a weary parent wake up a bit more to the eternal life theyre living.

TED OLSEN

Director of editorial development, Christianity Today

Catherines words are nothing short of a banquet table of nourishment for a hungry mamas soul. Long Days of Small Things invites the reader to see the mundane tasks of motherhood (changing diapers, folding laundry, planning meals, etc.) not as interruptions to our spiritual life, but as an oft-overlooked path closer to Jesus. Accept Catherines invitation, mom. Read and be seen, feel valued, and awaken to the beautiful, spiritual practice of motherhood.

AUBREY SAMPSON

Author of Overcomer: Breaking Down the Walls of Shame and Rebuilding Your Soul

Moms, if you dont have time to read a book, this is the book for you! If you hunger to connect to God, these words will nourish your deep places. On every page you will be reminded that your children dont distract you from the way they are the way to a richer, more meaningful life. Offering simple doable practices to connect to God, McNiels beautifully woven words will strengthen you for your journey.

MARGOT STARBUCK

Author of Small Things with Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your Neighbor

Long Days of Small Things is a moms welcomed guide to finding grace in each moment. Writing profoundly about the wonder of creating and nurturing a new human life, Catherine McNiel explains simple ways to practice Gods presence in daily routines. These practical suggestions put worship within reach of every busy mom, gently explaining how to live in the present to find God in the chaos of chasing kids. This book will change how you view motherhood. It will change how you view life!

JAN AND MARK FOREMAN

Authors of Never Say No: Raising Big-Picture Kids

When my six children were small, I often thought I needed peace and space to grow my spirit. Wrong. God had six teachers in front of me all along. What I really needed was McNiels book to open my eyes to the miraculous presence of God already in front of me. What a spectacular guide into the holy daily labor of loving our kids.

LESLIE LEYLAND FIELDS

Author of Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas

For many long centuries the disciplined spiritual life has been largely defined by religious communities and leaders who are predominantly male. Cut off from the presence of young families crying infants, riotous children, nursing mothers the spiritual disciplines weve been taught are generally about cultivating the life of the mind. What happens when a mom like Catherine McNiel enters the conversation? A delightful introduction into a whole new world of incarnational disciplines that take the body seriously. We are bodies; we take care of others bodies. And in the daily stuff of embodiment, Catherine reminds us, is where we can meet our incarnational God.

SARAH ARTHUR

Coauthor of The Year of Small Things: Radical Faith for the Rest of Us

Long Days of Small Things is a gift to all of us householders. Catherines patient and generous wisdom shines a light into the sleepless nights of parenting to reveal the spiritual work happening when were busy cleaning up soggy Cheerios and endless glasses of spilled milk. I want to give this to every mom I know, to say, Good job, brave mom. Youre in the trenches of what matters most.

TRICIA LOTT WILLIFORD

Author of Lets Pretend Were Normal, And Life Comes Back, and You Can Do This

When I was a mother of three young children, there was never enough time for spiritual disciplines like Bible study, prayer, worship, and service. I came to realize I was chasing a shimmering false image of spiritual growth instead of living fully in the company of my heavenly Father. Catherine McNiel offers mothers a freeing, wise invitation to grow deep roots in the rich soil of family life. She connects some of the classic spiritual disciplines to the embodied realities of parenting. Her wise, thoughtful words and eminently practical suggestions will help you flourish in the presence of God during those long days with little ones. Highly recommended.

MICHELLE VAN LOON

Author of Moments & Days: How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith

Catherines well-crafted prose will leave you wanting more, while the weight behind her words words that underscore all you already have and are will entice you to reread entire paragraphs five times. Long Days of Small Things is a timeless gem, celebrating the beauty of motherhood in fresh, profound ways.

JESSIE MINASSIAN

Author, speaker, and mother

Catherine McNiel claims that motherhood is a spiritual discipline. In this beautiful book, she demonstrates that parenting is holy and transformative from the incarnational glory of childbearing to the trying tedium of sleepless nights. McNiel writes with the grace and confidence of a midwife, and Long Days of Small Things is just that a work of spiritual midwifery that will comfort, encourage, and strengthen mothers.

KATHERINE WILLIS PERSHEY

Author of Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.