Keren Threlfall

collections of thoughts

112 Books I Read in 2017

In what was my most challenging year yet (second only to 2009!), during which we stayed at 30 different accommodations, traveled to Mexico twice, through Panama, and to Ecuador, moved multiple times, sold a house, bought a house, launched new businesses, and went through a family crisis and faith crisis, and much, much more, I suppose you could say that books became an anchor. I didn’t expect to finish with so many. But it is amazing how habits, once developed, sometimes do the work we can’t bring ourselves to do. (In which, this is probably the only habit I have so strongly. 😉 I can’t even sleep well 110 nights in a row.) Business Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising (Ryan Holiday) Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered (Austin Kleon) Build a Brand in 30 Days: With Simon Middleton, the Brand Strategy (Guru Simon Middleton) Private Label Empire: Build a Brand – Launch on Amazon FBA (Eli C Gordon) The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field (Mike Michalowicz) The Laptop Millionaire (Mark Anastasi) The Prosperous Coach: Increase Income and Impact for You and Your Clients (Steve Chandler, Rich Litvin) The Suitcase Entrepreneur (Natalie Sisson) The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever (Michael Bungay Stanier) Parenting/Family Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time (Jamie C. Martin) The Gentle Discipline Book: How to raise co-operative, polite and helpful children (Sarah Ockwell-Smith) Family Fortunes: How to Build Family Wealth and Hold on to It for 100 Years (Bill Bonner, Will Bonner) Buddhism for Mothers: A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children (Sarah Napthali) The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More (Bruce Feiler) Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting (Janet Lansbury) Novels/Fiction Commonwealth (Ann Patchett) The Man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick) Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan) Cry, the Beloved Country (Alan Paton) China Rich Girlfriend (Kevin Kwan) Rich People Problems (Kevin Kwan) Before We Were Yours (Lisa Wingate) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (F. Scott Fitzgerald) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis) The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) A…

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Decrying the Racism Within

It’s easy to decry the racism that marches in on a city, unmasked and carrying torches. It’s much harder to identify the subtle, masked racism that dwells within my own heart, a racism I could otherwise be blind to. One rarely admits to being racist. Even the KKK has a code of conduct that sounds noble at first glance, interlaced with Scripture. It takes effort and intention to detach politics from your religion and examine what has become unrecognizably entangled. It takes vulnerability to admit that the problem isn’t “this is not who we are as a country,” but that we’ve whitewashed and retold those parts of our history to maintain a romanticized national narrative. It takes silence…to hear the voices of those who have been silenced for centuries, and to know that in the recording history, it is most often the people in power who get to tell the story; but that history is never only the voice of the dominant. It takes courage to realize that we naturally try to drift towards people who are most like us, but that there is a line that is easily crossed when we begin to believe that “different” means inferiority or reason to be feared as a threat. (In Christianity, we sometimes like to blame “conviction,” “a sensitive conscience,” or the Holy Spirit for what is in actuality, feeling uncomfortable with something that is unlike us. In both the secular and sacred worlds, it’s easy to become fearful of what we do not know, and to let that fear turn into something else.) As a wise man once said, “The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” And as another wise man — a survivor of the consummation of fear and hate, the Holocaust — also told us, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” I posted this on my personal Facebook all the way back in August, in the fallout of Charlottesville. But I felt it warranted being posted here, too. Photo: Unsplash

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My Top 10 Reads in 2016

Unlike much of the rest of 2016, this was a good year in books. I feel like I read a lot of good books, more than just 10. In trying to make a decision about my top 10, there were actually 4-5 that came to mind right away as “the best;” but then when saying “this was a really good read for 2016,” I could probably have selected 25-30. Here’s my attempt to narrow it down: All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror (Stephen Kinzer) Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates) The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (Gay Hendricks) The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead) Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (J. D. Vance) Seven Years in Tibet (Heinrich Harrer) When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi) Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Bryan Stevenson) Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple) I’m afraid I’m going to have to create a tie between 2 books, for #10, which actually makes this 11 books. Of course. Who can limit a top 10 book list to just 10? 😉 Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (Andrew David Naselli, J.D. Crowley) Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time (Jeremy Courtney) 2016 Reading Lists from Others: (I’m always thrilled when I see overlap between my annual top book list and some of these!) Amazon’s Best Books of 2016 Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards Anne Bogel’s 2016 Top Books Washington Post’s Best Book List 2016 NY Times: The 10 Best Books of 2016 NY Times: Bestsellers My Countdown in Booklists Since this wraps up my countdown to Christmas in book lists, here are the book lists I recently posted: 85 Books I Read in 2016 10 Books on Race That Every American Should Read 10 Personal Development Books That Rocked My World 10 Books My Kids Love to Read Over and Over Again 10 Business Books That Grew My Mind and Business 10 Books That Helped Grow My Faith

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10 Books That Helped Grow My Faith

1. Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (Timothy Keller) Up until a short period prior reading this book, the phrase “social justice” was almost always seen as a pejorative term. Through our own experience and observing some of the practices that were ongoing in the urban ministry we were involved in, we came to question whether or not our current understanding of loving “the least of these” was truly biblical. Generous Justice came at an important turning point in our faith, and helped lay the foundation for a more robust theology of justice. 2. Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women (Carolyn Custis James) I read this book in conjunction with Half the Sky, a book that addresses oppression of women across the globe. Globally, women make up half of the world’s population; and within the church, they tend to make up an even larger percentage. James explores what it means to be a women within the church, both within and outside our Western construct of biblical womanhood. The church must work together to do God’s work here on earth. But in order to do so, women must first be given a seat a that table.

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10 Business Books That Grew My Mind and Business

1. Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money (Pat Flynn) Daniel and I had a bit of a rocky start into adulthood, having our identity wrapped up in who we would be as mission workers. We sort of accidentally stumbled into business and self-employment; and even then, we operated by many narrow and restrictive mindsets. One of them was that it was wrong to plan our ideal lifestyle or day. (The alternative? Just do whatever is the hardest thing, work as hard as you can, be content, and push through.) This book was helpful in motivating us to do just that. 2. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It (Michael E. Gerber) Why do businesses often fail? Not because they don’t achieve success, but because they fail to plan for success. You’d never guess it from the title alone, but this is an important business book for many business owners. I’ve had several occasions of discussing this book with business relations, only to have them (or me) say, “wait…have you read The E-Myth Revisited?” 3. Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling (Michael Port) Book Yourself Solid is a comprehensive guide to networking and marketing through focusing on relationships and giving value. This has some great ideas for both online and offline marketing. 4. Essentialism: The Discipline Pursuit of Less (Greg McKeown) Do you have ADHD (or “entrepreneurial ADHD”)? Focus is not just important for business owners, but for any aspect of life. That just so happens to be the focus of this book. 5. The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure (Grant Cardone) I love the motivation in this book, but if you don’t like heavy-hitting, hard-pushing books, this might not be the one for you. I personally benefit from holding myself to these standards, but don’t necessarily advocate for holding and pushing others with this type of tone, as it tends to overlook the role of privilege in reaching success. 6. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (Sheryl Sandberg) It’s been an evolution of sorts for me to recognize that the role of women is not as limited as the narrow set of options I’d grown up believing (i.e., motherhood or missions only). Along with…

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  • Es ist Sommer in Berlin Berlin, Berlin, Berlin. Last summer, of course. ________________ #kreuzberg #berlingermany #studio183berlin #studio183 #germany #deutschland #mitte #brunnenstraße #travelgram #kereninberlin #sommerinberlin #esistsommerinberlin
  • We’ve spent so many Fourth of July days with our friends that our kids look forward to it like it’s Christmas! We haven’t celebrated every single year in a row, but when we do it’s awesome! Including the fireworks that we have to bring in from out of state. 😂 ______________ #travelwithkids #community #nc #fourthofjuly #friendsforlife #northcarolina #usa
  • Making memories on our last night, with ice cream at the riverfront. (Second pic is the more accurate face made when you immediately regret letting your sister try your ice cream. 😂😂) _______________ #visitmariettaoh #mariettaohio #travelgram #livelovemov #clutchmov #travelwithkids #summermemories #icecreamgram #worldschoolfamily
  • ✈️ Travel and reading are some of the greatest mechanisms for personal growth and change. When they intersect, I feel it enhances the experience exponentially. I try to read about the histories or different perspectives on the counties and cultures I visit. David McCullough’s new book, “The Pioneers,” is extra special for me to read, because it’s also a history of the area where I grew up. Reading it is breathing new life into so many of the landmarks that were common names for me. Today the sternwheeler, “The Queen of the Mississippi” was in town, so I thought the book should get a photo shoot with it. 😂 (Not an ad!)⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’m also grappling with trying to realize that the narrative of the “settler,” “pioneers,” “frontier,” “wilderness,” and other such terminology tends to diminish the narrative of the peoples already inhabiting this area (and entire nation). When we and our ancestors are the heroes of the narrative we use to tell our history, terms like “occupied land,” “genocide,” and “invasion” can feel threatening. But as more and more time passes, hindsight continues to make it easier to see what was done in the name of “settling the frontiers.” ⁣ ⁣ Nonetheless, I think books like this are important. (Though I’m only halfway through this one.) I just hope we will all do a better job of wrestling with the nuance of both the triumph and atrocity of so much of our national history, and that we will also come to give equal attention to the narratives that have been nearly wiped from existence or bypassed by indifference.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ _________________⁣⁣ #mariettaoh #clutchmov #livelovemov #marietta #sternwheeler #readandtravel #davidmccullough #thepioneers #travelgram #bookgram #booksinthewild #ohioriver #neverstoplearning #goodreads
  • Sweet summertime memories with Grandma and her blueberry bushes! We don’t always get the timing right with our summer visits and the harvest, but when we do it’s extra sweet! _____________ #childhoodsummers #wildandwonderfulwv #travelwithkids #grandmasgarden #blueberrypicking #williamstownwv
  • We’re currently visiting my mom, which happens to be just across the river from the city where I was born: Marietta, Ohio. It’s also where the first permanent settlement north of the Ohio River was “born,” in 1788. Actually, lots of life was there before the settlers occupied the land that was also once home to the Hopewell, Shawnee, and Mingo native tribes as they are known today. Their burial mounds remain to this day, though most surviving descendants were removed to Oklahoma reservations many years ago. // Every time I return, I like to make a circuit and see what’s changed, where progress is being made, and where new life is being breathed into the area. So I loved seeing this visual reminder of a Charlotte, NC transplanted boutique, now celebrating it’s first year in Marietta. Be a Nice Human. 👍 _____________ #livelovemov #clutchmov #midohiovalley #mariettaohio #ohiohistory #ohioriver #womenwhotravel #beanicehuman #mariettagram #emleighsandmamabs #amazingtilefloor #amazingtilework
  • Southern Ontario is known for it’s popular destinations of Toronto and Niagara Falls. But did you know that it’s also home to over 17,000 acres of vineyards? . Grapes are now the most important farm crop in Southern Ontario, and wineries and viticulture are increasingly important to Ontario’s economy. . We loved being able to experience this side of Ontario, while staying on the 200-acre property of Cave Springs Vineyards. . This ended up being another spontaneous @thirdhome stay for our family. (The property is also available on @airbnb.) Our wonderful host took our kids on walks, shared lots of history, and made our family feel welcome all around. ______________ #ontario #canadawithkids #canadawithlove #travelwithkids #thirdhome #locationindependent #cavespringvineyard #ontariowineries #winecountryontario #worldschooling #luxuryhomeexchange
  • Part of what made our time in Ontario and Toronto so amazing was sharing a couple of days with @revolvingspheres: online friends who became “IRL” friends. Our best travel (and life!) memories are almost always the ones we share with others. ____________ #budapestpark #toronto #torontowithkids #worldschooling #travelwithkids #locationindependentfamilies #travelfamgram #ontario #ohcanada

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