Every Season Sacred - by Kayla Craig (Hardcover)

This is such a beautiful book and incredible resource for growing in the Lord as a parent and for helping your children grow in their dependence of the Lord and know his love for his. Kayla Craig’s essays, devotions, and written prayers are great scaffolding for building on your family’s faith life.

“Every Season Sacred” by Kayla Craig has become an instant favorite that I will revisit again and again. Craig writes with a poetic and eloquent style that is both comforting and compelling. Her reflections resonate with the most tender parts of our hearts as she discusses the hard and holy work of parenting. She does not shy away from discussing the difficult or the mundane and gives a voice to the very real fears and doubts we all experience. But she also does such a beautiful job of reminding us to return to awe and wonder time and time again, both for our children and for the Child of God we were born to be as well. You will feel seen and understood in her stories. The questions and prayers are a great way to go deeper and something that can be revisited and reflected upon with little ones. I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is a lovely resource full of empathy and encouragement for every heart in every season.

I can't put words together beautifully like this author can, but if you are looking for an encouraging, supportive, maybe even slightly challenging read to add to your spiritual walk, this is a book I would highly recommend. Kayla Craig has put together this book of weekly centering reflections. Each week includes a reflection, scripture to read, a breath prayer, family discussion questions, and a family prayer. There are also thoughts and seasonal introductions placed throughout that only add to the flow of the book. The weekly chapters can be done on your own, with your family, or a little of both. She doesn't back down from hard discussions. She talks about real life as a parent, the joys and struggles included. The reflections feel like a talk over coffee with someone who has been there and is unafraid to walk with you through it all. If you are a parent who is longing for spiritual guidance and inspiration, I would highly recommend that you pick up this book!

I received To Light Their Way as a gift two years ago. Since then, I’ve bought multiple copies that I have gifted forward. Kayla writes with gentleness, care, truthfulness and love for the weary parents. When I saw she was coming out with Every Season Sacred, it wasn’t a matter of if I was getting a copy but about WHEN. Felt very blessed to be a part of the launch team as this book actually exceeded my expectation. I expected this to be a book to enjoy and use with the rhythms of the year. But this is actually an invitation to experience God through the seasons WITH my family. There are prayers, reflections, Scripture suggestions and discussion questions. There’s encouragement tucked in every page. The book is organized so well that you could read it page by page OR seasonally OR pick it up at any moments time. It is rich enough that it will have you circle back for a new perspective. A generous book that keeps on giving. I have found myself so moved by God’s intentionality with the seasons and it has prompted me to pray. And that’s what it really comes down to. I had considered myself a prayer warrior before but Kayla has shown me there are depths to prayer I had not adventured in. I am already buying copies to gift forward and bless other mamas. I join in with Kayla’s wish: “And May all your life—your fantastic, dirty, messy, holy life—be a prayer.”

Broken down by seasons, Every Season Sacred is a study/book/poetry/ unlike any other. It explores big questions with tenderness and curiosity, offers practical advice, a hug for the parent trying to walk through Faith and a safe and encouraging place for parent and child to walk and learn together. I loved the musings and prayers at the beginning of each Season to prepare for the coming changes in our season and lives. The questions are thoughtfully put together so no matter the age of your child, they can understand and participate. Kayla writes in a way that makes you think your reading something from a close friend-tender, honest, a safe place to cry and laugh. This is not to be missed. I will be coming back to this often as my children (3 & 6 currently) continue to grow.

Beautifully written for anyone and everyone. A book that helps us grow in our alone time and as a family through the “rhythms” of life. With the craziness of life, I am reminded who God is in every season. As I grow in my prayer life, I have enjoyed so many things about this book from the structure of each season, to when structure just doesn’t fit your day-to-day. You can look at the index to help guide you to prayer, God’s word, reflection, and just to breathe in the goodness of God. The discussion questions opened my family up to communicate with each other, and it allowed our kids to share their day-to-day struggles. It helps to remind them of God’s love for them and to seek Him in all seasons of life as well as myself and my husband. And as a family, when we struggle to pray, or aren’t familiar with how or what to pray, the author provides beautiful prayer prompts. I have also enjoyed that there are two parts to each short chapter, one for you to read alone, and one to share with your family. The joy of knowing the Lord through every season and reflecting by ourselves, allows me to share with my family. This is a book that will be passed down to our children, whether it be a brand new copy or the first copy we shared as a family. Also, hoping to order a few additional copies for family and friends!

Every Season Sacred is a book for ALL families. It is for the parents who can recite scripture, the ones who can’t remember a scripture and the ones who haven’t thought about memorizing scriptures. This book is about the seasons parenting takes us through. Every Season Sacred is for the families trying to navigate and keep dialogue in the family going. This book is a beautiful reminder of how calming breath prayers are, how lovely dialogue is and most importantly how even in the wildness of now there is so much beauty in our families. Get this book for a new parent or a seasoned parent. They’ll love it.

I'll start by saying that we find ourselves in an incredibly difficult season, and my faith has been a bit lackluster. Kayla's book made me cry within the first 100 pages, bringing such a balm and hope to my soul that I didn't even know I needed. As a neurodivergent person with neurodivergent kids, my life can be very chaotic and haphazard. I have had to let go of many of my expected ideas about what it looks like to grow our faith as a family. Every Season Sacred is an excellent companion to our reality, as it brings a smooth and gentle rhythm to our lives, accompanying us in ways that feel like a kind friend, rather than a heavy taskmaster. Kayla's book is gorgeous and well-organized. It has encouraging anecdotes about their own faith journey, breath prayers, family prayers, and family discussion questions. I appreciate the routine it sets, and I am thankful to have something so easily laid out that I can use with my family during breakfast or before bed. Those small and vulnerable moments in a day that can easily get shoved to the side can now be used to water our souls and remind each other of the One who is with us always. Thank you Kayla for sharing your family and heart with ours, for the ways you gently and humbly guide us along still waters. It truly is a gift.

Kayla writes with such authenticity and care for her readers. As a parent, I consider this book by Kayla another win! The book is divided into the four seasons and includes important times in the liturgical calendar. (You can start reading in whichever season you are currently in when you get the book!) She provides a short story from her parenting journey and ties it to both scripture and the season. Then she gives short bible verses and questions to ponder together as a family each week as well as two prayer options, one for older and younger children. This is going to be so special to do together with my family each week over the course of the next year. It’s such an unintimidating way to start intentionally reading the Bible together with my young children and have a specific scripture to ground each week as I parent. It doesn’t matter where you are in your faith journey/church (or lack of) journey/parenting journey, Kayla writes in such a gentle and inclusive way that this book will be able to meet parents wherever they are!

𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑 is not a quick read; it is meant to be read slowly--in bits and pieces--over time. It is not designed to be read once and then put on a shelf; it is designed to be referred to over and over again. And it was not written for our entertainment; it was written to encourage, challenge, strengthen, and equip our families to grow in faith and understanding. It was also written to help us parents know that we are not alone in this journey (Praise the Lord!). It is obvious that much prayer, planning, and care went into the crafting of this book, and I believe that the Lord will use something different to speak to me each time I pick it up and choose a reflection or prayer to read. As a mother of five, I appreciate the intentional come-and-go organization of 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑. There is freedom found in not feeling like I have to sit and read it for hours in order to glean something from it. Even something as simple as picking out one of the "Breath Prayers" to take with me throughout the day can be powerful. Thank you, Kayla, for putting your heart and soul into this project and for creating a beautiful work that is both relatable and inspirational.

"May Jesus be in the pain. May Jesus be in the joy. May Jesus be in every season, every story of our lives." This is a book you keep forever. The pages will eventually be worn soft from use as you return to it again and again for encouragement and to be centered on the Lord. Keep it close. Craig encourages us to be active peacemakers, and to teach our children this too. "The most important thing about you is you are a beloved child of God," she reminds hers regularly. The format of this book is great: a reflection followed by a breath prayer, family discussion questions, and short prayers with versions for younger and older kids. She weaves additional riches throughout—music suggestions, traditional prayers of the church, and historical church practices like Examen and Lectio Divina. The appendices include daily prayers for morning, midday, evening and bedtime; and family prayer prompts. There are wonderful reminders herein on how to hear the breath of God even in the wild moments of family life. She covers hospitality, safety, control, overwhelm, special needs and disability, sweet cozy world-changing Advent, gentle contemplative fasting in Lent, interruptions, neighborliness, freedom in Christ, memory, and more. Highly recommended and may we all be encouraged to remember the sacred in every season of the year and of our lives.

I needed a book to meet me and my family where we are in this season of life. This book is it. I will use it over and over and over again. I love that it is broken into seasons - it is such a great way to think about, reflect on, and pray over your family. Kayla is able to take her own experiences and make them relevant and relatable to exactly what my family is going through. You know that feeling you get when someone looks at you and you know they can see your soul? This book does that. Kayla does that. Do yourself a favor and let your soul be seen. Read Every Season Sacred.