Kristin Saatzer - Purposeful Encouragement

My Best-Loved Books of 2022!

January 12, 2023 By Kristin Saatzer 6 Comments

Happy New Year, welcome to the annual books blog!

I enjoyed a great year of reading. There are simply too many to review, but here are a few of my favorites from the 51 books I read in 2022.

Self-help/Christian Inspirational:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry https://a.co/d/bR6XMdj by John Mark Comer. I read this book twice and plan on rereading it—a perfect book for the new year. A few favorite quotes: “….and how we spend our time is how we spend our lives. It’s who we become (and don’t become).” “The whole point of apprenticeship is to model all of your life after Jesus. And in doing so, to recover your soul.”
WayMaker https://a.co/d/bkBI0Ro by Ann Voskamp. Beautiful prose and deep thoughts. Truly transformative for me. I read it a few times and review my highlights often. So many beloved quotes; here is one: “There is no pleasing God without trusting God. Trusting God is no small thing! To God, it is everything. God wants to be chosen too.”
No Cure for Being Human https://a.co/d/hH3n3CM by Kate Bowler. A mix of memoir/self-help/inspiration. I resonated with her words. “Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between, and there’s no cure for being human.”

Fill My Christmas Plate With People, Please!

November 30, 2022 By Kristin Saatzer 4 Comments

On Christmas Eve of 2020, we ate take-out Chinese and watched an online church service, desperately missing our extended family and our special holiday traditions together. Later, on that oh-so-strange night, I lay on the couch, tears falling, and told myself that I would never again take family and friends for granted. Or crowds, live church, in-person shopping, or in-person anything! Shoulder to shoulder, face to face, hand to hand. People.

These last few years have changed all of us.

In the curriculum called the Covid Years, I’ve learned an old lesson in a new way: relationships are vital. We all know this. And I’ve always felt this as fact but wow, was it drilled down in those weird times. I vowed then to intentionally make my loved-ones and Jesus my focus each holiday. Despite the oddness and sadness, there was a beautiful unfussiness in the 2020 holiday and life seemed slower.

Yes, responsibilities are important and necessary, and during the holidays, many of us juggle more than our typical load. So often, I struggle to get it all done while remaining present. There is a boost in my self-esteem, a feeling of value that surges when I am uber-productive. I’m addicted to checking things off my list to the detriment of my relationships. I love people, and I love God, but if I’m not careful, I’m swept up in my typical seasonal trap. Yes, most items on my list are others-focused (buying gifts, charitable giving, baking, cooking, house tasks, etc.) But I want (and need) to connect deeply in my relationships at Christmas.

Perhaps a bit of Patty (or Paul) Productivity lives in you as well?Continue Reading

Scripture for the Season

November 29, 2022 By Kristin Saatzer Leave a Comment

The Paradox of Gratitude and Guilt: 5 Points to Ponder

November 7, 2022 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

“But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to You…”

Jonah 2:9a NIV

“Finish your soup! There are starving children in China who would love to have it.” Sitting at my grandparent’s table with my sister and two cousins, we glared at the bowls of tomato soup in front of us. Glancing at one another, agreeing by the rolling of four sets of eyes, we were more than willing to ship our foul soup off to China.

I appreciate the values my depression-era grandparents instilled in us (and what I wouldn’t give to sit at a table with them again). But unfortunately, picturing poor Chinese kids did not help me want my soup.

Yet this was a pivotal moment in my life’s journey that led me to muse over my good fortune, wrestle with feelings of guilt, and write out questions in my pink Barbie diary (it even had a lock and key).

Why did God allow me to live in the USA?

Why wasn’t I one of the starving children in China?

Why was I born… ME?

As a child, I didn’t exude gratefulness. Sure, I had my moments, but I was a typical upper-middle-class American kid. My every need was provided for, and I was loved dearly, yet entitled. I never saw or met a truly poor child until well into adolescence.

During my adult life, I’ve had opportunities to see and meet poor children: American kids in the foster and school systems and kids in Mexico living in dumps and begging on the streets. I have met homeless orphans and been with children of Mexican prisoners living in boxes next to the prison. Precious kids needing a bowl of tomato soup and oh so much more.

Because of these experiences and by God’s grace, I have grown into a grateful woman (most of the time).Continue Reading