Lee and Bromleigh are two of my dearest friends and colleagues, and the arc of my motherhood and ministry thus far has in many ways been parallel to both of theirs. (My older daughter is a few months younger than theirs, and my baby was born the same month as Lee's.) I have accompanied them in the living of many of these stories and even mulled over many of these insights, in conversation and sneak previews of various chapters. Reading their book, Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People, has made me miss them both terribly (I live in Nicaragua now), but more importantly, the book offers a taste of the humor and thoughtful reflection that I so cherish in them to a much larger audience.
Despite my familiarity with them, I found for myself a freshness in their writing, a much-needed reminder of what is good and true and important in this life as lived with small children. Because their theology is incarnational (made flesh), based in rather than removed from the stuff of everyday life, they are able to remind us of these things without denying any of the parts that are mundane, exhausting, or even sticky.
Reading this book was like being preached to, being spiritually fed. So much of parenting literature, even when there is nothing remotely religious about it, leaves one feeling preached at (a.k.a. scolded).
Both Hull Moses and McCleneghan are formidable preachers, so it is no surprise that their writing, like good preaching, takes you on a journey with them, and uplifts and inspires even as it names complex, often literally messy problems. (Are cloth diapers worth it? How do we navigate parenting together? Will the children ever sleep?) They address all these themes drawing on a delightful variety of sources of wisdom: Tina Fey and Immanuel Kant appear in adjacent endnotes.
Hopes and Fears, like the best preaching, doesn't just apply theological wisdom to our daily lives (although it does that). What these wise, wonderful writers do is locate their stories, and our stories, in the Great Story of the Bible and Christian tradition. They assure us that these questions of how we live together in families do matter. So you will find in these pages more than just funny, true stories you can easily relate to if you are, have been, or have known a new parent. You will also find here glimpses of God's dream for our lives, the assurance of grace, hope that our redemption truly works itself out in the midst of our gloriously imperfect lives.
Don't be surprised if I give you a copy for Christmas.
