Lisa-Jo Baker
About the Author

Lisa-Jo Baker is a bestselling author, lapsed lawyer, and current acquisitions editor for HarperCollins. Originally from South Africa, Lisa-Jo lives outside Washington, D.C., where she fell in love with her husband in the summer of ’96. Their story spans decades, languages, countries, books, three very opinionated teens, and one dog.

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things we love
& you will too!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wow if there was ever a book I thought I needed to read, this is it. Can’t wait to read it soon!

  2. WOW. That was powerful, and a reminder for me about choices and changes and acceptance. I grew up in an angry family and was angry as I began to parent. Thankfully, somewhere along the line, I realized what I was doing. It took time to turn around. It took a community of faith that I joined. These days, I find so much inspiration and comfort in scripture.

  3. BEAUTIFUL Lisa-Jo. What a brave book you have written. We all have ‘skin’ and those ‘hidden’ we need to shed. God is in the midst, drawing Us close to Him and pruning our hearts and lives to be like that of Christ, humble, servant heart filled with love, compassion and grace!! thank you for being so brave!! I can’t wait to read. God bless you

  4. Powerful story!! I’ve just become a mom myself in June of this year and have been thinking about what it looks like to invite Jesus to transform some generational sins and help me raise my daughter differently. Thank God for redeeming, changing grace!!

  5. History can’t be locked away, and inherited history doesn’t have to be repeated. Those are powerful statements! This sounds like amazing book. Anger has been all too present in my parenting. I realize I’m trying in my own strength to change rather than looking to God for help. This was a good reminder today that it’s not over yet, God is still working.

  6. As a newly wed, i find myself sometimes repeating the behaviour I noticed in either of my parent. It could be the tendency to nag, the impatience, and even callousness. Reading this truly would be life changing! Well done Lisa-Jo

  7. So good, and such a wonderful reminder that it’s never too late to shed those old snakeskins of the past.

  8. I have many regrets in many of my reactions when raising my girls so this hits home. I wish so much I could do things differently with a different outcome. But we can’t. So I relentlessly turn them over to my Father who can make the changes I can’t. And pray they will one day listen.

  9. Dear Lisa-Jo….I really enjoyed your devotional today. It relates to me, but kind of in the opposite way. I have one sister who has not spoken to me for 9 years now. When my mother was still here, she lived in her house,but my sister lived there too. My mother was in her 90’s. I visited often even though I had a very demanding job. When my sister had to go into the hospital for 7 weeks, I happened to be visiting that day. Patty told me she was going to put Mother in a nursing home until she got out of the hospital. I said, Why would you do this? Why wouldn’t you ask me? By that time I was retired so I had time. My mother gave me the biggest smile and said,” Betsy, you would do that? ” Of course I would. I could see my sister was angry, but I did go and stay with my Mother for that time. Didn’t know much of what went on between the two of them as my sister basically stalked her. My sister and I had TOTALLY different personalities. Mother always told me that I was a great baby and very sweet to everyone all the way from Sunday School which I started at age 5 all the up through college and beyond as an adult. I needed to tell you this part so maybe you would understand what I am about to tell you. The reason why my sister looked so angry when I said I would stay with Mother, was because she knew Mother would then have the chance to tell me what was going on. My Mother told me she made a big mistake giving Patty her POA as my sister had drained my Mom’s bank account to pay her own bills as she was in credit card debt for $40,000. She was also abusing my Mother and she was terrified to the point that she always had to do what Patty wanted or Mom would be in trouble. There is too much more to this story, but when my Mother died at age 96, my sister was not there but at her daughter’s house playing with a puppy for hours. When she came home, she found my Mother dead in the bathtub. She called me, but would not wait 10 minutes for me to get to her house so I could follow her to the hospital. My husband was in Italy and I didn’t know how to get to the hospital. She refused to wait. I never got the chance to say goodbye to my Mom. I was devastated and she was not really sick and Patty should have been there at that time, as I knew Mother’s routine. We never found out how or why Mother died and then making the funeral arrangements she several times tried to make me look like a terrible person in front of all these people. After all of this, I am trying to get to my question to you Lisa-Jo I did not say anything at that time as I am not that kind of person, but after the funeral awhile I told her everything. I am the older daughter and she would not let me have any of Mother’s things or have access to all our old family albums. I haven’t been able to forgive her for all of this, but I have tried to contact her and she has blocked all my phone numbers and emails. Now I don’t even know where she lives. I tried to send her cards and said we should get together and try and talk. She sent the cards back unopened, So, what more can I do? You is not a spiritual person like me and has no faith. My mother did not deserve this kind of treatment and I was very close to her. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can handle this, because if I tell Jesus that I have not been able to forgive this, I know He will not like that and I don’t want Him to think that I am that kind of person. You (in )courage women have helped me so much with your daily devotionals which are the first thing I do after I get dressed. Thank you all for your support………..Betsy

    • Dear Betsy,
      Continue on your path towards reconciliation and resolution. Remember even though sister isn’t by your side on this path in the present, God is! His divine hand is at work in bringing you peace about your family situation.

  10. I love this! We have a choice. Each generation can change patterns, though it is not easy! I have been reading through all those horrible kings in 2 Chronicles. They were influenced by their recent family tree, but they also, each of them, had a choice. I want to submit my patterns to Jesus and let Him change what needs changing to make me more like Him.

  11. Wow! This sounds like a powerful story. God bless youbforbyour tranaparency.

  12. Happy to have heard about this book during summertime so I can read and savor the story. Thanks!!

  13. I’m counting down the days until I get my turn with our library copy!
    Truly I believe this is a “now” story as so many parents are healing their own wounds and entrusting the next generation to the Grace of God.

  14. Lisa-Jo,
    I find the topic of generational commonalities and patterns fascinating -the healthy, the ones needing fertilized, and the ones which need pulled out by their roots!
    As believers, we know God can bestow His graces upon us, so that we may bring renewed life and vitality to our family trees. What a timely book you’ve shared at a time when so many family trees need strengthened!

  15. I have heard so many good things about this book. I would love to read it soon! Thanks for the excerpt and the opportunity to win!

  16. This book is on the top of my wish list. Families are so complicated and it’s easy to think that it’s too late to change patterns. I look forward to reading about Lisa-Jo and her family.

  17. What an incredible Hope we have – thank you for sharing this deeply personal account ,and offering hope to so many.
    Blessings
    Maxine

  18. I can’t wait to read (or hear) this book. I hope to have both the book and audio version at sometime. I believe that I also have mirrored things my father did, that I wish I hadn’t. Thanks for this opportunity to win a copy.

  19. I need to shed a skin to become fresh and clean. A new and improved version of me. I’d love to read this book!

  20. This episode had my stomach in knots because our how much it felt like Lisa Jo had borrowed my heartache to write this book! I can’t wait to read it, and while I am slightly terrified, I am also very excited because there is nothing in the world like being seen and knowing that you are not alone! Thank you for your obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to allow your testimony to be a blessing to people like me! Much Love, Cynthia R.

  21. Lisa-Jo,

    If this is anything like your other books I know it will be a great read for many. We don’t have to repeat our family’s past. We can break generational history & rewrite the family tree. Like you said we can shed the skin & make ourselves new with God’s help.

    Blessings 🙂

  22. I find your story relatable and look forward to finding encouragement in it for my own path as I seek healing and reconciliation with my past as it relates to my parents.