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Hear Ye All Church Members! The Church
Library is for You, Yes, You, Too !
Get ready to read! We
have lots of new Christian fiction books. There are a lot of good books for
children. Many of them are on the Accelerated Reader list. Each school's list
is different, so check your school's list. There are Christian books, videos,
and DVD's for children. We do hope that you will find something for your
entire family. Please remember to check out the DVDs by signing the card on the
back of the DVD. Please date it and put the card in the card jar on the check
out table. Video tapes need to be checked out by signing the yellow check out
slip. There are 2 DVDS missing from the library. They are Cheaper by the
Dozen and Mickey. Please help us find them!!!
The members of the
library committee would like to thank everyone for their book donations. We
can use most any kind of books. Also we need books for our paperback exchange.
When you borrow a paperback book, please leave one for others to read.
Thank you,
The Library Committee
Some church members seem to think that the library is
mainly for children and novel readers and for quick reference on difficult
Bible topics. NOT TRUE! There are books on the shelves for everyone, covering a
wide range of fields of interest. In many cases, you do not have to put your
name on a waiting list for a bestseller at the public library because it is
right here in the church library. Can't wait to read Freakonomics? We have it.
Love Simon Winchester's fabulous studies of world cataclysms and other
subjects? Look for his books on our shelves. Meanwhile, we DO have all the Jan
Karon and Miss Julia books and new children's titles chosen by the ELC staff
and presented by the Discussion Class in memory of Margaret Gardner. Sweating
over having to give a devotional? Dan Sansbury has given Magnificent Prayer in
memory of his father. The book has a devotional for each day of the year.
Eleanor McCallie Cooper's book Grace in China makes fascinating reading, and
you'll find out why China is communist until this very day. David McCullough's
bestseller, 1776, which gives great insight into how we became our wonderful
nation, is also on our shelves. And don't let your middle schoolers miss the
fun of the Carl Hiaasen books mentioned here last month: Hoot and Flush.
Harriet New has given in memory of her mother the fascinating Civil War book
set in Tennessee, Widow of the South. Be sure to look at the large print
editions in their special section. There are too many new titles to list them
all.
DON'T SELL YOUR
CHURCH LIBRARY SHORT!
GET IN THERE AND FIND WONDERFUL READING.
An excerpt from Out of the Salt Shaker & into
the World by Rebecca Manley Pippert:
I remember being with a Christian student on a beach
during an evangelism training week. Bob and I met several religious skeptics
and began talking abut all sorts of things. Eventually the conversation got
around to Christianity, and it was a lively and invigorating discussion. We
even exchanged addresses before leaving. I was feeling very good about the
conversation, but Bob seem very quiet.
When I asked him what was wrong, he said, “I thought it
was an absolute failure. There are four major points to the gospel and you only
brought in two of them, and they weren’t even in the right order!”
I said, “What were the names of the
three people we meet this afternoon?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “What in the world
difference does that make? There were two females and one male. Or was it the
other way around?”
I
stared at him in disbelief and sadness. Here was a young man who genuinely
loved God. He was exceedingly religious and sincere. I doubt that he ever
missed his daily devotions. And yet he had missed the entire point.
He was sure his agenda, his four
points, were the supreme value. Yet his program was so rigid that real live
human beings could not penetrate it. We actually must be aware of this kind of
pharisaism, for it is so frequently the disease of the devoted. This student
was so busy rehearsing his four points of salvation that he forgot that he was
speaking to the very people Christ had come to save.
We must never forget that to be a follower of
Jesus is to be dominated by love. We may not be well versed in Scripture of
have a seminary background; we may be timid and unsure of ourselves; but we
have arms and hearts that were meant to be used. We must ask ourselves, Do I
treat people as royalty walking the earth, including even my parents, my
spouse, my roommate, the student on the floor that I can’t stand? Do I believe
that by merely seeing me God would break into a run and embrace me? Does my
life reflect only religious activity, or does it bear the mark of profound
love? When our lives are characterized by the love of Christ, we can begin to
interest people in the gospel.
It bears repeating: if we are going to arouse seekers’ curiosity in
Jesus, then we must demonstrate the love of Jesus.
Please help us by making sure that you don't have any overdue books or
videos. Videos and DVDs should be returned after one week, and books may be
kept for 30 days. By your returning books and videos on time, they will be
available for other church members.
Our church library is a
valuable resource for Christian and pleasure reading, and we hope it will be
used by all!
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