Books

            Our library is open and I’ve been enjoying suspenseful romance novels by Mindy Starns Clark. One is A Penny for Your Thoughts, copyrighted in 2002 by author Mindy Starns Clark, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR.

https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Thoughts-Million-Dollar-Mysteries/dp/0736929568

I don’t know why I didn’t start with this first book but I finally got to it last week. I am enjoying this series. I was going to write that she is a new author to me, but as I looked for an image of this book, I saw that she wrote a book I bought a few years back, entitled The House That Cleans Itself, copyrighted in 2007 by Mindy Starns Clark, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR.

https://www.abebooks.com/House-Cleans-Creative-Solutions-Clean-Orderly/30819463303/bd?cm_mmc=ggl

Another author in the same genre is Colleen Coble and I started the Sunset Cove Series last week. The first book is The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, copyright 2015 by Colleen Coble, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/sunset-cove/79841/?gclid=CjwKCAjwj6SEBhAOEiwAvFRuKJGwmrCNDc8YFMzoEa3YIdApkPwT61GZvwz_w50mi9SXVUuNcwdRBxoC2M0QAvD_BwE

Both authors penned books with family betraying their members, which made me feel sad. I don’t have a perfect family. I don’t know anyone who does. But maybe it’s the way I was brought up-as best we could our siblings watched out for one another. I recommend both these authors if you enjoy solving a puzzle while wondering if the heroine will find the love of her life.

I usually read Christian novels. Non-fiction is the kind of book I select most often, but I can relax and learn a little something from fiction at the same time as well.

Sometimes I’ll read and feel dissatisfied, so I’ll stick a bookmark in the tome and pick up my Bible. After a few pages, I’ll think about the life I find in Scripture. It doesn’t compare to a normal book. I ponder why I’m reading things other than the Word.

I don’t think God minds me reading other books since I do read the Bible, but I do know He wouldn’t have me make an idol of fiction or non-fiction works. God is jealous for us. He made mankind for relationship with Him. Rather amazing when I consider that He’s so much more than a tiny human being.

I hope you are well. May God bless you.

“All My Life You Have Been Faithful”

CeCe Winans sings a song entitled “Goodness of God,” with a group of singers and musicians. It’s live out of Nashville, TN and there is a blue background. I wanted to share this with you and hope you’ll be as blessed as I have been! I set it up as full screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y81yIo1_3o8

May God bless you!

If It’s Not Right, Change It

Sometimes I write a blog and I don’t send it out because it doesn’t seem right, which I’ve done more than once lately. So, last night I left one behind, picked up my pen and legal pad and started over again.

I went to the library last evening to get a book I asked the librarian to buy, and it came and got processed in less than a week! I asked for two. “The second one is from another warehouse,” she said, “so it’ll be delivered later.”

I called to thank her because at first, I didn’t realize it was new. I took out a book some years ago on cleaning and organizing. It was a brand-new hard cover edition and six months later I decided to reference it. By then, the tome was smelly, dirty and food stuck the pages together. This too is a book on organizing, so I was a little disappointed to receive a used book-until I checked which library owned it. It looked too good to be used. It belonged to our library, yay!

https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780785278412?cm_mmc=ggl-_-COM_DSAETAFEED_Trade-_-naa-_-naa&gclid=CjwKCAjw3pWDBhB3EiwAV1c5rLAb_BqdZWWKq5V5AOyWcxXLOWYeXCA2h1KiN5XO5ycDDx_62prLuhoCckEQAvD_BwE

The second non-fiction book I requested was written by Gordon MacDonald, Mid-Course Correction: Re-Ordering Your Private World for the Next Part of Your Journey, copyright 2000, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN, because author/agent David E. Fessenden recommends it in his book, Writing the Christian Non-Fiction Book: Concept to Contract, published by Sonfire Media, Galax, VA, copyright 2011.

http://Amazon.com

I ordered A Resilient Life: You Can Move Ahead No Matter What by Gordon MacDonald, copyright 2004, and published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN from another library. I thought if David Fessenden says authors will learn from studying Gordon MacDonald’s style for certain kinds of writing, any of his books in our library system may help.

https://www.christianbook.com/a-resilient-life-gordon-macdonald/9780785287919/pd/87914?en=google&event=SHOP&kw=books-0-20%7C87914&p=1179710&dv=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw3pWDBhB3EiwAV1c5rLksDY6ooIu8345ricFM2pV6T1WynnJf19ZPMEgCv8oC6pHy5pQEmxoCqlkQAvD_BwE

At the very beginning of this tome, I realized being a year into a global pandemic, it’ll help to read about persevering during tough times. Pastor Gordon MacDonald learned many life lessons from his track coach, Marvin W. Goldberg at Stony Brook School, a college preparatory school on the north shore of Long Island, New York. At the time, he thought he was learning about running techniques and conditioning the body for success. Over the years, when facing difficult situations, he tells the reader he learned many life skills that he applied to his relationships, business decisions, and to pastoring people from advice from Coach Marvin W. Goldberg.

If you like sports, encouragement, and some good insights perhaps you’d like to read A Resilient Life: You Can Move Ahead No Matter What. When I read books, I’m often surprised at how they speak to me. Not as deeply as the Word of God speaks, but I’m enjoying this hardback that entertains and tells of hard-earned wisdom. Gordon MacDonald learned to stick to difficult tasks.

Even if you must start over again, as I have over the years, there is a learning curve that comes from experience that helps you stay the course in trying times, and that brings satisfaction.

May God bless you!