Closer Than Your Skin by Susan D. Hill

Book Description:
If you crave the real experience of God’s presence in your daily life…If you sense there’s more to Christianity than service, study, and superficial spirituality…So many of us have lived in that unspoken longing. In these incredible stories, you’ll see how one person found that God is not always content to wait for us to discover Him amid the clutter of life. Instead, when we simply hold out our hands, He illuminates our ordinary world and gives us new eyes to see.

If you’re ready to go beyond knowing about God
to truly knowing Him…

Here’s where life with God begins.

Is God really like a father who cares about the details of our everyday lives? Then why does He often seem so far away, distant in the moments when we could most use a personal touch from Him?

 

Closer Than Your Skin traces the journey of an ordinary Christian who longed to move beyond the trappings of faith to genuine life with God. Her story reveals how to overcome the obstacles that most often block such intimate connection. Through this remarkable account, you’ll gain tangible insight into what a daily, vibrant companionship with the Creator really feels like once you wake up to the eternal reality all around you.

Looking For God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns by Nancy Ortberg

Book Description:

God is in the details, but sometimes we just overlook him. Nancy Ortberg encourages readers to see God in this very personal, very engaging series of essays that will bring God into focus and allow you to grow deeper in your relationship with him than you had ever imagined.

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist

Book Description:

A collection of stories and ideas about the life of celebration that God gives us, this book offers a vision of life as a collection of bright and varied glimpses of hope and redemption and celebration, in and among the heartbreak and boredom and broken glass.

Character Makeover by Katie Brazelton

Book Description:

Embark on a forty-day journey with a personal life coach to develop Christlike character. A continuation of Katie Brazelton’s bestselling Pathway to Purpose for Women, this book was created for women of all ages who want a character-rejuvenating experience that will inspire them to live out God’s unique purpose for their life.

Walking With God by John Eldredge

Book Description:

God longs to speak. And it is our right and privilege to hear His voice. Our deepest longings could all find sufficient fulfillment in God’s company. Yet, somehow, the looming discontent of most Christians is a lack of intimacy with God. Walking with God is unlike any book John has written. It moves through a year in his life showing and teaching what conversational intimacy with God can be like. It teaches readers how to make decisions aligning with God’s will, understand barriers and “agreements” keeping them from the life God intends, fight spiritual battles for their own heart and for others, and much more. Ultimately, Walking with God shows readers that walking intimately with Him can be a normal part of the Christian life.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Book Description:

Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.

In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they — and Grace — know the truth.

In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace’s youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.

The novel is full of secrets — some revealed, others hidden forever, reminiscent of the romantic suspense of Daphne du Maurier. It is also a meditation on memory, the devastation of war and a beautifully rendered window into a fascinating time in history.

Originally published to critical acclaim in Australia, already sold in ten countries and a #1 bestseller in England, The House at Riverton is a vivid, page-turning novel of suspense and passion, with characters — and an ending — the reader won’t soon forget.

The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich

Book Description:

Surviving murderous thieves, a nerve-racking sea voyage, and the deadly sands of Egypt with Napoleon’s army, American adventurer Ethan Gage solved a five-thousand-year-old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion. But the danger is only beginning. . . .

Gage finds himself hurled into the Holy Land in dogged pursuit of an ancient Egyptian scroll imbued with magic, even as Bonaparte launches his 1799 invasion of Israel, which will climax at the epic siege of Acre. Pursuing Napoleon to France, where the general hopes ancient secrets will catapult him to power, the wily and inventive Gage faces old enemies with unlikely new friends, and must use wit, humor, derring-do, and an archaeological key to prevent dark powers from seizing control of the world.

Entertaining and vividly evocative, The Rosetta Key is William Dietrich at his fast-paced, cliff-hanger best. For lovers of stirring historical adventure laden with intriguing mystery and puzzles galore, The Rosetta Key is a terrific thrill ride not to be missed.

Friday Nights by Joanna Trollope

Book Description:

From the master of literary domestic drama, a page-turning novel that dissects the complexities of female friendship and the choices that define women’s lives.
It is Eleanor who starts the Friday night get-togethers. From her window she sees two young women, with small children, separate, struggling, and plainly lonely—and decides to ask them in.
What began as a lark soon becomes a ritual, and the circle widens to include six very different women. They range in age from Jules, who is twenty-two and wants to be a DJ, to Eleanor herself, a retired professional who walks with a stick. They include one wife, three mothers, three singles, and five working women. All of them, variously, value Friday nights.
Until one of them meets a man—an enigmatic, significant man—and the whole dynamic changes. The bonds that have been so closely forged are tested—and some of them break.
With wit and warmth, Joanna Trollope explores the complexities, the sabotages, and the shifting currents of modern female friendship.

A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End by Avi

Book Description:

Avon the snail and Edward the ant are back for another funny–and philosophical–adventure. This time, Avon has decided he wants to be a writer, only to discover that writing is way more difficult than he ever imagined. He finally gets the word Something written down, but there’s a problem: What to write next? Luckily, his friend Edward is there to advise.
         
Brimming with wit, wisdom, and humor, this warm and winning tale of two friends on a quest will be enjoyed by readers (and writers) of all ages.

What Shamu Taught Me About Life… by Amy Sutherland

From the Publisher

While observing exotic animal trainers for her acclaimed book Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched, journalist Amy Sutherland had an epiphany: What if she used these training techniques with the human animals in her own life–namely her dear husband, Scott? In this lively and perceptive book, Sutherland tells how she took the trainers’ lessons home.The next time her forgetful husband stomped through the house in search of his mislaid car keys, she asked herself, “What would a dolphin trainer do?” The answer was: nothing. Trainers reward the behavior they want and, just as important, ignore the behavior they don’t. Rather than appease her mate’s rising temper by joining in the search, or fuel his temper by nagging him to keep better track of his things in the first place, Sutherland kept her mouth shut and her eyes on the dishes she was washing. In short order, Scott found his keys and regained his cool. “I felt like I should throw him a mackerel,” she writes. In time, as she put more training principles into action, she noticed that she became more optimistic and less judgmental, and their twelve-year marriage was better than ever.What started as a goofy experiment had such good results that Sutherland began using the training techniques with all the people in her life, including her mother, her friends, her students, even the clerk at the post office. In the end, the biggest lesson she learned is that the only animal you can truly change is yourself.

Full of fun facts, fascinating insights, hilarious anecdotes, and practical tips, What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage describes Sutherland’s Alice-in-Wonderland experience of stumbling into a world where cheetahs walk nicely on leashes and elephants paint with watercolors, and of leaving a new, improved Homo sapiens.

How to Stop Dieting and Start Living by Sue Prosser

Book Description
This book reveals why diets don’t usually work. Looking at spiritual factors as well as physical and emotional ones, Sue Prosser combines biblical principles with practical advice and gently encourages readers to look into the reasons why they see themselves as they do.
 

Learn How To:  

* Achieve weight goals and enjoy a fit and healthy life.

* Discover why disordered eating habits have developed.

* Break free from a “diet mentality” which brings guilt and shame.

* Say no to unneeded food.

* Recognise and correct unhelpful thought patterns which govern eating habits.

* Recognise “inner hunger” and satisfy it more appropriately.

Sacred Pathways by Gary L. Thomas

*** READ & REVIEWED ***

From the Back Cover:

“THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S SPIRITUAL WALK“

After all, it’s his, not yours. Better to discover the path God designed you to take–a path marked by growth and fulfillment, based on your unique temperament.

In Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas strips away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and guides you toward a path of worship that frees you to be you. If your devotional times have hit a snag, perhaps it is because you’re trying to follow someone else’s path.

This book unfolds nine distinct spiritual temperaments ~ their traits, strengths, and pitfalls. In one or more, you will see yourself and the ways you most naturally express your relationship with Jesus Christ. Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it’s not by accident. It’s by the design of a Creator who knew what He was doing when He made you according to His own unique specifications. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God.”

Authentic Faith by Gary L. Thomas

From the Back Cover
Fortify your commitment to Christ by examining ten authentic disciplines God uses to forge a fire-tested faith

What if the spiritual disciplines that bring us closer to God are not the ones we control? Best-selling author Gary Thomas reveals the rich benefits that derive from embracing the harder truths of Scripture. With penetrating insight from Scripture and the Christian classics, along with colorful and engaging stories, this eye-opening look at what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus will encourage you, bolster your faith, and help you rise above shallow attachments to fix your heart on things of eternal worth.

Seeking the Face of God by Gary L. Thomas

From Publishers Weekly
Thomas (Sacred Pathways) offers readers a simple method for fostering greater devotion to God. He uses excerpts from Christian spiritual classics, by authors ranging from Augustine, Pascal and Fenelon, as springboards into topics such as the journey of faith, setting spiritual goals, cultivating simplicity and spiritual gluttony. Thomas explains in seven steps how one can train both body and soul to draw closer to God. Seekers should invest time studying the writings of godly men and women of the past, learn to imitate contemporary models of holiness, cultivate godly character virtues, use bodily discomfort as a way to free the soul, rise early to begin each day with God and live life reflectively. Hoping to inspire and guide readers in their journey, Thomas lists his favorite authors’ works in an appendix. Like a fine wine, Thomas’s practical guide must be savored slowly to appreciate its fullness and flavor.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Beth Moore ~ March ’08

 The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus

John the apostle must have thought he had seen everything. Having been with Jesus all the years of his ministry, John witnessed more miracles than he could count, saw more displays of power than he could comprehend, and experienced more love than he could fathom. And one unforgettable morning young John outran Peter to his Savior’s empty tomb. Just as Christ took John on a lifelong journey into the depths of His love, He will do the same for you. The bridegroom’s love is unmatched and inexhaustible, and He is waiting to lavish it on you, His beloved.

 

A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David

He was a man loved and annointed by God, and his life serves as an example-both good and bad-for Christians in every time and place. In this in-depth look at the life of David, Beth Moore draws spiritual insight and understanding from a man who slayed a giant and saved a kingdom.

This book guides readers on an exciting and informative journey through virtually every twist and turn of David’s life as a shepherd, refugee, and king. Moore introduces readers to the heart of a man whose triumphs and sins were foundation blocks of God’s plan and prophecy and shows readers how to better serve God by understanding their own unique relationship to Him.

 

Gripped By the Greatness of God by James MacDonald

Book Description

When was the last time you were really and truly gripped by God’s greatness? Most Christians recall heartfelt resolutions around a fire at bible camp as children, and perhaps a revival meeting or two. But what causes the fervor of those experiences to translate into a consistent life pattern? Pastor and author James MacDonald believes that the better we understand God, the better we understand ourselves, and the less likely we are to favor our own will over God’s. He writes: ‘God is not safe and He will not be squeezed into some neat, respectable Sunday discussion..No. To Know God at all is to watch Him explode any box we put Him in with His terror, majesty and indescribable wonder.’ Expounding upon Isaiah’s encounters with God, MacDonald prods snoozing saints to rediscover the wonder of God’s attributes. He also shares candidly from his experiences in life and ministry where God proved Himself to be the Great I AM. This book will spur new and seasoned believers alike to detest mediocrity in their spiritual walks.