Ten Books

Are you one of those people who likes a list? I am.

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Besides my ever-present to-do list, I have lists of potential writing topics, books I hope to read, gift ideas, and even people I pray for. What lists do you keep handy to help you stay on track?

One task that finds itself on my list three times a year is to put together the next issue of The Women's LINK. Its logo reads, "Linking Women to One Another and to the Word." Fitting for a church newsletter, don't you think? We try to cover a variety of topics to encourage the women (and men) who read it. Last winter, our theme was "Ten Things." Yep! A newsletter full of lists. These lists were not intended to keep readers up late or bog them down. Instead, we hoped they would encourage them, spark some fresh ideas, and even make them smile.

This coming weekend, the fall issue of the LINK will be distributed. Our theme? Books! Seems to me this is the time of year when we find ourselves reaching for something to anchor our routines and stimulate our minds, something to read.

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"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers" (Charles W. Eliot).

So, here's a list of ten books. Perhaps one or two will be the right read for you.

 1. Pathway of Peace: Living in a Growing Relationship with Christ by Cheryl Elton
 2. The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan
 3. Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf
 4. Windows of the Soul: Hearing God in the Everyday Moments of Your Life by Ken Gire
 5. Pictures Your Heart Remembers: Building Lasting Memories of Love and Acceptance in Your Family by John Trent, Ph.D.
 6. Acts of Faith Trilogy: The Centurion's Wife, The Hidden Flame, The Damascus Way by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke
 7. Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow
 8. Ruth Bell Graham's Collected Poems
 9. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young
10. Secure in the Everlasting Arms by Elisabeth Elliot 

What books have you enjoyed? Please . . . add them to the list!

Magic Carpet

What's your favorite thing to do during the winter season? 

In our house, we like to read! On any given snow day, I'm bound to find our daughter in the recliner sideways with a thick hardback in front of her. Her dad often has his nose in book at the dining room table, and I find my own way to to snatch a chapter here and there. A great pastime when the wind is howling and temperatures hover near zero.

Here's a silly little jingle about reading dedicated to the children - and maybe to the kid inside each of us.

Make a book your magic carpet.

Open it up and off you go!

 Fly above villages, mountains, and rivers; 

Look over the edge at the glittering snow.

A book's a great forever friend.

It goes with you anywhere:

On your bus ride home to supper

Or curled up in your favorite chair.

People may tell you, "Please be quiet."

But your book can talk to you!

Always learning, always growing - 

That's what books can help you do!

So, on the next snow day, which genre will you turn to first? Which authors will you look for at the library? Is there a picture book that makes you smile?

For starters, I enjoy fiction by Francine Rivers, non-fiction by Ken Gire, Elisabeth Elliot, and Joni Earickson Tada, poetry by Ruth Bell Graham - and a good mystery once in a while . . . 

When our girls were little, a favorite story was The Lemon Drop Jar by Christine Widman.

What book titles are your favorites?