April & May 2024 Issue:
With the warmer weather, it is a great time to pull out a comfortable lawn chair, find a quieter place, and enjoy some good reading. See below for some recent additions to the church library that you may want to consider!
Our church library has more than 4,200 titles searchable here by topic, author and title. Here are just a few:
Highlights:
• None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God, by Michael Barrett
For too long, Christians have domesticated God, bringing Him down to our level as if He is a God who can be tamed. But He is a God who is high and lifted up! One reviewer said, [the author] “leads us to marvel at both how much and how little we know of God.”
• Discovering God Through the Arts, by Terry Glaspey
For many Christians, art sits in the background, existing only for decoration and entertainment. But what if the arts were meant to play a more prominent role? This book seeks to help us discern how works of art offer faith-building, life-changing, and soul-stretching spiritual formation for all Christians.
• Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel, by Russell Moore
We need a church that speaks to the social and political issues with a bigger vision in mind: that of the gospel of Jesus Christ! The signs of the times tell us we are in for days our parents and grandparents never knew. But that’s no call for panic or surrender or outrage. Jesus is alive. Let’s act like it. Let’s follow Him, onward to the future.
• Parenting with Words of Grace, by William P. Smith
Offering practical guidance for grace-filled communication in the midst of the craziness of everyday life, this accessible guide will help us speak in ways that reflect the grace God has shown to us in the gospel.
• Songs of Suffering, by Joni Eareckson Tada
Acting as “song leader”, the author has selected 25 beautiful hymns that speak to the grieving heart. Through personal devotions, she shares her experience with pain and invites us to find comfort as we seek the Lord.
Children’s Corner:
• 3 books by Kristen Wetherell: God Hears Me, God Cares for Me, and God Came Near to Me
• 2 books by Betsy Childs Howard: Polly and the Screen Time Overload, and Arlo and the Great Big Cover-up
Recent Additions:
· The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why are They Going, and What Will it Take to Bring Them Back?, by Jim Davis and Michael Graham
• Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me, by Kevin DeYoung
· Go and Do Likewise: A Call to Follow Jesus in a Life of Mercy and Mission, by Amy DiMarcangelo
· Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference, by Timothy Keller and John Inazu
· Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age, by Melissa Krueger
· Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn’t, by Stephen McAlpine
· Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief Through Terrains of Doubt, by Randy Newman
· God, Technology, and the Christian Life, by Tony Reinke
· Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans, by Scott Sauls
March 2024 Issue:
With the warm, late-winter air and the calendar turning over to March, we begin to anticipate bulbs blooming, summer birds returning, and new birth all throughout creation. Another thing we may be anticipating is the time when we remember our Savior and the work He did for us on the cross. Easter is not just about bunnies and colorful eggs and chocolate. The preparation through the Lenten season up to Resurrection Sunday provides a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in God's amazing plan of rescue, redemption, and restoration. The library team at EFCCL hopes you consider adding some good reading to your Lenten studies this month—here are some of the many options the church library has to choose from! You can find these on the seasonal shelves and endcaps.
Our church library has more than 4,200 titles searchable here by topic, author and title. Here are just a few:
Children:
• The Donkey Who Carried a King, by R.C. Sproul
• The God Contest, by Carl Laferton
• The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross, by Carl Laferton
• My Friend Jesus: The Gospel for Kids, by Kathryn Slattery
• The Case for Christ for Kids, by Lee Strobel
Adults:
• Scandalous, by D.A. Carson
• Christ Crucified, by Donald Macleod
• Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, by Jonty Rhodes
• Surprised by Jesus, by Dane Ortlund
• And the Angels Were Silent, by Max Lucado
• He Chose the Nails, by Max Lucado
• Six Hours One Friday, by Max Lucado
• Christ from Beginning to End, by Trent Hunter and Stephen Wellum
• Rich Wounds, by David Mathis
• Confronting Jesus, by Rebecca McLaughlin
• To the Cross, by Christopher Wright
• One Perfect Life, by John MacArthur
• Cries from the Cross, by Erwin Lutzer
• The Final Days of Jesus, by Andreas Köstenberger
• Witness the Passion, by Richard Exley
• Experiencing the Cross, by Henry Blackaby
February 2024 Issue:
Valentine’s Day is February 14 (have you made your dinner reservations yet?). We don’t know too much about the origins of this holiday that celebrates love, but the most common story centers around a third-century priest who protected the sanctity of marriage. He did this by secretly marrying couples in defiance of a decree from Emperor Claudius II, who wanted to keep men single so that they could serve in his army. But there are at least two other Valentine’s Day origin stories named after other priests named Valentinus. Nevertheless, February is a great month to read a book about love! Our church library has more than 4,200 titles (searchable here), with many great resources about love. Here are just a few:
• The Four Loves, by C.S. Lewis.
Lewis explores the four kinds of human love: affection, the most basic form; friendship, the rarest and perhaps most insightful; eros, passionate love; charity, the greatest and least selfish.
• The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, by Sally Lloyd Jones.
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that tells the story of God’s love for His people, as told from Genesis to Revelation. (Also see the adult version of this book, called The Story of God’s Love for You.)
• Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus, by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson.
This mother-daughter team guides parents to raise their children with grace and an emphasis on Jesus’ loving work at cross.
• The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate, by Gary Chapman.
Chapman explains how people communicate love in different ways, and shares the wonderful things that happen when men and women learn to speak each other's language. (Also see The Five Love Languages of Children and The Five Love Languages of Teenagers.)
• Cherish: The One Word that Changes Everything About Your Marriage, by Gary Thomas.
Thomas shows Christian spouses how notice, appreciate, honor, encourage, and hold each other close to their hearts. (Also see Thomas’ best-selling book, Sacred Marriage: What if God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy?)
The library also has a number of good fiction books to explore: check out Francine Rivers’ 19th century retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer in Redeeming Love. Or any of the works of Julie Klassen.
Best of all, take 25 to 30 minutes to read 1 John and remember, “We love Him because He first loved us!”