January + February 2025 Issue:
Welcome to the 1st issue in 2025 of From the Library Corner with the latest happenings from your church library! Our team (Jackie Hayden, Jon and Emily Peterson, and Pastor Tim) is excited to share with you some of the great resources to check out and use. In this issue, we will look at two areas: recommendations from Pastor Jay for his next sermon series on the Beatitudes, and a sampling of recent additions.
You can browse the entire library collection of over 4,000 items here.
The Next Sermon Series | The Beatitudes: God’s Path to Maturity and Joy
On January 12, Pastor Jay begins a new sermon series on the Beatitudes, the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:3-12. For context, read chapters 3 and 4 of the first Gospel. During the series, read the Beatitudes regularly and try memorizing them. Then consider his recommendations for further reading and study (multiple copies of each are in the library on the shelves in the middle of the room):
· Entry level: Colin Smith, Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes (this resource is being given to all the Community Group leaders)
· Mid-level: John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount
· Advanced level: Craig Blomberg, Matthew, The New American Commentary Series
Additionally, we have other books on the Beatitudes/Sermon on the Mount by: James Boice, John Calvin, D. A. Carson, Chris Castaldo, Sinclair Ferguson, John MacArthur, and Charles Spurgeon.
Recent Additions to the Library
We hope these will whet your appetite for some good reading (you’ll also find these on the shelves in the middle of the library):
· Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling, by William Boekestein
· You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission, by Brian DeVries
· Spurgeon: A Life, by Alex DiPrima
· I’m Stressed: A Path from Pressure to Peace, by Elizabeth Huie
· Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids, by Elizabeth Huie
· Raising Kids in a Hyper-sexualized World, by Elizabeth Huie
· By Life or By Death: The: Life and Legacy of John and Betty Stam (missionaries to China), by Andrew Montonera
· To the Tenth Generation: God’s Heart for Your Family, Far into the Future, by Ray and Jani Ortlund
· We Shall All Be Changed: How Facing Death with Loved Ones Transforms Us, by Whitney Pipkin
· Cultural Sanctification: Engaging the World Like the Early Church, by Stephanie Presley
· The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church, by Justin Schell
· Now and Not Yet: Pressing In When You’re Waiting, Wanting, and Restless for More, by Ruth Chou Simons
· When the Hurt Won’t Heal, by Craig Svenson
· What Do I Say When…? A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children and Teens, by Andrew Walker
· When Parents Feel Like Failures: How Jesus Quiets Our Distress, by Lauren Whitman
December 2024 Issue:
In Matthew’s account of the Christmas story, we read these words: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means “God with us”).”
God with us! What a glorious truth that Jesus the Son would become like us so He could be our Savior! As you enjoy your family traditions this Christmas season, our library team hopes you will add something else to the mix—some good reading to help you renew the awe of the incarnation. Here’s a sample of items you’ll find in the church library reflecting the season (look for them on the endcaps and seasonal shelves of the bookcases in the middle of the library).
CLICK HERE to search the entire library collection of over 4,200 items by title, author, and topic.
For Children:
· What God Wants for Christmas, by Amy Bradford
· Jesus and the Characters of Christmas, by Daniel Darling
· The Night Before Christmas, by Oliver Lancaster
· The Christmas Promise, by Alison Mitchell
For Adults:
· Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, by Ace Collins
· The Characters of Christmas, by Daniel Darling
· Away with the Manger: A Spiritually Correct Christmas Story, by Chris Fabry
· Hidden Christmas, by Tim Keller
· The First Days of Jesus, by Andreas Köstenberger and Alexander Stewart
· Christmas Uncut, by Carl Laferton
· The Four Emotions of Christmas, by Bob Lepine
· God with Us, by John MacArthur
· The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, by David Mathis
· The Coming of the King: 25 Readings for Advent, by J.C. Ryle
· Putting God Back in the Holidays, by Bill and Peggy Thrasher
· The Advent of Glory, by R.C. Sproul