The people who receive this newsletter are an odd mix: Family and friends who have known me for ages, folk from church and family camp, customers and people who have taken classes at The Word Shop, people I've connected with through the "In the Spirit" column, Toastmasters, staff and those who contacted me via our website.
I started out separating everyone into folders, thinking I would tailor a different newsletter for each group. Right. I now have 15 folders and if I can get ONE newsletter out a month I'm doing well. (Did you notice that December just slid by?) I am always grateful to hear that something piqued your interest and of course will delete you (or move you to the "creeps and jerks" folder?) if you want to be taken off the eNewsletter list.
About the "In the Spirit" column: The Sentinel doesn't forward any mail or items to me. If you sent something to the paper and wondered why it didn't appear in my column, that's why. You have to send it directly to me. Don't feel you must write a whole press release. Hit "Reply" and send a line saying, "we're doing such and such; call so and so." I'll follow-up by phone.
NEW BIBLE ARRIVALS: Another two boxes of Bibles came in, the more unusual ones are a Douay, a 1611 KJV facsimile, a Parallel NIV/KJV Greek Interlinear, a Lamsa, and a big one in German that was presented as a gift in 1911. There's a handful of Gideon Bibles, which we always just give away to anyone who asks. We have a number of RSV, New English, Living, KJV, Spanish Bibles and a couple NAS, Jerusalem, NRSV & NIV. There was also a four volume set of Butler's Lives of the Saints, which I priced at $100 in the hopes that no one would buy it. (A good reference for some of the zany conversations that unfold around here.)
MORE NEW ARRIVALS: Barney brought in wonderful boxes of books, which we're still working into the system. There's a nice stack of Maranatha/Integrity Praise Books, a lot of pastor/leadership/evangelism material, and some real gems including an Aimee Semple McPherson THIS IS THAT; Elisabeth's Elliot's biography on Amy Carmichael, A CHANCE TO DIE; and a 10 Volume set of OT Commentaries by Keil-Delitzsch.
Robert scooped up the Beatles song book, and THE PREHISTORY OF FAR SIDE which is a totally entertaining autobiography by Gary Larson.
I read HAPPINESS IS CHOICE, a Minirth-Meier book on depression, and DELIVERANCE PRAYER, mostly Jesuit essays edited by the Linn brothers. My favorite line was in an essay by Francis Macnutt where he said that referring possible demonic oppression cases to the Bishop's office makes very good sense until you've actually tried it.
A bit later I rounded out this spirit/soul/body run with HEAD FIRST, Norman Cousin's "Biology of Hope" which looked at various studies, mostly around UCLA Medical School, about the healing properties of positive emotions.
I tend to gravitate toward the books in the 'healing/prayer/spiritual direction' shelves. Certain sections (like Millennial Panic) I'm totally ignorant about. I did, however, watch the first "Left Behind" movie. It was almost as good as "Dogma," which had abysmal language, assumed every male's brain was in the lower parts of his anatomy, and romped merrily through truth, heresies, hopes and misconceptions around Christendom. I suppose it is good to watch these things in order to practice discerning truth from error. Keeps you in shape for church.
Our "OT by Book" shelf is getting fairly crammed. This is where we put whole books that focus on a particular book of the Bible. They are arranged by Bible-book, not by author. Some well known authors end up with a book or two in here, Sheaffer has one on Joshua, Lloyd-Jones on Habakkuk...the Psalms pile is the highest. We allotted two shelves to the NT, so there's still some give there.
Our box of group studies is currently hodgepodge (a new denomination?) but we have hopes of sorting it out by book of the bible and other topics.
Debbie writes that Eldridge's WILD AT HEART, which I mentioned last month...(er, ah, last TIME)...is not just for men. Both her daughters read it and liked it. They said it was good for understanding men, and that they also wished all the men in their lives would read it. It's now in my to read pile, which hopefully I'll get to before I meet Rosemarie for lunch. She ordered it a month ago.
We got in a dozen secular board books for babies. They are in pristine condition. (The books not the babies.) Priced at $2 each.
If you're local and in the ministry in any way (not just CEOs of churches), you can have five books for a dollar from our 'doubles on the floor' or $1 sale box. 'Doubles on the Floor' is under the parenting/marriage/family shelf and houses a lot of old bestsellers, that we just have extra copies of. This is a great opportunity to pass on some of the books that blessed you. The offer is good through January. We need to clean our carpet and the books on the floor are in the way. (You've heard, of course, of the Church on the Way. It is distant kin of Books in the Way.)
Library: A place where the dead lie. -Elbert Hubbard, author, editor, printer (1856-1915) [The Roycroft Dictionary]
Blessings,
Alliee +