January 2022 Selection: Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer
A story of dreaming big and working hard, of success and failure, of questions and answers. With wit and heart, Vischer shares how God can use the death of a dream to point us toward true success.
VeggieTales stars, Larry, Bob, and Archibald are the most famous vegetables you'll ever meet. Even when known around the world, so much of the story hasn't been told. In Me, Myself, and Bob, Vischer, Veggie Tales creator, gives a behind-the-scenes look at his journey with the loveable veggies. From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer tells of his trial and ultimate triumph, as God inspired him with one big idea after another.
Join our Bookworm discussion Friday 1/28/22 (5:30pm) @ the Chrisman’s, Pizza will be served. Books are $5 and can be picked up on the counter in our library. Please place payment in the envelope provided. Call Georgia @ 781-361-1290 to rsvp or for directions.
October 2021 Selection:
C.S. Lewis & Mere Christianity: The Crisis That Created a Classic By: Paul McCusker
C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, is one of the best books of Christian apologetics ever written. Arguably, other than the Bible, no book has had as much influence for the gospel over the past 60 years. This is a story of how Mere Christianity was created during the rigors of WWII in England. It is fascinating and it speaks to the question: How can broadcaster Lewis present the gospel to a nation that has Christian foundations, but has become secularized and ignorant of biblical truth? This book looks into the heart and mind of this celebrated, humble author and his obedience to God in difficult times. Learn about life in the middle of war against Nazi Germany including the horrors of the blitz on London and Lewis' BBC radio broadcasts during WWII. What an amazing story!
Join this group Friday 10/22/21 (time TBA) @ the Chrisman’s. Call Georgia @ 781-361-1290 for directions. Coffee, Tea and Dessert will be served. Books are $5 and can be picked up the hutch in the Church Hall’s front “parlor.” You can put your payment in the envelope provided and grab a book!
September 2021 Selection:
Hurt Road: The Music, the Memories, and the Miles Between - By: Mark Lee
Hurt Road is the true story of Third Day guitarist Mark Lee, who as a teen found in music a refuge from the uncertainties of life…Who tried to discover a better way to live than always struggling to make sure life turned out the way he planned…Who stopped substituting “what's next” for “what's now” and learned the truth--that coming or going, God's got us.
Moving, funny, and thoughtful, Hurt Road dares anyone feeling knocked down or run over by their circumstances to give up control to the One who already has the road mapped out.
Join us Friday 9/24/21 (7pm) @ the Chrisman’s in Kingston. Call Georgia @ 781-361-1290 for directions. Coffee, Tea and Dessert will be served. Books are $5 and you can pick one up at church on the hutch in the Hall’s front “parlor.” Just put your payment in the envelope provided and grab a book.
May/June 2021 Selection:
Eden Hill by Bill Higgs
Welcome to Eden Hill, Kentucky in the early 60's, when times were simpler and family values were the norm and where the time was slower-paced and more community focused. The characters in the story are everyday people who are facing mid-life, what-if questions, racial disputes and the struggles of making ends meet. Humor abounds as you read about fried spam, Lux dish soap, Tang, Kelvinator refrigerators, and beauty parlors! The story keeps reader wondering what will happen next.
This is a story of Christian love and fellowship and how we can sometimes let every-day life get in the way of our walk with God. Eden Hill is a story of redemption through the lens of ordinary people as they seek forgiveness and second chances and learn that ultimately God's grace covers it all.
One of the rare fictional selections chosen for Bookworms, we are lightening it up a bit, since this year’s playlist has been a bit intense!
We will celebrate the year's end with a cookout in conjunction with our discussion of “Eden Hill.” Join us Friday 6/11/21 (4pm) @ the Chrisman’s. Please bring your own meat, drinks and a main dish to share; feel free to bring your spouse or a friend too. Dessert will be provided. Call Georgia @ 781-361-1290 for directions.
April 2021 Selection: Once We Were Strangers:
What Friendship with a Syrian Refugee Taught Me about Loving My Neighbor by Shawn Smucker
In 2012, Mohammad fled his Syrian village with his wife and 4 sons, escaping to Jordan through the wilderness. 4 years later he met Shawn Smucker in Lancaster, PA. This is the story of a friendship between a middle-aged writer, struggling to make a living and a Syrian refugee struggling to create a life for his family in a strange and hostile land. Two fathers hoping for the best, two hearts seeking compassion, two lives changed forever.
God ordained events within Syria allowed a Christian man to see what God is getting at in His word toward us. Smucker writes as though he's a journalist digging out the truth of the Syrian war that has displaced this Sunni family into the Pennsylvania countryside. This book encourages us to be a "friend" to someone else who needs help. Ironically, in the process, we may end up realizing that this “someone else” is the Samaritan, while we are the ones who needed their help.
The discussion for April’s book will be Friday 4/30/21 (7p) via Zoom - call Georgia for Zoom instructions - 781-361-1290. Book is $5 (call Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
March 2021 Selection: For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire - Slightly Imperfect
By: Duncan Hamilton
Known as the Olympic gold-medal sprinter portrayed in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell went on to become a missionary to China. He served in China for many years with his wife and children, but when WWII came, he was captured and put into a Japanese internment camp. Even there he served the other prisoners, giving encouragement and leadership in an unbearable place. Duncan Hamilton's retelling of Liddell's remarkable life creates a lasting portrait of a man who was both unswervingly devoted and fully human in his gifting’s.
The discussion for March’s book will be Friday 3/25/21 (7p) via Zoom - call Georgia for Zoom instructions - 781-361-1290. Book is $6 (call Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
February 2021 Selection: Stars in God’s Sky by Faith Cook
In her typically engaging and enchanting style, Faith Cook shows us how God graciously works in individuals' lives. Here are nine superbly written 'short biographies of extraordinary, ordinary Christians.' Many of them highlight "out-of-the-shadows," unsung heroes with unfamiliar names; however, all of these men and women served God in their generation in remarkable and sometimes very unexpected ways. These true stories make for uplifting and enjoyable reading.
The discussion for February’s book will be Friday 2/26/21 (7p) via Zoom - call Georgia for Zoom instructions - 781-361-1290. Call Georgia for a book or order from Christianbook.com.
January 2021 Selection:
All Saints: The Surprising Story of How Refugees from Burma Brought Life to a Dying Church by Michael Spurlock, Jeanette Windle
Dive deeper into the true story behind the powerful film! After accepting his new position, salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock is ordered to shut down his dilapidated country church, which boasts a dozen members and a mortgage well beyond its means. Instead, he challenges his parishioners to risk it all to welcome refugees and revive their community!
The discussion for January’s book will be Friday 1/29/21 (7p) via Zoom - call Georgia for Zoom instructions - 781-361-1290. Book is $4 (call Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
December 2020 Selection: The Christmas Code Booklet by O.S. Hawkins
Hawkins offers 25 devotions tracing the story of Jesus from its earliest roots in the Old Testament to God's gift of salvation. Each features a Scripture, inspirational thought, a "code word," and prayer of reflection.
This is pocket-size, so it can be carried in purse or briefcase to be read on the go. Each devotion includes a code word for each day. This code word brings a focus to the reading for you to ponder throughout the day. Keep your heart & mind focused on Jesus with this Advent devotional. 64 mini pages
Book royalties are donated to a Mission: Dignity, a ministry that provides people, who have faithfully served God’s people, to retire with modest pay to maintain dignity, independence, and often the ability to continue serving.
The discussion for December’s book will be Friday 01/01/21 (7p) via Zoom - call Georgia for Zoom instructions - 781-361-1290. Book is $4 (call Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
November 2020 Selection: Ruby the Foster Dog by Jimmy Wayne
Ruby, an adorable mixed breed puppy, wonders if a family will ever adopt her, when a scruffy-faced man stops by the shelter and adopts her. Mr. James is not the family she was expecting. Mr. James (Jimmy Wayne to his country music fans) is walking halfway across America to raise awareness for the thousands of foster children who desperately need homes. Soon, Ruby realizes that she's not so very different from these kids: If she doesn't have help, she can't have hope. On their walk Mr. James teaches her about integrity, honesty, loyalty, faith, forgiveness, and trust, and how love can rescue someone and forever change lives. As they walk along historic routes through the Southeastern United States, Ruby quietly helps Mr. James over-come his issues too. By the time they get to Phoenix, both of their lives are changed for the better. But just when Ruby accepts Mr. James as her new family, an unexpected call challenges her to redefine family and love all over again.
The discussion for November’s book will be Friday 11/27 (7p) if deemed safe at the Chrisman’s or Zoom otherwise
- call Georgia for directions or Zoom instructions -
781-361-1290. Book is $3 (see Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
Oct. 2020 Selection:
Children of the Storm: The Autobiography of Natasha Vins
Natasha's father is a leader in the underground church of the Soviet Union. When Georgi Vins is forced to spend time in hiding and in prison, Natasha looks to her beloved grandmother for spiritual guidance, but in her teens Natasha reaches a spiritual crossroads. In a homeland that demands that she embrace communistic ideals and deny the existence of God, will she follow Christ into a life of poverty and hardship, or will she renounce her parents' Christ for the opportunities and open doors which higher education has to offer? This book is an eye opener to the lives of Christian people in a communist country. We must never take our freedom for granted.
The discussion for October’s book will be Friday 10/23 (7p) if deemed safe at the Chrisman’s or Zoom otherwise
- call Georgia for directions or Zoom instructions -
781-361-1290. Book is $3 (see Georgia) or order from Christianbook.com.
