What News Comes from the Church Library this Month?

Many great reads for this cozy season are available at the church library, from cookbooks with recipes for the perfect comfort foods to thought-provoking Religion in Literature selections and books about the change of seasons and the environment. But this librarian’s heart is troubled.

The global problems are so vast — the anger, pain and suffering are beyond my capacity to comprehend. The joyful holiday of Thanksgiving is marred this year for many of us as we acknowledge the destructive power of evil in the world.

And yet…

Our little children make handprint turkeys. We marvel at the colors of the trees in Wisconsin and Michigan. Cross Country teams run free in the fresh air and grin for the cameras. We live in worship in a supportive, loving community. We sing and laugh together in sweet fellowship. How can we make sense of this divergence?

The answer (and the topic of our book selections this month) is prayer. Yes — on our knees, in the quiet of our homes, weeping into our hands, shouting aloud in frustration. Prayer. Our God hears us, loves us, and will never leaver us. He is our refuge and strength, and he can calm us in the midst of it all. All we need is to seek him.

The church library has many books on prayer. Check out the atrium case: it is filled with some of our favorites! We also have a bibliography posted in the library and included below. This month we are thankful for prayer.