Faith 'n' Fiction Saturday: Do you "warn" people about Christian Fiction?

Today's Question

Do you recommend or lend your Christian fiction books to people who don't share your faith? If you do, do you tell them in advance that the book is Christian fiction? Why do you or don't you tell them?

My Answer

The only person I've given books to that wasn't a Christian is my mom. She wasn't thrilled with it because it was "too preachy". She typically reads Fern Michaels (?) and Nora Roberts. I'm pretty sure I told her they were Christian. The 3 books I gave her were Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and 2 books by Karen Kingsbury; One Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning.

I wanted to introduce her to 2 great authors who have wonderful messages in their books. I wasn't sure those 4 years ago which ones would be the least "preachy", but were wonderfully written.

My next plan is to give some sci-fi/fantasy Christian novels to my youngest brother. He's big into mystical types of books and thankfully we have a great selection of Speculative Christian fiction on the market: Donita K. Paul, D. Barkley Briggs, Sharon Hinck, and Bryan Davis to only name a few.

As for lending my books out period, I've started a check out sheet for my books. They've ended up in different places and it's become hard to keep track of them. I gave our pastor's wife a bagful and now can't remember which ones they are. I don't need them back, but they've been gone for quite some time and I'm becoming concerned about getting them back on my bookshelf. *grin*

Tomorrow we have book club at my house and I'll have to share about my new check out system. Make sure the "rules" are in place. The rules being...no dog-earring pages, no writing in the book, etc. Someone gave me a book that they thought was mine and it had several dog-eared pages. My first thought was, "There's no way this book is mine with that turned down page!" :o) If you look at my house, the only things in pristine condition would be my books! hahahaha I love my books!

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner & GIVEAWAY

white picket fences

by Susan Meissner

ISBN: 978-1-4000-7457-0

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Format: Trade Paperback, 368 pages

Book Summary:

Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way.

Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away.

Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will love White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn’t acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?

My Review:

As with Susan's last book The Shape of Mercy, I found this book to be a very deep and thought provoking. The story is compelling as we think about family dynamics. We always hear that we don't know what others are going through and the seemingly "perfect" family has its own issues.

Tally enters the Janvier's home carrying the secrets her father left with her before he headed to Europe. She's promised not to say anything and does her best to keep his secret. In turn, we begin to learn about secrets the other family members harbor.

What is it about secrets? I know there are times we think certain secrets are to be kept, when they'd be helpful if revealed. Then there are those precious secrets that once brought to light cause damage never dreamed of. This is exampled as we listen to the stories of Eliasz and Josef during their time in the Warsaw Ghetto of WWII.

White Picket Fences certainly is a detour from The Shape of Mercy and underscores the strength and gift of Susan Meissner's writing. This is not what I would consider light reading, but it is thoughtfully written and a must-have for any bookshelf.

Author Bio:

Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn’t driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novel The Shape of Mercy was a Publishers Weekly pick for best religious fiction of 2008 and a Christian Book Award finalist. Susan and her husband live in Southern California, where he is a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four grown children.

I'd like to thank Staci at WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House for sending me my review & giveaway copy of White Picket Fences. To learn more about this and other great titles visit the Random House website.

To win a copy of White Picket Fences answer this question... tell me one of your family secrets. hahahaha Just kidding. Have you ever had family members stay with you for an extended period of time? Did it go well? Personally I've never had anyone stay with us for more than a day or so. I'd actually love to have family here for a week or two! My grandmother-in-law says she's happy 2x when people visit: when they come and when they go. :)

You must be a US resident, 18 yrs and older to enter. Giveaway will end November 20, 10pm CST. Void where prohibited. Winner is drawn using the Top Hat software. Leave an email address. Without an email you will NOT be entered.

Bearpaws Giveaway

Jennifer at The Dirty t Shirt is giving away a pair of Bearpaw shoes! Being from MN it gets stinkin' cold here. Being outside in the winter isn't typically my idea of fun, but with boots that truly keep feet warm, my opinion could be influenced. :)

I have to admit, the Bearpaw Stowe that she shows on her site is one of my favorites and I'm sure it would keep my little piggies warm as I spend the winter snow blowing. My favorite color is the Hickory/Champagne.

My mom loves fluffy, warm slippers and I know she'd love the Original slippers. My 16 yr old does chores out at the barn where we've kept our horses. She would love to have some warm boots to do them this year and I could see her diggin' the Bearpaw Altra.

Head on over to The Dirty t Shirt and check out all the different ways you could win! On the right side of her site you'll see all of her other giveaways listed as well!

Arise! Cry Out! November 14, 2009

Have you heard of the ministry called Moms in Touch International? It is an organization that calls moms to pray. To pray for their children, their schools, and for other children. I've been part of our local MITI group for 10 yrs now.

Here is what their Purpose Statement is:

*To pray that our children will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, then stand boldly in their faith.

*To pray for teachers and staff.

*To pray that teachers, administrative staff, and students would come to faith in Jesus Christ.

*To provide support and encouragement to moms who carry heavy burdens for their children.

*To pray that our schools will be directed by biblical values and high moral standards

*To be an encouragement and a positive support to our schools

We live in a small town and our group typically has 5-6 regular prayer warriors who show up once a week to cover our schools and children in prayer. We all try to make it as our lives allow. We also have an amazing Grandmas In Touch group that meets year round. Our group has prayed with them before and I tell you what, the devil better run for the hills when these grandmas pray! If you homeschool, I would encourage you to start a group of ladies praying together as well.

Our MITI group is a conglomerate of ages because we're so small. We cover elementary-career age children. I have a feeling I'll be in MITI for the rest of my life. I have one in every school: Elementary, Middle, High, and College! From here I suppose I'll just join that grandma group!

This coming Saturday I would encourage you to attend Arise! Cry Out! In October there was a huge gathering in CA to celebrate 25 years of Moms In Touch International. They recorded the event and sent the DVD out to Host Sites around the world. On November 14, from 9am-1pm we will be joining in prayer, worship and teaching as we watch this video.

I am so excited as the Host Leader for this event in just 2 short days. I watched the DVD today and it is so encouraging! Fern Nichols, founder, is such a dynamic speaker. I have to admit, at the beginning of the DVD I started to cry because she had women from around the globe on stage with her speaking a statement in their own language. It was beautiful. Another time she had her kids and their kids come on stage and she knelt down, mentioned each grandchild by name and promised to tell them about Jesus and to pray for them every day! Oh, it was so sweet!

If you would be interested in finding a location nearest you, visit the Moms In Touch website. The first page highlights the upcoming event. Online registration is closed, but you can register once you get there. There's no cost and if you have young children, you will need to check each location to see if childcare is provided. Right below the title Arise! Cry Out! you will see that you can "Click here" to find a location near you. The list is listed alphabetically by state and then by church.

The Fall Leaves = Time To Play!

Every year the raking of the leaves seems to be a passage from Summer to Fall at our home. There always seems to be one day where we have major wind and the leaves fly off the trees. The next day everything seems bare!

Well, this year was different than the others because of my surgery. I couldn't rake! I figured I'd just let the leaves sit there until next Spring. The boys had other ideas! They decided to get creative with raking the leaves. My little guys started making forts. Who needs snow?! Then Ry was sick and Jake took his fort and made it into a huge mound!! Here's the results of all that hard work.





















Jake got a running start and it took me about 5 tries for my camera to get the continuous shot! The 3rd shot has him just before he pops up from the somersault!

Now all we have to do is move that big pile before all my grass (at least what's left of it) dies.