Now that the school year is upon us, it’s time to put your feet up and relax with a good book. Our library has many Christian novels to entice any reader. Check out some of these new books and favorite authors:
New Books
- A Promise to Remember by Kathryn Cushman
A heartfelt novel about love, loss and redemption.
- The Restorer and The Restorer’s Son by Sharon Hinck
Sharon is the featured speaker at the GCW Fall Salad Supper. The Restorer was a finalist in the 2008 Christy Awards (best Christian fiction).
- The Serpent Garden by Judith Merkle Riley
A blend of biography, history, romance and danger.
- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
A retelling of the book of Hosea set in the California gold rush days of 1850.
- Veil of Fire by Marlo Schalesky
A fictional account of the 1894 Hinckley fire and how the town was restored through faith.
- Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
A fun read packed with colorful characters and rollicking escapades.
Favorite Authors
- Agatha Christie
- John Hassler
- Jan Karon
- Beverly Lewis
- Janette Oke
- Eugenia Price
- Lori Wick
Now it’s your turn to "soak up" a good book! Enjoy!
Faith is a gift we are given by the grace of God. It is a gift that starts small and needs to be opened, nurtured, and wrestled with so that it can grow and bring us the fullness of life that God promises. How is your faith? Is it strong or in need of some nourishment? The reality is that faith is not an object that once you have it you are good to go and have nothing else to do. Faith is a living thing that needs sustenance to flourish so that it will produce fruit for our lives and for the lives of others.
To make this happen there are certain ELEMENTS that naturally feed a living faith. I invite you to join us Rally Sunday , September 7, for the beginning of a four week sermon series on “Elements of a Living Faith” and learn again how you can grow in your Christian walk with God.
- September 7
Living a life of faith and fulfilling the Body of Christ.
- September 14
Prayer, Worship and Studying Scripture as ways to nurture our faith.
- September 21
Living out our call to Share God’s Story and Do Acts of Service and Justice.
- September 28
Living our Faith through the Stewardship of Our Lives and the Building of Spiritual Friendships.
This sermon series will kick off a year-long congregational emphasis to focus on how we each can and need to continually grow in our faith. We will have different things for you to take home with you that will help you keep these concepts before you at work and at home. I invite you to join us on Rally Day as we begin to explore together what it means to live a life of faith and how you can help your faith come alive in Christ!
Dinner at Your Door substitute drivers are needed to fill in when someone cannot make their 2nd Monday or 2nd Tuesday shift. Time commitment begins at 11:15 a.m. and takes 60-90 minutes. Contact Jan Quist at 952-474-8194 to get on the contact list.
Kids and families, get a head start on your VBS Rain Forest Adventure by checking out some intriguing books. These books highlight the beauty, mystery and wonder of exotic animals and plants that inhabit rain forests and jungles.
Over in the Jungle: A Rain Forest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes
Count, clap and sing to a favorite children’s rhyme while learning about jungle creatures. Delight in Jeanette Canyon’s polymer clay illustrations. No wonder this is an award winner!
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry
A recipient of numerous book awards, this is the story of many different animals that live in a great kapok tree in the Brazilian rain forest and how they try to convince a man not to cut down their home.
God Made Creepy Crawlies: by Sally Anne Conan
With playful verse and vibrant illustrations, this book explores unique characteristics of a wide variety of animals.
Sharing Nature with Children: by Joseph Cornell
Parents and teachers have been using this classic for years to teach nature awareness and appreciation. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, discover why it has remained so popular.
P.B. Bear’s Jungle Adventure: by Lee Davis
A teddy bear, along with his buddies, a stuffed rabbit and dog, visit their monkey friend, Milly, in the jungle. Besides being a delightful tale, this is an excellent book for beginning readers.
This is the Earth God Made: by Lynn Downey
A rhyming text tells the story of the beautiful world that God made and includes creative activity suggestions.
When the World Was New: by Alicia Garcia de Lynam
This book gently explores the questions: When the world was new, what would have happened if God had not made the sun, stars, living creatures, etc? How would our world be different?
Rain Forest Open Your Eyes to a World of Discovery: by Elinor Greenwood
One of the Dorling Kindersley (DK) series of non-fiction books for children, this treasure presents amazing photographs and facts about each layer of the rain forest.
Owen and Mazee The Language of Friendship: by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
An orphaned baby hippo and grumpy 103 year old tortoise form a lasting friendship. This true story tells of their first remarkable year and a half together.
Men, are you angling for a good book? Cast your bait and reel in one or more of these. You’re sure to find something that will hook you!
Fiction
Chicken Soup for the Little Soul: The Best Night Out With Dad by Jack Canfield
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Presence of Angels by Michael Sherer
The Twilight of Courage by Bodie and Brock Thoene
Non-Fiction
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonheoffer
The Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory A. Boyd
Love, Dad: Letters of Faith to my Children by Herbert Brokering
Love, Dad: A Father’s Daily Epistles to his Two Boys ... Written on the Run and Left on the Breakfast Table by Patrick Connolly
Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker
Conversations With Poppi About God by Robert W. Jensen and Solveig Lucia Gold
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Truman by David McCullough
90 Minutes to Heaven by Don Piper
God’s Politics by Jim Wallis
All men who check out material during June are automatically entered to win the fishing gear on the display table.
Ladies, blossom this spring by reading one of these books that are "hand-picked" especially for you in honor of Mother's Day by the members of the church library.
Non-Fiction
Love, From Grandma by Becky L. Amble
The Wisdom of Daughters by Reta Halteman Finger and Kari Sandhaas
Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs
Second Wife, Second Life By Marjorie Holmes
Where Does a Mother Go To Resign? by Barbara Johnson
Kindred Sisters by Dandi Daley Mackall
Prayers From a Mother's Heart by Judith Mattison
The Life of Katie Luther, Vision Videos
Fiction
Hidden Places by Lynn Austin
Papa's Wife by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Mary Called Magdalene by Margaret George
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingslover
City of Angels by Tracie Peterson
The Serpent Garden by Judith Merkle Riley
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
All women who check-out a book during the month of May are automatically entered to win the lovely plant on display.
Men, don't despair! June is your month!
Yes, we have magazines, too!
Please check out the library display table and find magazines for the entire family to enjoy. We currently subscribe to four periodicals:
- THE LUTHERAN MAGAZINE shares stories about God’s people and challenges Lutherans to nurture awareness of Christ’s presence in their own lives and in the world.
- THE LUTHERAN WOMAN TODAY provides inspirational articles that strengthen and expand faith. A highlight is the yearly Bible study that continues in each issue.
- THE LITTLE LUTHERAN is a durable magazine for children ages 6 and younger. Each issue includes stories, songs and activities intended for faith based adult and child interaction.
Checkout is easy. Just sign your name and the name of the borrowed magazine on the clipboard, located in the basket.
Magazines that have been suggested as possible future subscriptions include.
- WEAVINGS
- SOJOURNERS
- THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY
Please let us know if you have a suggestion for another periodical to include!
Third Tuesday of the month from 7-8 p.m. in the Fireside Gallery
This get-together is for all women who love reading and would like to connect with others who do too. All are always welcome. Simply read the book and show up in the Fireside Gallery at 7 p.m.
A good site to find out more about these and other ‘good reads’ is www.readinggroupguides.com. Upcoming selections and discussion dates are:
- April 15: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. A story about two boys, one the son of a commandant in Hitler’s army and the other a Jew, who come face-to-face at a barbed wire fence that separates, and eventually intertwines their lives.
- May 20: The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar.
- June 17: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
When Margie Olson joined Gethsemane in 2006, she wasted no time becoming “involved”….Voices of Praise, Quilters, Deborah Circle, Caring Ministry visitation, the Katrina Mission Project, but she isn’t the run-of-the-mill “joiner.” Her vibrant faith is in the service of the God who freed her stifled spirit and led her back to wholeness.
Margie (nee Margie Adolphson) grew up on a farm near Chokio in southwestern Minnesota. She had five sisters and one brother.
Always, a singer, she has good memories of her musical family…
Singing in the car or at home with her Mother at the piano.
But it was also a deeply troubled childhood, a period when she and her sisters were all sexually abused by their father. As a child, she kept her silence, but she is now open about the experience, hoping that her candor may help other victims of incest.
When Margie reached confirmation age, one of her older sisters found the courage to share the “secret” with caring adults, their hired man, a counselor, and a pastor.
Following an investigation, their father was sentenced to prison for four years.
When the time came for his release, Margie could no longer live at home. Her remaining high school years were spent away from home, first with her married sister and then working for room and board for a young married couple.
She also found a summer job at a canning factory in Sleepy Eye, folding boxes for the pea pack.
Margie graduated as Valedictorian of her class, then enrolled for nurses training at Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis. From Fairview she moved on to the University. In the 1950’s she was head nurse at University Hospital.
In 1956 she and her sister Laverne set out on a bold adventure...a two-month tour of Europe in a rental car. The plan-as-you-go trip undoubtedly fostered her lifelong love of travel.
While at the University she met and married Ralph Olson, in training to be a forester.
They moved to Grand Rapids, and their children grew up there, two girls and a boy.
The busy mother put her professional skills to work, first at the Grand Rapids Hospital, then teaching practical nursing at the community college. She pursued independent study and became a public health nurse, a job she held for 14 years.
In 1984 she faced up to the state of her spiritual life. “I had always been a church-goer, but my faith was on a starvation diet.”
The first positive step was her own personal Bible study, digging into the Scriptures on a daily basis and journaling before she went to work each day. “There was not a day when there wasn’t something there for me.”
One day at lunch with her friend Verna, stimulated by the spirited conversation and nudged by the Holy Spirit, she had the notion to take a short sabbatical from work and sign on to volunteer service in nursing abroad.
She confided her dreams to her pastor at Zion Lutheran. He enthusiastically began casting about for a specific assignment.
Liberia turned out to be her opportunity, working as a volunteer for Lutheran World Ministries. She left Grand Rapids on Christmas Day, 1985, and returned the following 4th of July. Zion parishioners supported her with $10.00 a day living expenses. One 7-year old boy saved up his allowance money for one day’s expenses.
The mission trip “cemented her relationship with Jesus” and probably led to treatment for the wounds from her clouded childhood. Here she was, a successful health care professional with a desperate need to be healed. She finally found direction when she turned to Lutheran Social Services for help.
LSS referred her to Jackie, a Christian counselor, who helped her deal with the shame that had shadowed her life. Jackie encouraged her to take a virtual walk with the Savior and to leave her childhood experiences at the foot of the cross.
In 1990 her 33 year marriage ended in divorce.
One Sunday afternoon she took a walk, pondering the morning’s sermon on the Holy Spirit. Back home she read a magazine article in which a student described her call to the ministry. The Holy Spirit made it clear. Margie felt a call to
Seminary training, a bold move for a woman past 60; but decisiveness is built right in. She enrolled in the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in 1991.
Ordained in 1995, Pastor Margie Olson’s first call was to Epiphany Lutheran Church in Canoga, California. Then she served 2 1/2 years at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Poway, near San Diego, a part-time assignment. She also worked as a volunteer in prison ministry in Tijuana, Mexico.
Following retirement, she basked in the California sun for several years, then decided to return to Minnesota and family. It’s important to her, staying in close touch with her sisters, her children, and grandchildren.
Her daughter Chris Resch is a nurse living in Coon Rapids. Paul is a commercial banker in River Forest, Illinois. Jane Sholtz, a product manager for Thrivent, lives with her family in Hopkins, so Margie shopped for a house here.
A big yard satisfies Margie’s fondness for gardening. Her clergy credentials provide an opportunity for interesting part-time work...conducting weddings at the Mall of America. She also serves on the Hopkins Human Rights Commission.
Why did she join Gethsemane? She found it a “warm and welcoming place, a church where the Spirit is alive.” She envisions a great future for Gethsemane, “as we continue to reach out.”
On the second Monday and Tuesday of each and every month, Gethsemane volunteers deliver hot noontime meals to the homebound in our community. Don and Lorraine
Carlson recently ‘retired’ from this duty after many years of faithful service. On behalf of our congregation, the Social Ministry Team recognizes and thanks Don and Lorraine for their generous gift of time.
Could you serve as a regular driver? We have many volunteers who are able and willing to help as occasional substitutes. However, we need people who could be ‘regular’ drivers on the first Monday (or even the first Tuesday) of each month. If your schedule fits that timeframe, please contact Jan Quist at 952-474-8194 for more information.
