APRIL 2010 IN THE UMC LIBRARY

Spring has sprung, and there are new books in the church library.  Now you know you need something to read while you sit out on the porch during those lazy spring evenings, so come on in and get a book, a CD, or DVD! 

The UMC “card” catalog can be searched 24/7 at the UMC website www.universitymennonite.org/library/online-library-catalogor directly at the LibraryThing.com website www.librarything.com/catalog/UnivMenno.  To search for a particular text, subject, or author, go to the box on the right side near the top of the page, and type in your request.

New changes are afoot in our little library.  Since so few people have a cassette tape player, old worship service tapes are being converted to CDs and will be added to present services now being recorded digitally.  A new display case is being prepared.  We also hope to add a used laptop that will be dedicated to searching the card catalog online while standing right next to the shelves. 

Your present librarian will be stepping down come September 1, and all bibliophiles are encouraged to consider assuming the position in the new church year.  Training in the web-based catalog and library acquisition policies will be gladly provided, as will continued coaching as needed.

New acquisitions include:

“Have a Little Faith” [296.7 ALB] by Mitch Albom.  Albom’s first nonfiction book since “Tuesdays with Morrie,” “Have a Little Faith” begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.  Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he’d left years ago.

We have two books which relate to the Muslim world:

A gift of the Council on American Islamic Relations, “The Message of the Koran,” [297 ASA] features the original Arabic the text of the Koran, a parallel transliteration in English, and commentary.  While there has been some controversy concerning the role of CAIR in the U.S., this nonetheless appears to be an accessible, scholarly discussion of the text.

“Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ [266 AND] by Brother Andrew.  This book invites you to experience the true story of the church in Islamic countries.  In the Middle East, Christians struggle to come to grips with hostile governments, terrorist acts, and an influx of Muslims coming to Christ.  Brother Andrew is the founder of Open Doors International, based in the Netherlands.

Continuing on the theme of evangelism and church outreach:

Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, “The Externally Focused Church” [261 RUS].  It’s all about focus.  Externally focused churches do more than confront their communities—they cooperate as well.  They’re quick to partner with community agencies.  Open to building new relationships.  They flood their neighborhoods with practical compassion.  And through it all they carry the love of Christ.  Discover how to partner with people outside your church walls, find the balance between service and worship, and shift focus from inside your church walls to outside.

Ravi Zacharias, “Can Man Live Without God” [239 ZAC].  In this brilliant and compelling defense of the Christian faith, Ravi Zacharias shows how affirming the reality of God’s existence matters urgently in our everyday lives.  According to Zacharias, who has debated the issue in such settings as Harvard and Princeton Universities, how you answer the question of God’s existence will impart your relationship with others, your commitment to integrity, your attitude toward morality and your perception of faith.  And it can mean the difference between living a life filled with hope or despair.

And we wrap up with “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” [248.4 SCA] Peter Scazzero.  Scazzero learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.  Even though he was pastor of a growing church, he did what most people do:  avoid conflict in the name of Christianity; ignore his anger, sadness, and fear; use God to run from God; die to the wrong things; live without boundaries.  Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health, his relationship with Jesus and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality.

See you in the library!

UMC Librarian