Looking for a great gift? Books are the perfect way to touch someone’s life, especially if you know their interests and desire to inspire them, especially in the sense of something that lasts longer than a box of chocolates or even clothes might last in someone’s closet. Here is our 2022 holiday list, perfect for everyone you know!
All books are available in both paperback and ebook format.
For the novel lover:
The Morning After the Night Before (Bianca D’Orazio)
IT WAS FATE that brought Nathan Black and Kaitlyn Daniels together, fueling their intense mutual passion and companionship discovered through an average experience on your run-of-the-mill dating site. Though markedly different: Nathan an IT specialist and Kaitlyn, an online conspiracy streamer, neither one could deny the intense bond they forged through online dating. Watching Kaitlyn dive into various conspiracy theories was entertaining at first, as she commanded both Nathan – and the audience – with her wonder of words. After a few run-ins with the QAnon community, Kaitlyn dives head-first into a world she never expected…only to turn up missing after a weekly livestream. Nathan knows something is wrong, even if the two have never met in person. Where is Kaitlyn? Who will believe she is missing, and how can he find her?
In this riveting, fast-paced novel that weaves together the pitfalls and successes of modern-day dating, the effects of technology on our social lives, conspiracy, current events, and national history, The Morning After the Night Before will have you cheering for Kaitlyn, admiring Nathan, and waiting for the morning to come awash in suspense. Here’s to a story that will have you look at the world of modern-day social conspiracy in a way you never thought possible before.
For Devotional Readers:
Call Me Bitter: Devotions for the Hurting (Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino)
THE WORLDS of grief, loss, pain, and hurt take people on a roller coaster journey filled with emotional ups and downs. In such an experience, the hurting find themselves questioning everything as they learn to accept the world is a far different place from what they once believed. No longer is the world black and white, truth isn’t an ideal but an unsettling reality, and life feels cold…distant…and yes, often bitter. In a world that encourages positivity at any cost, where do the bitter find their place? For twenty-eight days, join Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino as she writes from her own experiences of true dark bitterness: Learning to reorient to life after trauma, embracing the darkness as a place of insight and wisdom, and finding hope and lessons without minimizing the realities of embittered places. A companion to her previous devotional, Waiting: Devotions for the Journey, Dr. Marino uses her words to sit with you in the dark as you narrate life in a bitter place.
For leaders:
It’s Not Good for Leaders to Lead Alone!: Nobody Succeeds Without the Help of Others (Shell Osbon)
Serving as a secondary leader – Whether in the worlds of church, business, or education – is an important and vital task. How do secondary leaders handle their unique tasks? What questions should they ask themselves? More importantly, how do they prepare for the various practical, emotional, and spiritual facets of working day in and day out with the constant temptations to challenge authority, cause division, or personal disappointment?
In It’s Not Good for Leaders to Lead Alone, long-time pastor Shell Osbon breaks down the world of secondary leadership as only one who has filled such a position can: with Honesty, good humor, and encouragement. Here is a safe place to talk about the essential nature of secondary leaders, how to avoid pitfalls, encouragement for the future, and take honest assessment of one’s motives and work ethic. Whether leaders are content to remain where they are or desire to advance, this is one book everyone in leadership should be excited to read, as it has the power to transform one’s perspectives on their position – whether that position is as a secondary leader, or as one who works with secondary leadership.
For intergenerational interest:
Snowflakes, Memories, and Time (Carol Lieto)
On a special snowy day, Amanda pays a visit to her Aunt Carol’s house for a full day of activities: molding clay, assembling a puzzle, and visiting the frozen pond. After a morning full of fun, a decision about the next adventure was in order. A visit to the attic reveals some special adventures in the discovery of old toys and the memories they call to mind. As Amanda and Aunt Carol tend to the dolls of the past, the two explore the world of special memories, special thoughts, and most poignantly, one great purpose in the passage of time and the meaning of inter-generational connections.
For classic story lovers:
Peter and the Lemon Meringue Pie (Nina B. Marino)
PETER, a neighbor boy, lived nearby with his mom, dad, and sister. When he wasn’t playing, learning, or exploring his world, Peter loved to eat all foods, especially one special treat: lemon meringue pie. Celebrate the simple things in life – including those of childhood and fun times – in this classic-style story, written as an easy reader for childhood reading. From young to old, all will enjoy the memories of a time gone by and a boy who loved all things in life – especially a big slice of lemon meringue pie.
For the Bible enthusiast:
Fruit of the Vine: Study and Commentary on the Fruit of the Spirit (Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino)
Manifesting the fruit of the Spirit is an essential aspect of the believer’s life. Jesus calls us to not only produce fruit, but produce more excellent fruit. How can we do this, and how can we operate in the principles of spiritual fruit? How do we recognize spiritual fruit in our lives? In Fruit of the Vine: Study and Commentary on the Fruit of the Spirit, Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino invites the reader to learn more about what it means to bear “fruit,” specifically the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Presented with detailed word studies, background information, personal and relatable experiences, humor, warmth, and a whole lot of reflection on what it means to be in the vine and live a spiritually fruitful life, this book will change how you view the fruit of the Spirit and developing its important characteristics in your life.
For the theologian:
The Forgiving Heart (Anthony Sluzas)
FORGIVENESS is a challenging topic of faith for many Christians. Confused about what it is, what it is not, and the requirements of forgiveness, many Christians opt to sidestep God’s commands and avoid the issue of forgiveness in their own lives. Doing so is problematic, though, because forgiveness is the central message of Christianity. If we avoid it, we never come to learn about the bounty God has for us within its essence. Join author Anthony Sluzas for a balance between the essential command to forgive and its true beauty and grace, not just available, but essential to each and every Christian believer. Find an important and sanctified message about forgiveness present in these words, learning everything you ever needed to about this most sacred aspect of our faith and spiritual development.
For a growing church member:
Ministry School Boot Camp: Training for Helps Ministry, Appointments, and Beyond (Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino)
ALTAR work. Nursery. Cleaning the church. Hospitality ministry. Community outreach. Do you still see helps ministries in the church? Do you believe they are important? In days gone by, helps ministries were the first avenue of church service required for anyone who felt they had a ministry call. While some found their niche in helps, others went on to do incredible things within the ministry, having that solid, purposed foundation, recognizing service as the key to ministry work. With modern trends pushing more individuals into leadership, the ministries of helps have all but disappeared in favor of premature promotion and adaptation of offices and titles many do not properly understand. What are we missing in ministry today? In Ministry School Boot Camp: Training For Helps Ministries, Appointments, And Beyond, Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.Min., D.D. takes the participant through the meaningful and vital role helps ministries play in the function of the church. Learn about the various appointment ministries, assistants, volunteers, protocol, dress, and assignments – and their importance – all while learning the proper way to interact as a minister coming up under the work of helps. Whether you are working toward a greater ministry call or find your greatest joy in the various helps ministries, this book sets the participant on the straight and narrow in the forgotten arts of church service.
For the hobbyist/collector:
Put A Stamp On It!: Seventy-Seven Sparkling Stories Showcasing How Stamps Have Intercepted Historical Events (Herman Herst, Jr.)
WHAT do the Charlie Ross kidnapping, the Dunning sale, Britain’s female mason, Sherlock Holmes and the Littlewood’s pool, the founding of the YMCA, George Sloane, and the Madeline Smith Postcard all have in common? Stamps were an important part of these historical events. Even though we don’t often think of stamps in the context of making history, those small, decorative aspects of the mail system are far more than just there to decorate the envelope. At the heart of every letter, every postal moment for hundreds of years, stamps can be found, changing history as we know it.
In this book, author and stamp historian Herman Herst, Jr. shares with us about the rich history of several historical events and the way that stamps influenced them. Told with good humor, perspective, and solid documentation, Herman Herst, Jr. offers us insight into the smallest details of the mail industry – stamps – and shows us that history is often staring back at us every time we mail or open a letter. Come along to share in seventy-seven stories where history proves that stamps are the stars, sealing history in ways we would least expect it.
For those interested in relationships:
Discovering Intimacy: A Journey Through the Song of Solomon (Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino)
THE Song of Solomon is uncommon reading material in today’s church. Many are uncomfortable with its contents, and many others readily admit they have never read it. Why are we avoiding the book? In treating the Song of Solomon with such discomfort, what are we, as a church, missing out on?
The Song of Solomon is about many things: relationships, men, women, freedom in relationships, love, marriage, sex, sensuality and, believe it or not, our relationship with God. Above all, the Song of Solomon has much to offer on the topic of intimacy and intimate dynamics, ways in which we, as people, interact with one another in loving, committed relationships. Tackling the complicated prose of the book, Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino explores the incredible beauty God intends us to find in intimate relationships, and why these relationships start with a balanced perspective of our needed intimacy with God. By looking at the depth of this book, the depth of interpersonal relationships, and the depth of our relationship and love for God, learn the proper reading for this important book – and what it has to teach every single person, whether single, married, divorced, and set apart for the Lord.
For the one who likes a spiritual challenge:
Stumbling to Nineveh: A Journey Through the Book of Jonah (Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino)
THE book of Jonah sparks memories of Sunday School pictures, workbooks and images of the Prophet Jonah in the belly of a whale. Most people, especially if they have been in church since children, are familiar with the story of Jonah, the fact that he disobeyed God, and the result of his disobedience. In the cute way in which the book of Jonah has been retold in parts as stories, we think we know Jonah…but do we really know the ins and outs of the story? Why did Jonah disobey God in the first place? Did he resolve his issues? What was the result of Jonah’s encounter with God? Above all, what message is in the story of Jonah for each one of us? Transforming the book of Jonah into more than a Sunday School picture, Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.Min., D.D. takes the reader on the journey of Jonah, paralleling both ancient and modern application to help the reader examine the ways that many “stumble to Nineveh” in their own lives and the powerful ways in which God either transforms us into a testimony…or makes an example of us. By looking at contemporary events and spiritual depth, learn about all Jonah has to teach every one of us, right where we are, no matter where that is in our relationship with God.
New, New, New! Just in time for the holidays!
Book Masters 