Carolina Baseball Pressure Makes Diamonds

ISBN 9780983468004

Published in 2011

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostessess

Benefiting America’s leading center for the research and treatment of cancer, this is an invitation to a year’s worth of fabulous fetes hosted by New York’s most celebrated party-givers and fund-raisers. Taking the reader to some of the most glamorous private homes in Manhattan (and in the country), Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations showcases the unique élan and elegance these ladies bring to entertaining—be it a glittering New Year’s Eve or an al-fresco lunch on the terrace. From the mint juleps kicking off Derby Day to the Spanish Christmas cookies by the fireplace, these hostesses offer easy ideas that anyone can achieve at home. These ladies show that taste is all about how you put things together—on a tabletop, in a vase of flowers, with handmade invites. It’s these small touches, and the generous spirit behind them, that will inspire readers everywhere. The recipes they’ve chosen are tried-and-true crowd-pleasers that are guaranteed to be down-to-earth dishes you’d be proud to present at any occasion.

Available from columbiabookseller through Amazon.com

Click the title to order:  Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostessess

Four-Dimensional Jesus: Seeing Jesus Through the Eyes of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each offer their own unique descriptions of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Together they make up a rich multifaceted portrait. But what do you do when the gospels differ or even seem to contradict each other? With John Timmer as your guide you’ll explore this question and its implications for how you see Jesus.

by John Timmer

CRC Publications

ISBN 156212532x

Available from columbiabookseller through Amazon.  Click on the title to order…

Four-Dimensional Jesus: Seeing Jesus Through the Eyes of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 

A series of day trips.

Discover the wonders of South Carolina as you travel back in time through her fine old houses, majestic churches, deserted mill ponds and rice fields, and the numerous vistas that showcase her visual splendor.  Visit popular and obscure sites important to the history and culture of this southern state.

Available from columbiabookseller through Amazon

Click the title to order today!    South Carolina A Day at a Time

Caroline W. Todd and Sidney Wait 

Sandlapper Publishing Co. Inc

ISBN 0878441263

An architectural journey through one of the most unique cities in the United States…

Look Up Asheville is a creative exploration of Asheville’s architecture rendered through stunning photography by Michael Oppenheim and creative prose by Laura Hope-Gill. This journey through Asheville’s eclectic architecture takes us back to the early 20th century, the Golden Age of Engineering and the rise of this mountain town to international regard as the “Paris of the South.” Asheville’s early architects experimented with new materials while exploring styles of the past, from Romanesque to Renaissance and Neo-Classical, and also reached for the Art Deco and European Style.

Available now from columbiabookseller through Amazon.  To order, click the title:

Look Up Asheville 

(more…)

This is a beautifully written novel.  Kim Edwards has a true talent at painting descriptive word pictures as she writes.  The minute details bring the words to life helping the reader truly see what he is reading.  Being beautifully written does not make the story beautiful.  The story is told very well and it is engrossing but the story is a very sad one.  The story is not pretty.

“The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” tells of a young doctor who has to deliver his own twins on a snowy night in 1964.  What should be a happy, wonderful event takes a strange twist.  Neither Dr. David Henry; his wife, Norah; nor Caroline Gill, the nurse assisting with the delivery; were expecting a second child to be born.  The first baby born is an apparently very healthy boy.  When the second of the babies is delivered David Henry immediately recognizes that the girl has Down syndrome.  With his wife asleep from the gas given as the delivery takes place, Dr. Henry makes a quick decision.  The decision will haunt his life forever and change many lives forever.  He tells the nurse, Caroline, not to tell his wife about the girl.  He fears the child will not live long and that Norah will not be able to handle the grief.  He gives Caroline the directions to a “place” where they will be able to care for the girl and asks her to take the baby there.  As Caroline questions the doctor and asks him to consider his wife, he replies, “This poor child will most likely have a serious heart defect.  A fatal one. I’m trying to spare us all a terrible grief.”  But he only created a tragic tale of grief.

Caroline does as Dr. Henry tells her but finds herself unable to leave the baby at the home or nursing facility as she was instructed to do.  She herself has to make some lifechanging decisions that will affect her and Phoebe, the newborn.  The story goes from there and separately follows the lives of David Henry; his wife, Norah; and their son, Paul; and then the lives of Caroline and Phoebe.  Much of the theme of the book can be found in some lines early in the book.  Edwards writes, “Later, when he (Henry) considered this night - and he would think of it often, in the months and years to come: the turning point of his life, the moments around which everything else would always gather - what he remembered was the silence in the room and the snow falling steadily outside. The silence was so deep and encompassing that he felt himself floating to a new height, some point above this room and then beyond, where he was one with the snow and where this scene in the room was something unfolding in a different life, a life at which he was a random spectator, like a scene glimpsed through a warmly lit window while walking on a darkened street.  That was what he would remember, that feeling of endless space.  The doctor in the ditch, and the lights of his own house burning far away.”

David Henry made a decision, and then creates a huge lie, telling his wife that she had had a second child but that the twin was born dead.   This lie recreated what had actually happened and affected his life forever. He was never able to escape in his own mind what he had done.  And his wife, Norah, struggled with the grief of this lost child that she never saw.   Caroline creates a whole new life in another place with her new child Phoebe. She faces many challenges raising a Down syndrome child in the 1960’s but manages to make the life a good one for Phoebe and works to pave new roads of opportunity for children with disabilities.

The separate but related lives are told in the novel. The lives are difficult and strained at times. The secret is a heavy one and affects the lives and relationships in a deep way. As you read the story you feel certain that the secret will be revealed at some point and you feel the burden as it affects the characters in different ways. Toward one climatic point in the book I truly felt nervous about what was about to happen. I almost wanted to stop reading because I could truly feel the emotion of the situation and was not sure that I wanted to read the consequences. Of course, I did not stop and found this to be a moving piece of literature. I will not ruin the book for you my telling you more, but I can definitely say that  this story willl stay with you long after you close the book.

On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being great, I give “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” a 5

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

Kim Edwards

Viking Penguin

2005

ISBN 0143037145  (Penguin paperback)

I first heard about Adam Hamilton in my Sunday morning class at church.  Hamilton is the pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.  It has been described as one of the fastest growing and most dynamic and distinctive congregations in the United States.  Hamilton is the author of numerous books.  ”Seeing Gray…” is not his newest book but I found the title intriguing and picked it out to sample his writing.  I could not have been more pleased or more impressed by the book I picked to read.

The title appealed to me because I am so aware of how polarized our country is politically and because  I feel that many of the churches in our country are contributing to the polarization in our country not only a political level but also in the way Christians and churches present themselves to the many people who are either no longer involved in a church or who have never been involved in a church or in organized religion.  I strongly feel that the church (that is said in very general terms) is pushing people away through extreme black and white thinking.  I certainly do not mean to imply that all churches or all Christians are doing that.  So many Christians are a natural at reaching others and in sharing their faith. Many, many have a deep and loving commitment for others and are able to touch people’s lives in compassionate and extraordinary ways and do that in a wonderful way.

But the church has a problem.  A real problem.  A recent survey from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life revealed that 16.1% of American adults say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith or religion.  And among American adults between the ages of 18 and 29 one in four say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith or religion.  The increasing numbers of the nonreligious must be a concern to all Christians.  I find helpful thinking in the book “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics“.

The promo of the book “Seeing Gray…” on the dust jacket flyleaf says “One solution to the culture and political wars that hasn’t been tried, suggests Adam Hamilton, is for thinking persons of faith to model for the rest of the country a richer, more thoughtful conversation on the political, moral, and religious issues that divide us.  Hamilton rejects the easy assumptions and sloppy analysis of black and white thinking, seeking instead the truth that resides on all sides of the issues and offering a faithful and compassionate way forward.”

Hamilton begins his book with a discussion of two extreme personalities who often seem to represent Christianity to the world, the late fundamentalist preacher and founder of the Moral Majority, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, and Episcopal bishop and outspoken liberal, Bishop John Shelby Spong.  Hamilton recalls watching an interview and discussion between the two men on “Good Morning America” back in 1991.  Hamilton writes, “Theologically, sociologically, and politically they were diametrically opposed. In listening to them, I found places where I sympathized with Spong, and others where I found I sympathized with Falwell.  But by the time their ‘conversation’ was over I found myself thinking, ‘These two cannot be our only options for being Christian!”  Hamilton goes on to say, “The truth is, most Christians find themselves somewhere in between these two extremes.”

They (Falwell and Spong) are pure examples of black and white thinking when it comes to Christianity.  Hamilton points out that it is often the extreme Christians who are called upon to provide comments on faith and culture by the media.  Hamilton says, “Unfortunately, when the people representing the Christian community are Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson on the one side, and John Shelby Spong on the other, you end up with a wide gulf in between with no one articulating a middle way.”

The core of Hamilton’s book is based on these thoughts:  ”It seems to me that increasingly there are large swaths of the Christian population who are yearning for a middle way.  There are self-described evangelicals who are embracing elements of the social gospel and who are open to insights from historical critical methods of biblical study.  There are self-described liberal Christians who are embracing elements of the evangelical gospel, who are speaking of their ‘personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” and who are learning to give evangelistic altar calls while still championing social justice.”  He goes on to say in the Introduction: “As many Christians are drawn to a centered or balanced faith, there is an increasing frustration with the role that Christianity has played in the culture wars.  Too often faith has been used by Christian leaders and politicians to further a political party or political agenda.  And in the minds of many nonreligious people in America, Christianity is not associated with love or grace or justice, but with a particular view of homosexuality, or a particular stance on abortion, or a seemingly absurd and anti-intellectual view of human origins.  Christianity has become a wedge that drives people from Christ, rather than drawing them to him.  And Christians have, in their political involvement, acted to divide our nation rather than serve as a balm that can heal it.”

That is just a small portion of the thought provoking way that Adam Hamilton writes.  The book is divided into three parts.  Part I is titled “Seeing the Gray in a Black and White World” which focuses on the general ideas that form Hamilton’s thoughts in this book.  Part II is titled “The Bible, Beliefs, and the Spiritual Journey” and, here, Hamilton writes about Christians and science, whether there will be non-Christians in heaven, the often asked question of where is God when bad things happen, and the honesty of doubt.  Part III is titled “Politics and Ethics in the Center” and includes Hamilton’s thoughts on situation ethics, abortion, homosexuality, war, and even faith and presidential elections (this book was published in 2008).  With each doctrine, each issue, each problem that Hamilton addresses in the book, he expresses his opinions and his values in an honest, heart-felt way.

I am a very open minded thinker, but there were times as I was reading Hamilton’s book that I wanted him to be more black and white in his thought.  But that is the heart of his book. This is what the book is all about: finding middle ground.  Do you ever worry that in some ways Christians are pushing people away from the church and from Christianity? Hamilton believes there is a movement toward the center among many Christians.  He issues a call for Christians to move to a “radical center”.   I agree so much with this.  If Christianity is going to appeal to the growing number of people who want nothing to do with the church, the people who are turning away from the church, there is going to have to be a new approach to the people of the 21st Century.  No one has to throw away their beliefs or their values, but everyone needs to focus on how Jesus would live and minister in our modern world.  Hamilton says, “The radical center avoids lambasting either the right or the left, though those in the center may be attacked by both extremes. They will not be conservative enough for the conservatives, or liberal enough for the liberals.  But two defining characteristics of the radical center will be a willingness to find what is good and true in others, and a commitment to practicing love.  The radical center will seek to take seriously the words of Paul who said, ‘Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear’ (Ephesians 4:29).”

In wrapping up his book, Adam Hamilton asks, “I wonder if this radical center resonates with you?  I’m not concerned with whether you agree with every single position I’ve staked out in this book.  I’m certain that with time I will come to disagree with some of the things I’ve written here.  But do you have this sense, deep down inside, that the world is not nearly so black and white as many would paint it, and that the greatest truth is found somewhere in the center?  If so I want to encourage you to speak up and let your voice be heard.  Do so, not belligerently but firmly; not with arrogance, but with conviction and love.”  Pointing out his conviction that Christianity is in need of a new reformation, he concludes that this new reformation will “…draw upon what is best in both Fundamentalism and Liberalism by holding together the evangelical and social gospels, by combining a love of Scripture with a willingness to see both it humanity as well as its divinity, and by coupling a passionate desire to follow Jesus Christ with a reclamation of his heart toward those whom religious people have often rejected.  This reformation will be led by people who are able to see the gray in a world of black and white.”

Well written, honest, and compassionate, I see the book “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics” as a call to action.  I hope you will too.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being great, I give “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White…” a  5

Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics

Adam Hamilton

Abingdon Press

2008     (I have noticed that a paperback edition was released in 2012.  I do not know if the paperback contains any revisions).

ISBN  9780687649693  Hardback  (2008)

9781426766626  Paperback (2012)

Groucho Marx

“I have sought rest everywhere, and only found it in corners and books.”

Thomas a’ Kempis

“You see, I don’t believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that’s been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians.”

“Monty Python”

“I want you to tell your wife to take that moonlight stroll on the beach at Waikiki with the resort pro while you read a few more chapters.”

Stephen King

“The first thing my family did when we moved was join the local church.  The second was to go to the library and get library cards.”

John Grisham

“I was born with a reading list I will never finish”

Books-A-Million Facebook post

“Anyone who says they only have one life to live must not know how to read a book”

Author Unknown

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of children who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.

Anna Quindlen

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

Charles W. Eliot

“Let books be your dining table,

and you shall be full of delights

Let them be your mattress

and you shall sleep restful nights.”

Author Unknown

“There’s nothing to match curling up with a good book when there’s a repair job to be done around the house.”

Joe Ryan

“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a good friend.”

Paul Sweeney

“A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our souls.”

Franz Kafka

“The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television.”

Andrew Ross

A nephew of mine, who lives in New York City, signed off on social media a couple of months ago.  At the time he went off of Facebook, Twitter and whatever other social media he was participating in, he wrote an entry on his blog as to why he was choosing to take a break from social media for a while. He put a link to that blog entry in his “sign-off” posting on his Facebook wall. I read it and found myself agreeing with much of what he wrote. In a nutshell he was saying that he has so many interests that are important to him and he felt that the time he was spending on social media was basically keeping him from doing a lot of other things that he wants to do.

His blog really did hit home with me and I have thought about what he wrote and I have thought about how social media affects me too. Reading books is a wonderful diversion for me. I am addicted to books in a sense but I am not reading nearly as much as I wish I were.  TV fits in there too. While I don’t have any ongoing series that I watch on TV I do watch a lot of sports and news programs.  I don’t think TV really keeps me from reading as much as I want to.  But social media?  It has become a distraction.

Facebook has become such a common means of communication for people of all ages. I am not one who posts that many entries on Facebook but I am continually signing on to see what is going on. Sometimes I learn something interesting when I am on Facebook but for the most part most of my friends and family don’t share that much of value either.  Once in a while I do find out about something on Facebook before I hear it in person and I guess I do occasionally find out some things that I might not ever know if I didn’t log on.  I am wondering though if it is really going to affect my daily life if I don’t know where my friends are eating, or how good their child’s report card was, or that their flight has been delayed. It’s not that I don’t care, but…

Facebook can be interesting, fun, and even informative but for the most part I waste too much time scrolling through the posts.  I guess I am scared I might miss something!  I am not ready to sign off yet but it does cross my mind.  I think about all those books that I want to read that I am not getting to.  A few less minutes a day on social media could translate in more minutes enjoying a great novel, being challenged spiritually by someone’s perspective on faith and daily living, or growing as a person through a good motivational book.  Of course there are also other things I might do better at accomplishing if I stayed off social media but my reading time is what is on my mind right now.

My NY nephew made a good point.  To my knowledge he is still not back on social media.  Hopefully he is finding more time to develop those ever valuable face to face friendships, being involved with his church, enjoying the city life, and, I hope, finding lots of time to read.  I am a little jealous if he is getting to do that! Maybe I need to work on my priorities…. less social media time, more reading time, and maybe more time for lots of other stuff, too.

Here’s to good old fashioned books and more.  Here’s to a real life!  Right after I quickly check Facebook!