What's New at Cross Reference Library - Life Advice, Novels from Michael Phillips and more

Library 05.28.20 3.jpg

What is the secret to your relational happiness and meaning? You want a life that is real and meaningful - we all do. Today’s culture offers its own prescription to find that meaning, and the church offers another. Yet in The Deceivers by Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler, Sarah Milford and Ryan Ortiz are caught in the middle. They’ve discovered that what the world promises isn’t that fulfilling, but neither is their experience in the church. That’s about to change. Sarah, Ryan, and others in their youth group are about to embrace a certain truth about God that will forever change their lives. That is until Ratsbane, a hideous demon from hell, marshals his forces to deceive them into believing a lie - a lie that will keep that truth forever hidden.

Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry in Betsy St. Amant’s novel All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes. At twenty six, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana, still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie’s bakery, still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree… and still single. But when Lucas Brannen, Kat’s best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary, and a job at a famous bakery in New York. As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. He wants the best for Kat, but the only thing he wants for himself is suddenly in danger of slipping away.

Have you ever wondered, '“Do I have to get past my weaknesses before God can use me?” The answer is no! In Hidden Potential, Wendy Pope explores the life of a fearful murderer on the run with a speech problem and anger issues - also known as Moses - to show us God’s power and grace. Through Moses’ story, Wendy helps us see how we can be faithful, even when we are afraid, included in God’s plan, even with our faults, useful, even when we’ve failed, and valuable, even when we feel damaged. This book includes discussion, reflection, and Bible study questions along with powerful, real life stories from other women to remind each of us that we are a worthwhile possibility.

Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped the “man” in the 1960’s by hopping a train. Non-trusting, uneducated, and violent, he spent another 18 years on the streets of Dallas and Fort Worth. Meet Ron Hall, a self-made millionaire in the world of high priced art deals -- concerned with fast cars, beautiful women, and fancy clothes. And the woman who changed their lives, Miss Debbie. She helped the homeless and gave of herself to all of God’s people and had a way of knowing how to listen and helping others talk and be found – until cancer strikes. Same Kind of Different as Me is a tale told in two unique voices – Ron Hall & Denver Moore – weaving two completely different life experiences into one common journey where both men learn that whether they are rich, or poor, or something in between, this earth is not our final resting place. Bonus material in this special movie edition include a new epilogue with updates on the authors since the release of the original book, how it got made, and the incredible experiences while filming in Jackson, MS, as well as photos from the movie set.

Library 05.28.20 4.jpg

Hattie McNair chronicles the adventures of the residents of the FairAcres retirement community while her own writing career gains momentum in Over The Hill: Notes from the Pasture by Effie Leland Wilder.

When Loni Ford is informed that she has inherited property in the Shetland Islands, she laughs. She wants nothing more than to sell it and be done with it. But when she arrives in the North Sea enclave, she is stunned to find that The Cottage (by Michael Phillips) is not at all what she expected - nor is David Tulloch, the man most of the islanders believe to be the rightful heir. The locals could hardly be more surprised that the heir is a woman, let alone an American. Loni, in turn, finds the islanders quaint and a bit behind the times. Expecting David to be as provincial as the rest of his clan, she discovers that there is far more to the man that meets the eye. And there is something about the peaceful atmosphere of the place - and the character of its most prominent citizen - that soon gets under her skin. Beneath the peaceful surface, however, change is threatening the island of Whales Reef. David’s cousin Hardy Tulloch, whose claim to the inheritance now in Loni’s hands was backed by oil investors, has not been deterred in his aim to control the island. But his co-conspirators have plans of their own, plans that put Loni’s very life in danger.

Loni Ford’s unexpected inheritance of substantial real estate - not to mention a title - in the Shetland Islands has caused more than a stir in the quiet fishing hamlet of Whales Reef. How can life ever be the same with an outsider - and a woman at that - laying such a pivotal role in the life of this traditional community? But it isn’t just the locals who have deep misgivings about the current situation. Loni herself never imagined this in her wildest dreams and wonders whether she’s cut out for it. Loni would hardly let herself acknowledge that she’s falling in love - with Whales Reef, with its hardy people, and with local chieftain David Tulloch, whose inheritance she has usurped, at least in the eyes of some. Or has she merely been seduced by the simple, peaceful way of life that exists here? Yet life in Whales Reef is rarely without drama. Deep rifts exist between certain lifelong neighbors, and when a dead body is discovered, suspicion is cast in the direction of the Tulloch family. How Loni and David face up to this challenge will profoundly shape their relationship, as well as the future of the island in The Legacy by Michael Phillips.

On a wintry October night, a mysterious letter was left at the base of the angel monument which overlooks the grave of Andrea Parkin, the only child of David and MaryAne Parkin. In The Letter, the unforgettable conclusion to the Christmas Box collection, Richard Paul Evans writes “I discovered the letter in the winter of 1949 pressed between the pages of a diary that belonged to the child’s father, and at first glace, I regarded it as of little consequence. It was only after I had read the diary that I learned of the letter’s great significance and the events it set in motion.” It is within the final pages of this beautiful novel that David and MaryAne Parkin face love’s greatest challenge. And in finding love’s truest meaning, they learn the lessons that are echoed throughout the Christmas Box story.

Cross Reference Library is located at 209 East 15th Street in Scottsbluff, NE,
and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm.