Active Defense - When former field surgeon Heather Fontaine returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house—and threatened her friends—she assumes it is the stalker who has been creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble follows her even there. Luckily, a stalker isn’t the only one observing Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it’s what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead—and why—before it’s too late.
Colorful Connections - Many conversations are happening at home and in church about difficult and timely topics—but when it comes to race, too many Christians are silent. It’s time to speak up. But where do we start? Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Lori Stanley Roeleveld enter a transparent and open dialogue about race, privilege, bias, and discrimination. As you witness the real-time process of meaningful discussion, you’ll see how these women model healthy conversations—giving voice to pain without blame, expressing anger without ridicule, and asking questions without guilt. These pages are filled with vulnerable personal stories, biblical teaching, conversation starters, and practical next steps. By the end, you too will be equipped to have your own colorful conversations, and find your place in healing the racial divide and bringing together the body of Christ.
We live in an era where this comment is becoming more and more common, “I bet Jesus is coming back soon, because the world is getting pretty close to falling apart.” I’ve heard it said differently by different people, wondering how much worse the politics, racism, war, etc. are gonna get before the end. Even in the Cross Reference Library, you can find plenty of books by authors who help answer your questions about the state of the world today (and for the questions they can’t answer, they try their best to direct you to a place in scripture instead). Our new books this week in particular, indeed touch on issues like racism and the lasting effects of war. In Colorful Connections we are introduced to authors, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Lori Stanley Roeleveld. Both seemed pretty surprised when they were asked to work on this together. Dr. Dalton-Smith even straight out said, “I am not an expert in diversity, inclusion, or equality training.” But a few sentences later she continued by saying, “What I am is a black woman who sits every Sunday on a church pew surrounded by people of every race. We worship together and it’s a beautiful sound.” Lori Stanley Roeleveld also said this, “While I don’t believe racism lurks within every whiite person, I believe there is sufficient statistical and anecdotal evidence to support the contention that prejudice and bias still impact people of color on multiple levels in our times. That said, I never planned to write about racism.” What I love about these introductory statements, is that these two authors are completely laying it out there. Saying stuff like, “I know I’m black/white and I have not actually “lived” in the opposite color. But I’m going to use my experience, my credentials, and my love for Jesus, others, and writing in order to have this conversation.” And as you read on, they ask you to consider 12 different questions like, “How do we respond like Jesus when we disagree,” or “How do we further the kingdom in times of conflict?” So definitely check this book out when you drop by in order to find out what those other questions are. The other new item that was donated to our library is Active Defense by Lynette Eason. It seems to have a little bit of everything: action, danger, romance, and what the lasting effects of war feel like. In chapter one, we get to see Heather in action as she is aiding the wounded over in the Middle East. You can’t help but sympathize with her after she loses a patient that she tried really hard to save from a bomb explosion. After exiting the tent after a long and exhausting day, she sees a sunset and it says, “But she didn’t want to see beauty when she was surrounded by death. Not tonight.” I can’t even imagine what it would be like to experience that pressure. Of constantly looking over your shoulder for an unknown enemy, or even having the lives of friends or strangers in your hands. But the other difficulty that the main character has, is how she feels like she has to go it alone. And, you know, that reminds me of the song, “Lord, I Need You:
Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart
Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
You don’t have to go it alone, especially when it feels like you and the entire world is falling apart. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library and check out these powerful reads.