What’s in the Cross Reference Library? A Story Worth Telling

Epic - This dramatic retelling of the gospel illuminates the unique role we can play in the amazing story God is telling. Sure, good things happen, sometimes beautiful things. But tragic things happen too. What does it mean? We find ourselves in the middle of a story that is sometimes wonderful, sometimes awful, usually a confusing mixture of both, and we haven’t a clue how to make sense of it all. No wonder we keep losing heart. We need to know the rest of the story. For when we were born, we were born into the midst of a great story begun before the dawn of time. A story of adventure, of risk and loss, heroism . . . and betrayal. A story where good is warring against evil, danger lurks around every corner, and glorious deeds wait to be done. Think of all those stories you’ve ever loved. There’s a reason they stirred your heart. They’ve been trying to tell you about the true Epic ever since you were young. There is a larger story and you have a crucial role to play.

Keeping a Princess Heart - How can a woman live with hope . . . in the midst of reality? You were once a little girl, dreaming of "happily ever after" like a fairy-tale princess. But unlike the fantasy world of Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, reality has hit you hard. Living in the not-so-fairy-tale world of laundry, kids, carpools, and your sometimes not-so-charming prince, you wonder how your heart will survive, because what you have isn't even close to what you hoped for. Hang on! Real hope is found in the tension between the two?in an invisible kingdom. This place is where you discover the true heart of a princess. One full of dreams, wonder, delight, and joy. With rich insights and compelling stories, Nicole helps you discover the timeless truths that can transform a woman's heart into the heart of a princess. You are recognized by the King, loved by the Prince, and promised the happiest "happily ever after" of all times.

A Different Kind of Love Story - For anyone who has ever struggled with their identity, Landra Young Hughes has a radically simple message: give up. Specifically, give up your need to be in control of how other people see you. Instead, let God's words--not yours and not others'--define you. Through her own deeply personal story of trying to control her circumstances and others' perceptions of her through an eating disorder, Landra points the way toward a life free from self-obsession and self-resentment. She shows you how to listen to God's voice, let go of the struggle for perfection, and live authentically from your deepest self.

People love stories. Whether it’s a TV show, movie, a book, or even the news, we want to know what happens next. Plots and characters, different places and journeys. And you know, if you start to read through the Bible, every book from Genesis to Revelation, has a story to tell. In Genesis, there is a new character and plot revealed with every chapter. I will say, God is probably THE BEST AND ULTIMATE AUTHOR! His penmen did not hold back when they were going about writing everything that was going on. One of my favorite examples of this is the last verse of Nehemiah 1, “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.’

Now I was cupbearer to the king.” 

I just think it is so epic how right after this heartfelt prayer there is a real statement of, “this is who I am and I am ready to serve the Lord.” The story of Esther is another good example, because God isn’t really mentioned but He sure-as-heck had a part! In Esther 4:14 it says, “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” For such a time as this. You know, when I was reading Epic for this post, one of the things that John Eldredge said was, “What will happen next? You don’t get to know—you have to enter in and take the journey as it comes.” As THE author, God knows our stories. He knows our stories better than we do. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” So as sons and daughters of the King, how are we living out the stories that have been established for us? Are we remembering to trust the Lord as we continue to move forward? Let’s live our stories well, honoring the author everyday. I greatly recommend all 3 of these books! So come on into the Cross Reference Library and check them out.

What’s in the Cross Reference Library? The Left Behind Series

Left Behind - When the trumpet sounds, where will you be? Passengers in an airborne Boeing 747 find out in this riveting novel by renowned Christian speaker Tim LaHaye and master storyteller Jerry Jenkins. Without any warning, passengers mysteriously disappear from their seats. Terror and chaos slowly spread not only through the plane but also worldwide as unusual events continue to unfold. For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun. This fictional account of life after the Rapture delivers an urgent call to today's readers to prepare their own hearts and minister to others.

Tribulation Force - Rayford Steele and Cameron ("Buck") Williams find themselves pressed into service for the man they believe could be the Antichrist. Nicolae Carpathia takes over the United Nations, signs a peace treaty with Israel, and begins to lure the nations of earth together to form one global village. Meanwhile, the judgment of God begins to fall on the earth. Buck and Rayford, along with their pastor and Rayford's daughter, must fight to stay alive and battle the forces of evil in the strength of their fledgling, newfound faith.

Next Tuesday is Halloween and for some people, it is a time to dress up and get candy. But for others, there is the reminder of ghosts, monsters, and serial killers. They look forward to this time of year, because it can bring a spooky supernatural thrill that they find exciting. I’m definitely a part of the first group of people I mentioned. Dressing up as a thing or character is just as fun as getting candy every year. But a couple of things that you will NEVER see me doing is: watching a horror movie or exploring a haunted house. NEVER!! I did each of those once and had nightmares for weeks. NEVER AGAIN! So for this week's post, instead of telling you about Ted Dekker’s, Alton Gansky, Frank Peretti, or even James Rubart’s Christian Thrillers—if this genre is your thing, their books are found in our library—but we also have the whole Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. I would recommend the Left Behind series during this season, because it’s kinda scary how true it could be. Within the first few pages, the authors basically spell it out that the pilot, Rayford Steele, was going to be left behind. “Rayford Steele’s mind was on a woman he had never touched,” was the very first sentence of chapter one. His inner mindset continues to talk about how he finds his wife less attractive because of her, “obsession with religion.” It soon after says, “God was OK with Rayford Steele.” The other character that gets left behind is Buck Williams, a journalist who traveled for Global Weekly. On a job in Israel, he had witnessed something that might’ve changed his life and, “Christian friends wanted Buck to take the next step and believe in Christ, now that he was so clearly spiritually attuned. He wasn’t prepared to go that far, but he was certainly a different person.” Buck had no idea how closely he had missed his chance.

Whether you decide to read the Left Behind series or not, I want you to take into consideration one of the scariest things about it. Rayford was committing adultery in his mind against his wife and he had drifted 100s of miles away from God. AND THEN THE DAY CAME. Buck Williams had seen the evidence of God’s existence, and he wasn’t prepared to take the next step. AND THEN THE DAY CAME. Read Matthew 24:36-44: 

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Our two main characters weren’t ready, and became two of many who were left behind. When the trumpet sounds, where will you be? Are you living a god-fearing life? Have you asked Jesus to come live in your heart? These are questions that we should ask ourselves everyday. So come on in to The Cross Reference Library and check this thrilling book series. 

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library?

The Woman from Lydia - Widowed Euodia, known to her neighbors as “the Lydian woman,” seeks to make a fresh start by moving to the foreign city of Philippi. She finds new purpose after meeting Paulos, apostle to the Gentiles, who opens her eyes to helping those in need, particularly women and those who have been enslaved. Retired Roman soldier Hector has settled in Philippi with dreams of a future filled with wealth and status, pooling his army earnings with Lucious, his fellow comrade-in-arms turned business partner. His hopes are dashed, however, when Paulos robs their youngest enslaved girl of her lucrative ability to foretell the future, rendering her worthless to Hector’s ambition. Determined to find someone to restore the girl’s valuable “gift,” Hector is willing to travel to the ends of the earth to do so. Following close behind him, Euodia and her servants embark on a journey to rescue Sabina and set her free forever. 

Seeing as Jesus Sees - “Jesus, how do You see this?” Discover a new, simple prayer, brief enough to change your whole life. It’s a request the Savior loves to grant because when you see yourself, others, and the world through His eyes, you’ll

• Discover the wonder and beauty you’ve been missing

• Clear away misunderstandings and defeat the lies that hold you back

• Take the limits off your life

• Rekindle genuine compassion for others

• Find hope again for the world

If you’re looking for a Spirit-filled life of freedom and joy, you don’t need to do more—you just need to see more. Let pastor Alan Wright lead you through the Scriptures to the Savior’s side to see everything from His perspective. You’re going to love the view.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library?

Quenched - If you are a woman who has struggled with lust and pornography, there is hope. Though you may feel trapped in a destructive cycle that is keeping you distant from God, you are not alone. Jessica Harris has been there, and she has made it her mission to break the silence, banish the shame, and bring the struggle into the light. In this authentic and honest book, she shows you a road map for restoration that answers the question “Is there grace left for me?” with a resounding and emphatic “Yes!” It’s time to break down the wall of shame between yourself and your God in order to drink from the well of grace, forgiveness, and freedom God has for you. 

Rooted in Wonder - For a generation whose eyes are constantly trained on screens, encountering nature at all is increasingly difficult—much less seeing what it reveals about God. How can parents help children re engage with the natural world that is so full of amazement, creativity, and love? Eryn Lynum is a certified master naturalist, Bible teacher, and mom of four who wants to help families encounter and understand the connection between God and creation. She shares her own story of surrounding her kids with nature, and invites other parents to embark on a similar journey. With practical sections that look at flora and fauna, water and sky through the lens of the Bible and activities to integrate faith and the natural world, Rooted in Wonder equips parents to cultivate an unshakable faith within their kids. Through the art of play, the drive of discovery, and the awe of adventure, children will gain a sense of wonder in their Creator that will last a lifetime. 

Everything You Need - Are you searching for greater confidence, purpose, and peace in your life? Are the distractions and pressures of this world weighing you down? If you’re overwhelmed, there’s help at your fingertips—help that will give you everything you need to walk life’s journey with resilience and strength. In Everything You Need, author and beloved Bible teacher Dr. David Jeremiah uses 2 Peter 1:3-11 to show you the path to spiritual and personal transformation. Dr. Jeremiah also highlights the extraordinary resources God has already provided for your growth: His divine power and precious promises. Filled with inspiring stories and practical truth, each chapter shows you how to take these divine gifts and develop eight remarkable character qualities that will strengthen you to soar above your circumstances and enable you to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

What’s New at the Cross Reference Library? "What God Wants You to Know About Him"

I Used to Be______- When you suffer a loss, you enter the realm of "used to be." You used to be married. You used to be employed. You used to be pregnant, secure, healthy, sober, thin. You used to be a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a mother or father. And in that used-to-be space there is deep emptiness, loneliness, and sorrow. It's a place we all dwell for a while. But it's not a place in which we are meant to remain. The path forward includes exploring the unseen elements of grief. With this book, pastor Chuck Elliott and counselor Ashley Elliott light the way to a better future. Sharing biblical advice and proven mental health techniques, they help you learn how to fully feel and face your grief, hold onto your faith, and develop healthy ways to see yourself, your life, and your loved ones. They offer coping strategies for when moving forward seems impossible and guide you toward building new thinking patterns that will result in true healing and growth. If you “used to be” something, it’s not the end of the road. It’s up to you to decide what you “will be” in the future. 

Quiet Conversations - When was the last time you enjoyed a quiet conversation with God? Is that a daunting idea in this noisy, fast-paced world? For some, faith is intriguing and it invites curiosity. Yet so much about God remains a mystery. How does one unravel it all to make sense in a personal way? In her new book, Quiet Conversations, Kim Harvey Brannan wants to guide you toward understanding the unique ways God expresses Himself in our lives. She presents the essentials about God and the ways He chooses to interact with us. Kim believes that Our Creator longs to draw close to us, and that connecting with Him at a deeper level is the key to living a meaningful life of intention. The ideas and concepts she develops in Quiet Conversations are shared with refreshing candor and raw emotion. Her life experiences back up the validity of each aspect of God’s nature. This debut book is a breath of fresh air, offering hope and personal peace amid life’s challenges, disappointments and hardships.

What’s New at the Cross Reference Library? An Inspirational Book by Ike Miller

Good Baggage - We think our baggage makes us less likely to have good, healthy relationships today. But baggage isn’t just the bad stuff that happened to us—it’s the lessons we’ve learned. What we’ve been through has made us stronger and more capable than we imagine. And it’s how we’re going to make our current relationships work. Far from minimizing past pain, pastor Ike Miller shows you how to go through the baggage you carry from a difficult childhood and pull out the good stuff. You’ll find no platitudes or pat answers here. Rather, you’ll discover untapped riches of experience and knowledge you already have that can make your relationships thrive and change the course of your life and legacy. 

What's New at the Cross Reference Library? A new Lauraine Snelling Novel!

Reunion - The Sorenson family has always been a tight-knit clan, gathering every year at Dagmar Sorenson’s home in Munsford, where her children Keira and Marcus also live. This year; the first since Dagmar’s passing, will be bittersweet. Keira dutifully sorts through Dagmar’s belongings, desperately searching for her birth certificate so she can apply for a passport for a much-dreamed-for trip to Norway. Why did her mother hide the document? The fifty-year-old secret shakes her whole world. Who is she? Who is her father? And who was the woman she called Mother? How can she tell her family the truth? Her brother, Marcus, and his wife, Leah, have a devastating secret of their own. Their college-bound daughter, Kirsten, is pregnant. Has she destroyed the bright future she’s earned? Her father’s trust? And what about his ministry? As the reunion draws closer, the secret each family member keeps erodes the solid bonds between them. Will the truth break them entirely?

What’s New at the Cross Reference Library? When The Going Gets Hard

Softly & Tenderly - Happily married and owner of two successful boutiques, Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max. But when she discovers that Max has an illegitimate son—who he wants her to help raise—Jade’s life is turned upside down. She flees to her childhood home, a rambling Iowa farmhouse, with enough room to breathe. There—while her mother’s health grows fragile, and the tug of her first love grows stronger—Jade begins to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and motherhood. In the wide-open landscape, Jade begins to see a future that doesn’t rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God’s tender mercies. 

House of Mercy - Beth has a gift of healing—which is why she wants to become a vet and help her family run their fifth-generation cattle ranch. Her father’s dream of helping men in trouble and giving them a second chance is her dream too. But it only takes one foolish decision to destroy it all. Beth scrambles to redeem her mistake, pleading with God for help, even as a mystery complicates her life. The repercussions grow more unbearable—a lawsuit, a death, a divided family, and the looming loss of everything she cares about. Beth’s only hope is to find the grandfather she never knew and beg for his help. Confused, grieving, and determined to make amends, she embarks on a horseback journey across the mountain, guided by a wild, unpredictable wolf who may or may not be real. Set in the stunningly rugged terrain of Southern Colorado, House of Mercy follows Beth through the valley of the shadow of death in the unfathomable miracles of mercy. 

Like Sweet Potato Pie - As a new Christian, former journalist Shiloh Jacobs has plenty of problems. But money, or lack of it, tops the list. Her redneck country house in rural Virginia that was left to her in her mom’s will is the last place on earth Shiloh thought she’d find herself. As soon as the house sells, she can’t wait to flee back to big-city life. But now the IRS is threatening to seize the house for back taxes while her half sister is contesting the will. And nobody’s offering the big bucks Shiloh needs for the house. To make matters worse, Shiloh finds her life unexpectedly entangled with a man who’s all wrong for her and just as financially strapped. Plus, he’s a local—settled in the one place she can’t wait to leave. She wouldn’t have noticed him before, but after giving her life to Jesus, everything looks different. When other more “suitable” men show up, can Shiloh lean on her new faith to see who’s right? Or will circumstances overwhelm her fragile faith and budding romance? 

Where do you go when life punches you in the gut? Perhaps you have lost a family member. Or maybe you’ve been financially tight and there aren’t many options for. Divorce, getting fired from a job, hospital bills after a wreck…The list can definitely be longer, but I’m sure you get the point. You want to know where I go when I’m confused or sad? There will be nights when I just can’t sleep, and I need to clear my head. On those nights, I go out to my front porch and I find a spot on the front steps. When I’m comfortable, I look up at the stars in all their beauty and sometimes I look for the constellation Cygnus (the Swan!). Then I take a deep breath and I talk to God. I thank Him for creating the stars, and for the ways that He has blessed me. But then I ask questions and completely open up to the Father who created me. It sometimes takes me too long, though. Before I find myself on those front steps. But it does feel good when I bring everything to the Father. Our main characters in this week’s books seem to take a while too. In Softly & Tenderly, Jade loses trust in the husband she loved, and upon that discovery, she goes to Iowa and ends up finding God. While in Like Sweet Potato Pie, Shiloh is a new Christian who is ready to serve the Lord. But as the story moves along, Shiloh finds out that being a Christian is one of the biggest challenges of her life. These 3 books actually reminded me of the song, “When Mercy Found Me,” by Rhett Walker: 

I can't count the broken roads I've been down

But all I know

Something had to give

Something had to give

'Cause living my life so wild and free

Finally caught up

Oh it left me broken, left me hopeless

But that's where I met Jesus

And in one moment everything changed

Who I was got washed away

When mercy found me

My Savior's arms were open wide

And I felt love for the very first time

When mercy found me

When mercy found me

If you are able, I highly recommend that you look this song up and listen to the whole thing. When you find yourself on those broken roads, tired and worn, go to the Lord in prayer and even open up His word. Difficult journeys are best taken when we have someone along for the ride. Jesus is ready for you to take Him along on that ride with you. So come on in to the Cross Reference Library for heartwarming stories and good morals.

What’s New at the Cross Reference Library?

Searching for You - For years, Sophie Neumann has been running from the orphanages of 1850s New York City. Tasked with caring for two younger children, she’s determined not to let them be taken from her, and not to abandon them the same way her older sisters did her. But times are growing desperate, and when she falls in the wrong crowd and witnesses a crime, she realizes fleeing the state is her only option. Disappearing with her two young charges into a group of orphans heading west by train, Sophie hopes to find safety and a happy life. But when the train stops in Illinois, she faces an agonizing decision as the orphans will be placed in new homes. Afraid she’ll lose them forever, she finds help in a familiar face she never expected to see so far from New York. Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own small farm in Illinois. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars that still haunt him, Reinhold is in no position to give his heart away…but can he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby farm pleading for his help? 

What's New in the Cross Reference Library? A New Karen Kingsbury Novel

A Distant Shore - She was a child caught in a riptide in the Caribbean Sea. He was a teenager from the East Coast on vacation with his family. He dove in to save her, and that single terrifying moment changed both their lives forever. Ten years later, Jack Ryder is a daring undercover agent with the FBI and Eliza Lawrence still lives on that pristine island. Only now she’s the untainted princess in a kingdom of darkness and evil, on the brink of a forced marriage with a dangerous neighboring drug lord, a marriage arranged by her father. This time when Jack and Eliza meet, both their lives are on the line, and once again, the stakes are deadly high. Can they join forces in a complicated and dangerous mission, pretending to have a breathtaking love…without really falling for one another? Sometimes miracles happen not once, but twice…on a distant shore.

We have dreams. There’s the kind that you get when you fall asleep. 

Like, the other night I had an interesting one where I was packing my bag and preparing to jump into a small plane and fly it across the world. 

Then there’s living dreams that can come true. One of mine is to write a novel (and maybe to have my own dog one day!). 

But the opposite of a dream, I would say, is a nightmare. According to Google, the two definitions of a nightmare are #1, “a frightening or unpleasant dream.” 

Once, I had an unpleasant dream where I was being chased down by a bloodthirsty cannibal and my body took forever to wake up. But I was relieved when I finally did, and that it was never real. The second definition of nightmare is, “a terrifying or very unpleasant experience or prospect.” In Karen Kingsbury’s A Distant Shore, Jack doesn’t have the luxury of waking from the nightmare of losing his brother. And unfortunately, it was 20 years before Eliza could escape from her father’s sex trafficking ring. A couple weeks ago, I went to the theater with my family to see the film, Sound of Freedom. It’s the incredible true story of Tim Ballad, a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers. Before walking into that theater, I knew of sex trafficking and that it was a horrible thing. But the way that film put into perspective the absolute hell millions of children have gone through, literally brought me to tears. A child can be picked up off the street, believing someone to be nice, trustworthy, or good, only to find out later on what horrors were in store for them. But in Karen Kingsbury’s fictional story of A Distant Shore, God uses Eliza to continue to help the FBI, by going and stopping kids from being taken. 

Even though this novel by Karen Kingsbury contains made-up characters, sex-trafficking is very real and very active in our world and in our country. I do recommend A Distant Shore to any of our Cross Reference Library patrons, or anyone who is interested about the story itself. But I will say that it is not for the faint of heart, either. While I’m at it, I also recommend that anyone that can, or feels so inclined, go see Sound of Freedom. Sure, it will make you sad for the children it is happening to and mad at the men who do it to them. But that film is extremely powerful, and one of my favorite lines from the movie is, “God’s children are NOT for sale!” And that is absolutely true. I recommend them both, because, though serious, the themes and occurrences need to be addressed and not ignored.