HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope your holidays were good ones!
Please join us at our next meeting on February 8th at 7pm at Bay Area CC.
We will be discussing the book "The Faith Club" and enjoy some multi-cultural discussion and home-made desserts!

Please continue with us in the coming months on the second Tuesday of each month. Here are the books coming up:

March Meeting - Life Support by Robert Maxwell
April Meeting - The Pearl by Angela Hunt
May Meeting - Contemplating the Cross by Tricia Rhodes

Hope you can join us for some great discussion and fellowship!

Book Picks for the Fall 2010

Great discussion last night on True Devotion!

We have selected our book picks for the Fall:

Discuss on September14 -

Love is a Verb - Gary Chapman

Discuss on October 12 -

Gods and Kings (Chronicles of the Kings #1) - Lynn Austin

Discuss on November 9 -

Angels in the ER - Robert D. Leslie,MD

Discuss on February 8, 2011 -

So What's the Difference - Fritz Ridenour

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew- Three Women Search for Understanding - Ranya Idiby, Suzannne Oliver, Priscilla Warner

(we chose 2 books that seem to compliment each other since we will have a 3 month break over the holidays)

July Reading

Our reading for July is Dee Henerson's True Devotion. We will meet on Tuesday, August 10 at 7pm at BACC! Hope you can join us!

In True Devotion, which kicks off bestselling author Dee Henderson's Uncommon Heroes series, lifeguard Kelly Jacobs mechanically goes through the motions of living while seeking to alleviate her grief over the death of her beloved spouse. When Kelly saves the life of young teen Ryan Raines in a daring rescue at sea, his father Charles showers her with attention--and draws Kelly into a sinister plot that may endanger her best friend and new romantic interest, Navy SEAL lieutenant Joe "Bear" Baker. Henderson's strong women characters have an appealing combination of toughness and vulnerability, and she's not afraid of exploring their spiritual side as well as spotlighting their heroics. The sprinkling of military terminology throughout the book might initially seem daunting, but a glossary at the beginning of the novel will help readers who are unfamiliar with the lingo. Henderson excels in concocting just the right blend of romance and edge-of-your-seat action to keep the pages turning.

June Meeting: Tuesday, June 8th at 7pm

Great discussion and so many newcomers at our meeting last night! I hope you all can be blessed by the Christian Literature that we read and fellowship together!

Our next meeting is on Tuesday, June 8th at 7pm at Bay Area Community Church. Is anyone interested in bringing a snack to go along with our new discussion book for the month, Vienna Prelude??

Have a wonderful month, Ladies!

Opening in 1936, the Zion Covenant series tells the courageous and compelling stories of those who risk everything to stand against the growing tide of Nazi terrorism that is sweeping through central Europe under the dangerous and deceitful guise of Hitler's Third Reich.

May Meeting: May 11th at 7pm

Please join us as we discuss the next book "In the Presence of My Enemies" By Gracia Burnham. She recently a few months back, came to speak at Bay Area Community Church and we thought it would be a treat to really learn her story and how God worked through her.

Join us at 7pm for a snack, discussion and of course some women fellowship! Tuesday, May 11th!

In this remarkably honest and unaffected memoir, Burnham tells the story of her captivity at the hands of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group in the Philippines. For just over a year, she and her husband Martin, a missionary pilot, lived with their captors and a variety of other hostages in the Philippine jungle. In a botched rescue attempt, the Philippine army shot and killed Martin Burnham and Ediborah Yap, a nurse who was the other remaining hostage. Gracia Burnham was also shot, but rescued and treated for a leg wound. Burnham hauntingly depicts the alchemical reaction of deep Christian faith, Stockholm Syndrome and the unremitting terror of hostage life. The odd intimacy among the hostages and captors comes across in surprisingly frank conversations. At one point, Martin boldly refers to all the bad things the captors have done to the hostages, only to have one of them look at him quizzically and claim he has never done any harm to the hostages. The captors, in fact, do unspeakable things, such as beheading hostages or taking them as unwilling "wives." Impressively, Burnham makes no attempt to dramatize these events for shock value, nor does she use this book as an occasion for Christian triumphalism. Instead, she chronicles both her high and low moments as a Christian during that year, and shows tremendous respect and love for members of other faiths with whom she lived. While some of the book is written for a Christian audience, a much wider audience will appreciate Burnham's brave, artless account of these horrific events.

Next Meeting - April 13

We will be discussing "The Voice in the Wind" by Francine Rivers.

We'll be in the Fire Side Room at BACC at 7pm and we'll have a little Italian Treat to go with the Roman theme of this book!

Please join us and bring a friend!

Rome comes alive in this tale of Jewish Christian slave girl Hadassah. Her story encourages readers to represent Christ in their world.

BOOKS Selected for the Next 6 Months

Hi Ladies,Great discussion last night on 3 Cups of Tea.

Here are the books we decided on for the following months, so order them now and get discounted shipping to purchase in bulk.

March 9th – The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
April 13th – The Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
May 11th – In the Presence of My enemies by Gracia Burnham
June 8th – Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene
July 13th – Captivating by John and Stacie Eldridge
August 10th – Secrets of Harmony Grove – Mindy Starns Clark

The Last Lecture is a short book and The Voice in the Wind is a looong book, so you might want to start A Voice in the Wind as soon as you finish The Last Lecture.

Happy Reading!

Snow Delayed Meeting

I hope everyone ejoyed the snow last week and was blessed with the peace at home that family togetherness can bring!

We are rescheduled for Tuesday, February 15, 2010 at 7pm in the Fireside Room.

We're going to enjoy a mini Tea Party while we discuss our book, "Three Cups of Tea." Also, we plan on selecting about 6 months of books that evening as well. So please come and bring a book idea and a smile, we'd love to include you and a friend in our woman's fellowship time!

God Bless!

February Book Selection

It seems we have a majority consensus for the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Our first meeting will be February 9th at Bay Area (room to be determined) at 7pm.

We will discuss "Three Cups of Tea" By Greg Mortenson with a tea party theme! So make sure you buy the book soon!

Look for an announcement in the connections on Sundays and bring a friend to share the fun!

Have a Blessed week!

Starred Review. Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts.

Happy New Year Book Club!

Blessings to ALL of you out there in 2010!

As you start organizing and picking out your goals for this year, I hope you include reading more Christian literature and getting more female fellowship time!

We have some great suggestions for new books this year already! I can't wait to share the moments again with you this year.

I pray that all of you who are interested, make an effort to strengthen your faith by reading the words of many Christian writers. Also, I hope you have the courage to invite a friend who also loves to read and you can share Christ's love with as well!

Don't forget our reputation for some great recipes we'll be sharing as well!

See you all soon!

My goodness, I can't believe so much time has passed! I was out on travel during the week for 3 out of the 4 weeks in October and weekends were my own time to rush around doing normal home chores! My apologies to everyone for being "missing" from book club duties.

Now that I'm settled this week I remembered that we had one more meeting planned before the end of the year. I know it's kind of late, but is anyone interested in having a final, "pre-Thanksgiving," end of year dinner?? I'd be willing to host and anyone is welcome. Either November 17,18, or 19 would be available. We can discuss plans for next year to make it bigger and better, how to reach out to more women readers alike, how we should run our discussions (possibly more structured than just open thoughts), and of course, what books we should consider trying.

Let me know if anyone is interested. If not, then I pray that all of you would be blessed, and that you would honor the Lord with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind as the holidays arrive. Stay tuned either way for updates in January about starting the book club back up for 2010, revamped and full of ideas!

With Joy & Hope,
~Christina

September Reading

For September, we'll be reading Whispers of the Bayou, By Mindy S. Clarke. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 7pm at Bay Area Community Church. I hope you enjoy it!

From the author of the popular Million Dollar Mysteries and Smart Chick Mysteries comes a new stand–alone novel full of hidden staircases, buried secrets, and the promise of hope found in knowing God.
Miranda Miller wasn’t looking for the news the day the letter came. But, trying to survive in troubled circumstances, she welcomes the chance to change her location for a period of time. The letter informs her that her grandparents’ estate is finally about to become hers. She immediately heads down to Louisiana and the old house by the bayou. There Miranda finds secrets that lead to life–changing revelations.
This suspenseful story reminiscent of old Gothic tales has a complex mystery and a vivid sense of the Deep South. It shows how God can take the darkest circumstances and use them to light a bright path leading to the future.

September Meeting

Our next meeting will be TUESDAY, September 1, 2009, at Bay Area Community Church at 7pm in room 236. The book we'll be discussing is non-fiction, entitled The Road to The UnAfraid, by Jeff Struecker. I hope you can join us and bring a snack to share!

Jeff Struecker, a "Black Hawk Down" hero, the Army's Top Ranger, now an Army Chaplain, relates his own tales from the frontlines of every U.S. initiative since Panama, and tells how God taught him faith from the front in fear-soaked times. As readers go on-mission with Struecker through his harrowing tales, they will learn how to face their own fears with faith in a mighty God. Just as he told one of his charges in Mogadishu: "The difference between being a coward and a hero is not whether you're scared, it's what you do while you're scared."

July Book Reading

Wow! What a great inspirational book from "The Heavenly Man!" I hope everyone was blessed through his relationship with God as something to learn and grow to aspire to, truely a man after God's own heart!

Our book for July is called "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. Our next meeting will be at my house on TUESDAY, August 4th at 7pm. It is a potluck dinner, so bring something to share!

The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery.

June Book

Ok, here is our book for June, sorry it's a little late. We will be discussing May's book (The Note, by Angela Hunt) and June's book stated below. We'll have a potluck dinner like usual at Bay Area Community church at 7pm. NEXT MEETING, Thursday, July 2nd at 7pm.

A dramatic autobiography of one of China's dedicated, courageous, and intensely persecuted house church leaders.

May Book

Description:

En route from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Tampa International, Flight 848 bursts into flames and crashes into Tampa Bay. For one week, Peyton MacGruder and her fellow reporters cover one of the nation's worst air disasters in years with overwhelming and numbed emotions. Then a woman Peyton's never met gives her a plastic bag that washed up behind her house. The bag contains a note, almost certainly from the doomed flight, with a simple yet wrenching message: “T- I love you. All is forgiven. –Dad.” Combing through the passenger list, Peyton is determined to deliver the note to its proper owner. It's a quest that will prove as important to Peyton's own life as to the mysterious T. Women of Faith has shared the message of hope and grace with millions of women across the country through conferences and resources. When you see the words "Women of Faith Fiction" on a novel, you're guaranteed a reading experience that will capture your imagination and inspire your faith.

NEXT MEETING:

We will be meeting on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 7pm at Bay Area Community Church in room 234. Come for some dinner, discussion and fellowship!

April Book

THANK YOU Leslie, Mary, Maredith, and Joyce for the great meal they helped out with for our March meeting! It was great fellowship time on a very good book.

For April, our Non-Fiction book is

"The Same Kind of Different As Me," by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

Denver Moore grew up in Louisiana in the 1960's, working on a plantation as a modern-day slave. Ron Hall is an international arts dealer who moves between upscale New York galleries and celebrities. It seems unlikely that these two men would meet under normal circumstances. Until Deborah Hall, Ron's wife meets Denver and sees him through God's eyes of compassion. When Deborah is diagnosed with cancer she charges Ron with the mission of saving Denver. From this request, an extraordinary friendship forms between Denver and Ron, changing them both forever. A remarkable true story of friendship and unconditional love!

OUR APRIL MEETING WILL BE ON THURSDAY, April 23, 2009 at 7pm.

COME for a potluck dinner, book discussion, and great fellowship!

Book for March Meeting

The book we've selected to read for March is "Piercing the Darkness," by Frank Peretti.

Sleepy little Bacon's Corner seems like a picture-perfect farming community. But appearances can be deceiving. An attempted murder, a case of mistaken identity, and a ruthless lawsuit against a Christian school are tearing the town apart as angels and demons battle for victory---and the soul of young loner Sally Beth Roe. 544 pages.


We're meeting on Thursday, March 26th at 7pm in room 234 at Bay Area Community Church. Come join us for a potluck dinner, dessert and some great fellowship time!

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2009 Ladies! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is holding up with their New Years Resolutions!! I'm writing because as we're embarking on a new year to make changes and start new traditions, I'd like to get some feedback from those of you who have been in book club for all of 2008 and those of you who have interest but little (or no) time.

Here is what I'd like you to email back to me (if possible):
- Your name
- Do you plan on participating in book club this year
- What types of genres are you interested in (non-fiction, fiction, romance, historical, self help, etc.)
- The best weekday to meet that is convenient for you
- Any book titles that you'd like to add to our list to cover this year
- Any ideas or comments you have to spice up and encourage others to join book club



My thoughts:
I think this Christian book club idea is a really great one but I understand how difficult it is to find time for reading. I also LOVE to have a place to try new recipes for every ones kitchen (my own twist on the club). I want a friendly, non-threatening fellowship place for new church goers and old church goers to enjoy literature, make new women connections in the church, and of course try out some new food!

You DO NOT need to be a believer to come to book club but we will cover only Christian Literature to get discussions going so bringing your non-believing friend or neighbor isn't a stretch. I would like to incorporate more structure to our discussions, even though it is nice to just say whatever is on your mind. At the end of last year I tried some discussion guides and silly question games. I would like to build on that more and take any suggestions you have to do so.

If I have a lack of interest for Book club, which is very understandable during the busy new year, then I will discontinue the monthly meetings. God has a calling for all of us and maybe serving and reaching out to His people through literature is not my calling right now. Please get back to me when ASAP so I can make arrangements for a meeting place (maybe not at the church...) and select books for the upcoming months!

Have a great week everyone!
God Bless!

October Meeting

So, I really enjoyed our last book we read, Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson. SO good! And I hope everyone at the meeting enjoyed the little game we played to help impliment some of the lessons we learned on how to unconditionally respect our husbands... always a task requiring God's patience! :o)

OUR NEXT MEETING:
Thursday, October 9th at 7pm in Room 235 at Bay Area Community Church
EMAIL ME if you want to join us!

Onward, to our next book, Oceans Apart, By Karen Kingsbury. Just so you know, this book is on audio CD so you can read/listen to it on your ipod everywhere you go for those busy women out there.... i.e. ME!

Ocean's Apart, by Karen KingsburyIt's not easy being a single mom, but Kiahna has a wonderful 7-year-old son named Max, a good job as a flight attendant, and a relationship with Christ. When the plane she's on crashes into the ocean, she prays that the Lord will bring Max and his dad together. Will God grant her this one miracle? 352 pages, softcover from Zondervan.

The recipe we had last month was a dessert called a Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Ball.

God Bless!