Books and educational resources that have come to our desk recently

Biographical

Iraq: A Journey of Hope and Peace. Peggy Faw Gish. Herald Press, 2004. Gish tells her story of working with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq before, during and after the 2003 war and occupation.

Victims Find a Voice. Harrisonburg, Va.: Mennonite Media. 2002. A video of the story of Cliff and Wilma Derksen in the aftermath of their daughter Candace’s murder.

Study books

Miracles of Jesus. Richard S. Ascough. Novalis, 2003. The miracles Jesus performed in the New Testament are given to show Jesus’ concern for all peoples, regardless of ethnic, social or gender differences. 27 miracles are highlighted.

Nurturing Faith in Families: 425 Creative Ideas for Family Ministry. Jolene L. Roehlkepartain. Abingdon Press, 2004. The nine chapters cover topics such as the critical ministry of the church; innovative ways to build an effective family ministry, and ideas for music and art activities, fun activities and ideas to use in the family setting.

On Jordan’s Stormy Banks. Lessons from the Book of Deuteronomy. James E. Brenneman. Herald Press, 2004. In six chapters, Brenneman presents a study guide for understanding how Deuteronomy addresses our deepest human longings.

Seeking Cultures of Peace: A Peace Church Conversation. Fernando Enns, Scott Holland, Ann K. Riggs, eds. Cascadia Publishing, 2004. Writings from numerous Christian faith traditions that articulate a historic peace position. They come out of a conference held in Switzerland to begin a Decade to Overcome Violence, sponsored by the World Council of Churches.

Fiction

The Cost of Passage. Heather Tekavec. Herald Press, 2004. Part of the Crossings of Promise series. Anna, a 14-year-old girl, helps her family raise the cost of passage to Canada from her home in Russia. She learns to surrender to God and finds answers come in interesting ways.

When the River Calls. Hugh Alan Smith. Herald Press, 2004. Part of the Crossings of Promise series. The Hutterites have settled in South Dakota, having come from the steppes of Russia. Hannah learns to trust God in her search for her friend Paul who has left the colony.

Forbidden. Wilma Wall. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2004. Wall has created a story from the days of World War II, when Mennonites still lived in closed communities, and when Japanese Americans were interned because of a fear of attack from Japan. The love story of a young Mennonite girl and a Japanese man illustrates the prejudices of many people at that time.