Based on a number of books I've read lately and a bunch of books I'm planning to read soon, as well as our church's sermon series and my own personal convictions, I am doing a giveaway of a series of books that all speak to the theme of "Being the change you want to see in the world." In other words, about how one person to make a difference for Christ and be Jesus to someone. These are books (fiction and non-fiction) about stepping outside of our comfort zone (in some cases way outside the comfort zone!) and challenging ourselves in both big and small ways to reach out to those in need.
Here are the giveaway rules:
1. Answer the day's random question. Today's question is: are you a volunteer? Where do you volunteer your time? Do you enjoy it?
2. Enter for this book by October 13. Winner will be announced the following day.
3. Respond within 10 days should you receive an email indicating you have won a particular book.
4. Come back soon for the next giveaway in this series!
This first book I'm giving away in this giveaway theme is one of my all-time favorites: Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson.
Description:
Heather Curridge is envied by most: she has a successful surgeon husband who panders to her every need, a smart son, a beautiful home, and money to shop, re-do her home, and install the newest pool in her back yard. But while Heather is outwardly content, inner turmoil reigns with memories of peers being mistreated in her Christian school and a feeling that she could be doing much more with her life. As Heather slowly starts to come out of her shell, she discovers unlikely friends in two old Quaker sisters and a grumpy nun who help her to discover how she can fulfill her life with God's work.
Here's what Publisher's Weekly says about the book:
One of the most powerful voices in Christian fiction, Samson delivers what seems, on the surface, to be just another Christian women's novel, but in reality is a staggering examination of the Christian conscience. Like most Samson heroines, Heather Curridge is a woman in crisis. Outwardly, her life seems idyllic: she has an unusually handsome, successful and loving husband, a child she adores and the most beautiful home she could imagine. Inwardly, however, she is falling apart, overcome by the idea that this comfortable, affluent life is keeping her from God's will. With the help of several older, wiser Christians, her patient family and her two best friends, Heather comes to some painful conclusions about her past and future. Samson's unflinching exploration of childhood bullying, as well as inner-city poverty and drug culture, are rivaled only by her portrayal of the soul-desiccating acquisitiveness in which many Christians engage, often in a misguided attempt to numb both their heartache and their awareness of God's potentially life-upending plans. Unlike many Christian novelists, Samson does not tidily resolve every single problem her heroine faces, but instead paints an emotionally and spiritually luminous portrait of a soul beckoned by God.
